Children from Early Childhood Education investigate metropolitan transportation

By Bruna Cronfli

To enrich the discussion regarding the Unit of Inquiry “Transportation”, the children of G4 (4 years old) went on a subway and train ride. They were able to observe there how the means of transportation work and ask questions to the staff.

From the moment they started studying transportation, the children showed a lot of curiosity about the systems and characteristics of each of them. So they decided to conduct a survey with the school employees to find out which transportation they use to get to work every day. The train and the subway aroused great interest in the students, who were excited to learn that they would be going on a Field Trip to get to know the tracks and the train cars up close.

The groups were asked what they thought they would see on the ride, and their hypotheses were recorded and posted on the wall in the classroom: maps, stairs, signs, chairs, and others. 

Upon arriving at the station, the children were greeted by an employee who answered questions such as “What is the difference between the train and the subway?”, “How do we get to the train if it is underground?”, and “Is this train a fake train?”, “Why doesn’t it produce any smoke?” He explained what an electric train is, showing the children the wires, and he also showed them the yellow tactile line on the platform and its function.

They were delighted to see the track and very curious to see that there was no seat belt on the seats. They concluded that they needed to hold on to the metal bars during the trip and, although they found the trip long, they loved riding at high speed.

Back at school, the questions, confirmations, and new hypotheses that emerged were recorded and shared with the group to continue the investigative process.