Three Wartburg College students presented their research at the Iowa Association of the Education of Young Children conference earlier this month.
Seniors Lexi Cahoy, Anna Guida and Vanessa Victoria presented “More Than Just Play! Building Skills Through Child-Led Learning” under the direction of Brandy Smith, assistant professor of education.
Their research, which was presented to practicing early childhood education teachers, explored the role of play in children’s learning and development by examining what free play looks like and how it supports social-emotional learning, language development, creativity and engagement. They also highlighted ways play can be meaningfully connected to other curricular areas for multi-language learners while still honoring child-led exploration.
“Since this was my first time presenting at a conference, it was definitely a little intimidating, especially being the only college students there, but everyone was incredibly supportive,” Guida said. “I loved getting to know my peers and connecting with educators, some of whom I may even be working with within the year. This was an amazing experience, and I think every education major should have the opportunity to do it.”
“I loved being able to share the importance of play and how it supports children’s learning and development,” Victoria added. “This experience helped me grow my confidence as a future educator and reminded me how important it is to advocate for developmentally appropriate practices. I know I will carry what I learned from this experience into my future classroom and continue to share my passion for early childhood education with others.”
Cahoy also presented “Aquaponics in a Jar” with Michael Bechtel, professor of science education, where they introduced early childhood educators to the educational impact aquaponics can have on a classroom. They used a self-sustaining aquaponics ecosystem — which holds water, plants, fish and snails — to show how easy the systems can be to create and maintain. Each attendee was provided with take-home instructions for making their own classroom ecosystem.
“Aquaponics is typically seen as an activity only for older children, but we were able to bring it into the early childhood space, showing that it can be used in many different settings and age groups to meet science standards and beyond,” Cahoy said. “It was very rewarding to watch early childhood educators from across the state leave with new information and their own aquaponics systems to use in their spaces. I believe that true hands-on science activities belong in early childhood.”
The Iowa AEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children through age 8 by connecting practice, policy and research.
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