A project begins
It began with a simple moment on a playground bench. A child approached me, positioning herself at my eye level – a significant detail I've come to recognise. ‘Mrs Wriggler,’ she said (her endearing mispronunciation of Kriegler), ‘I was thinking about making some wings. I imagined my sewing machine... and my wings will have web patterns.’ After studying my shoulders thoughtfully, she added, ‘I can't lend you them. But I can make you some. I will need a much bigger sewing machine.’ Then she danced away, arms fluttering like the wings she had imagined.
At that moment, I witnessed a child's mind working at remarkable levels – comparing sizes, solving problems, and making sophisticated calculations about scale and proportion. This exemplified what Carlina Rinaldi calls the ‘pedagogy of listening’ – not just hearing children's words but being attuned to their hundreds more languages expressing themselves. That child spoke multiple languages simultaneously – the language of imagination, engineering, problem-solving, and relationship.
From an idea to a collaborative provocation
Taking this spark of inspiration, I collaborated with our Drama Specialist, Dr Kathleen Buchanan, and professional actor Hannah Greenwood to create what we came to call the ‘Faerie Incursion.’ We wanted to honour that child's fascination with wings while expanding it into a rich, multisensory learning experience. Together, we crafted an immersive, dramatic experience centred around a faerie with a broken wing and lost voice.
What unfolded exceeded our expectations in ways that still fill me with joy. As ‘Little Skye Blue,’ Hannah created a mostly non-verbal performance that challenged our children to interpret subtle gestures and facial expressions. I watched in amazement as they naturally stepped into this world of gesture and mime, respecting an invisible glass wall that 'trapped' the faerie, demonstrating their sophisticated understanding of symbolic representation.
Extending the learning into new areas of engagement
The real magic happened in how this single experience branched into multiple areas of learning. We transformed our stage into a ‘magical rainbow land’ – a light installation that became our gateway into scientific exploration. After the children helped the faerie mend her wing, she led them up some stairs and behind the stage curtain, where we had set up an immersive and beautiful light installation. Without formal instruction, our children began discovering principles of light and developing an experiential understanding of concepts like translucency, transparency, and opacity. As Project Zero researchers would recognise, we were ‘making thinking visible’—creating opportunities for children to express their theories and understandings through multiple symbolic languages.
Children learn in unique ways
What particularly moved me was seeing how this experience created space for every child to shine. A child with Asperger's syndrome, who typically held himself apart from group activities, became fully engaged in the experience. A usually quiet child emerged as our resident faerie expert, sharing knowledge from her home experiences with newfound confidence. The boys wore faerie wings as naturally as the girls explored principles of flight – all artificial barriers of gender and ability seemed to dissolve in the magic of our shared experience.
Pedagogical documentation as a research tool for learning
The documentation process, so central to the Reggio Emilia approach, was crucial in deepening our understanding of the children's learning. Through photographs, videos, and written observations, we captured the fairy incursion itself, the complex web of theories, questions, and discoveries that emerged from it, and the later inquiry into the properties of colour and light. As Peter Moss emphasises, this documentation became our tool for making meaning of children's learning processes.
Later, when the children debated whether Little Skye Blue was ‘real,’ I witnessed some of the most sophisticated critical thinking I've seen in young children. They used evidence – the wings' texture and the faerie's size – while simultaneously maintaining their engagement with the magical elements of the experience. They were learning to hold multiple truths simultaneously, a skill that would serve them well in both scientific thinking and creative exploration.
The success of this project embodied what Rinaldi calls the ‘pedagogy of relationships’ – the understanding that knowledge is constructed through connections between people, ideas, and experiences. It reminded me of several key ideas about early childhood education: First, our most powerful teaching often begins with pedagogical listening – being attuned to how children express their theories and ideas. Second, collaboration with colleagues can transform good ideas into extraordinary possibilities. And finally, when we trust in the ‘rich normality’ of children – their natural ability to construct knowledge and meaning – they will consistently exceed our expectations.
Use your strengths and passion
I made Hannah's faerie costume, a detail that might seem small but speaks to the personal investment that makes these projects so unique. Every stitch was sewn with the understanding that we were creating not just a costume but a gateway to learning that would resonate long after the performance ended.
Find the wonder in the everyday and create a rich normality
For my fellow educators reading this, I encourage you to look for these moments of possibility in your own classrooms. They often start small – a child's comment, a passing interest, a playground conversation. But with imagination, collaboration, and trust in children's capabilities, these moments can blossom into rich, multi-layered learning experiences that touch both hearts and minds.
This journey reflects what Rinaldi calls the ‘pedagogy of wonder’ – where teachers and children engage in research about the world and their place in it. The wings the child imagined on that playground bench never materialised from her larger sewing machine. Instead, they took flight in ways neither of us could have predicted, carrying an entire children's classroom into new realms of understanding. As we document and share these experiences, we contribute to what Moss calls the ‘narrative of possibility’ in early childhood education – stories that demonstrate the remarkable capabilities of children and the transformative power of responsive, respectful teaching.
Lili-Ann Kriegler (B. A Hons, H. Dip. Ed, M.Ed.) is a Melbourne-based education consultant and award-winning 'Power of Play' and 'Roots and Wings' author. Lili-Ann owns Kriegler Education and writes to share the wisdom she has acquired through her training and 30 years of experience in education. She is a child, parent and family advocate who believes education is a transformative force for humanity.
Website: https://www.kriegler-education.com/
Transform your approach to early childhood education by unlocking the true potential of play-based learning. In The Power of Play, educator Lili-Ann Kriegler provides a practical roadmap for embedding deep conceptual understanding into daily activities. This book, explicitly designed for early educators, emphasises that language is at the heart of learning. It describes 7 dynamic learning zones to help you implement a highly effective play-based curriculum.
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