Building a Lifelong Love of Learning

February 6, 2026
Anyone who is lucky enough to peek into our preschool classrooms knows what a magical experience our youngest students are having. These classrooms are bursting testimonies to the energy, enthusiasm, and interests of their young inhabitants. Emergent curriculum is at the heart of what student-centered learning looks like in our earliest classrooms. Here at Parker, we believe that all children are capable individuals deserving of respect. Every aspect of a preschoolers day, from snack to circle time, and investigations to project work, is constructed with this principle in mind. Our teachers work hard to observe and document each child’s play, language, and interests, to get at the heart of what each child wants to know. Our teacher’s real work is then to manifest these observations into project work that brings the children’s collective curiosities to life.



So what does an emergent curriculum look like in our preschool classrooms? Well, recently our PreK Oak students have been immersed in an expansive study of construction sparked by student interest. As Sara Schomaker, our lead PreK Oak teacher explains, “This fall, we did a dinosaur study, and during that time I noticed that many students were starting to create really big structures with the unit blocks. They also started playing like they were construction workers, saying things like, “We need some workers to build this!”, and using many of the toy cars as construction vehicles.”



Sara noted these emerging patterns and, as she was wrapping up her dinosaur study, began to move more construction themed materials into the classroom: “I acquired some actual construction play vehicles. I brought in construction cones and signs. I created a center with clipboards and paper for planning their builds.” Then, Sara observed what naturally evolved and documented collective curiosities.

Within just a few days, Sara and her students had generated a comprehensive list of construction questions including: “How are buildings built? Why do they use wood to build? What other materials are used for building? What is inside a building? Why do people build houses? Why do we have electricity? Why do wires go inside walls?” Sara reached out to her classroom and faculty community for resources, and immediately several parents volunteered to share their expertise with the class.



Over the next several weeks, our Oak class enjoyed visits from experts in their field, and even took a little field trip within Parker! PreK dad Eric Hook, an electrician, visited the class and brought an entire deconstructed wall panel for students to see how electricity works inside walls. Eric patiently demonstrated how switches and outlets are wired, explained what makes a circuit, and shared plenty of real materials that the children were allowed to touch and handle as he taught about electrical safety. Another parent, Peter Gannett, brought samples of lumber and concrete into the classroom. He also shared and discussed pictures from some of the construction sites that he’s working on. The class also visited Parker’s own woodshed!  Parker MS Math teacher Paul Rix demonstrated various tools and materials and taught them basic woodworking safety. Finally, as a culmination of their learning, Sara’s Oak class had the delight of completing a hands-on construction project with their 3rd and 4th grade buddies building birdhouses together! 

Sara shares “Following an emergent curriculum transforms the classroom because it ignites students’ interests in what we’re learning about. I was actually planning to end this construction unit before winter break, but when we returned to school in January everyone was still completely immersed in this world and clearly wanting more. I love it as a teacher because their curiosity then drives the vehicle for skill acquisition. Through these studies, I can incorporate early literacy, number sense, pattern recognition, critical thinking, and problem solving, and the kids are eager to participate because they are so invested in what we are doing.”



Sara goes on to explain that, “The beauty of emergent curriculum is also that it is broad enough to make room for everyone. Certainly if I surveyed my students individually, construction may not be at the top of all their lists. However, within this large theme, there are access points for all different types of interests and talents. For example, some of my students LOVE experiential art. Therefore, one of our projects within this unit focused on designing and creating buildings for a village, and then using hands-on materials to also create mud tracks for the roads. Other students love writing, so we created construction signs and names for buildings.” 

This is a true emergent curriculum. It happens organically, and it makes learning meaningful. Children are actively involved in learning how to become learners. They are invested in their projects, and the projects then become the medium for skill acquisition, meeting milestones, and following New York State early learning guidelines.



Emergent curriculum gives children the opportunity to explore and experience a topic of study that they will not get anywhere else. Typical PreK thematic units like “Beach Week” or “Seasons” often reflect things that children have already experienced in some capacity at home. With emergent curriculum, students get to explore an interest that generates organically amongst their social group based on observations and interests. It’s never the same, and it’s rarely something that a typical preschool class would study.



As Sarah explains, “Part of the joy of emergent curriculum for me as a teacher is not knowing what we are going to learn about. Following my student’s interests allows me to learn alongside them! Take our dinosaur unit for example – I didn’t know even half of what we eventually discovered together. Generating questions together, and then curating experiences that allow them to find the answers on their own was engaging and fun for me too. There were many times that I couldn’t answer a student’s question. That gave me the opportunity to model not knowing, and also to give my students tangible examples of how we can find out.”



This “finding out together” is the heart of our Parker PreK experience. We are not looking for expertise in the topics we study. We are wholeheartedly dedicated to exploring and engaging student curiosity. Our experienced educators help students see that they can have the initial thought, and their ideas can then steer what they want to learn about. We are teaching them that they can “find something out” on their own. Their interests spark what they study, allowing our students to genuinely engage with and own their classroom.