Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/childrens-museums-places-of-beauty-joy-wonder-and-magic/5026257/
*Photos can be found in the pdf version of this article.
Each day, the educators of Reggio Emilia reflect on the experiences of the children. Essential to their work is the fundamental premise that they are nurturing “better citizens of the world” and improving the quality of human interaction. They believe that each individual child has an extraordinary wealth of inborn abilities, strength, and creativity. One of the places inspired by Reggio Emilia is Chicago Children’s Museum. We recognize the right of children to realize and expand their potential, placing great value on their ability to socialize, receiving their affection and trust, and satisfying their needs and desires to learn. And this is so much truer when children are reassured by an effective alliance between the adults in their lives—adults who are always ready to help, who place a higher value on the search for constructive strategies of thoughts and action than on the direct transmission of knowledge and skills. The principles and values of the Reggio Emilia approach are applicable to a museum environment, which shares in this commitment to providing quality early childhood education.
At the forefront of both institutions is the belief that children can construct their own learning. ...