Written and Photos by : Wang Liping, Teacher of Banqiao Kindergarten

When the autumn wind swept the yellow leaves into the activity room, Lele was counting ants by the windowsill. A leaf twirled down and landed on the back of his hand, and he suddenly jumped up, shouting, "Teacher, all the leaves on the tree have fallen!" This childish voice, like a stone thrown into a small pond, made more than a dozen round eyes turn towards the window in unison, and a nature exploration activity about "Mr. Tree" quietly began amid the children's curiosity.

"The leaves have turned yellow. Is the tree sick?" Qiqi asked with a worried frown. "Let's water it! Just like how we drink water when we're thirsty!" Doudou tugged at the corner of the teacher's clothes and shook it.

The children's questions bubbled up one after another like little bubbles. Teacher Wang clapped her hands with a smile: "Since everyone is so curious, shall we go ask Mr. Tree right now?" The children formed a crooked line and followed the teacher to the tree. Teacher Wang picked up a withered leaf: "Who notices how it's different from the leaves in summer?" "It's turned yellow!" "It's hard and crumbles when you squeeze it!" The children chattered and answered eagerly, their little faces full of excitement at their discoveries. The entire process had no preset activity flow but was a natural guidance.  

   "Actually, when trees lose their leaves, it's not because they're sick," Teacher Wang gently touched the rough bark and explained patiently. "Just like children wear thick clothes to keep warm in winter, Mr. Tree has his own ways to get through winter. In autumn, the weather gets cooler and rainfall decreases. Leaves consume a lot of energy, so Mr. Tree lets them fall off to conserve energy and survive the winter well. "Teacher Wang pulled the children to sit around the tree trunk: "Feel it—isn't the trunk still strong? Mr. Tree is just hibernating! When spring comes next year, he'll wake up and grow even greener leaves."

At that moment, Doudou suddenly noticed a tree hole: "Teacher, look! The ants are building a house!" This discovery was like a magnet— the children immediately gathered in a cluster, chattering and discussing: "Are they making a quilt for Mr. Tree?" "Maybe they're storing food for winter?"

With curiosity about Mr. Tree's secrets, after the children returned to the activity room, Teacher Wang naturally spread out the drawing paper: "Let's draw Mr. Tree's four seasons!" Some children drew spring buds, some painted summer's green shade, but Lele drew many sparkling stars on the autumn branches. "These are the blinking eyes of Mr. Tree while he sleeps!" he explained, tilting his small face upward, his eyes shining with light.

    Observation activities without preset goals bring natural knowledge to life. Children touch the texture of the bark with their small hands, peek into the secrets of the tree hole, and observe the busy ants - thus, Mr. Tree's "secrets" are quietly tucked into their little minds.

With curiosity about Mr. Tree's secrets, after the children returned to the activity room, Teacher Wang naturally spread out drawing paper: "Let's draw Mr. Tree's four seasons!" Some children drew spring buds, some painted summer's green shade, but Lele drew many sparkling stars on the autumn branches. "These are the blinking eyes of Mr. Tree while he sleeps!"he explained, tilting his small face upward, his eyes shining with light.In nature education activities, children's imagination is always more precious than "standard answers." This impromptu painting activity allowed the children to reconstruct their understanding of nature through colors: fallen leaves are no longer the end of life, but a quilt Mr. Tree tucks in for hibernation. Teacher Wang did not correct the "unrealistic" brushstrokes, because the essence of play-based teaching in nature education lies precisely in letting children converse with nature in their own language.

At departure time, Doudou pulled his grandpa to run toward the tree: "Grandpa, look! This is a tree that hibernates! It will grow new leaves next year!" Under the setting sun, the shadows of the grandfather and grandson stretched long, and the ants in the tree hole were still busy, as if echoing the child's words.

This "leaf-falling lesson" had no textbook, yet it enabled the children to remember natural laws like "trees hibernate" and "new leaves grow in spring"; without preaching, it instead motivated them to actively squat down to observe life details - yellowing leaves, bark textures, and ant nests in tree holes. Herein lies the true essence of nature education and the charm of play-based teaching: it allows children to touch nature as explorers. When knowledge blends with curiosity, imagination, and practice through experience, it grows into cognition rooted in the heart—like sowing seeds that will germinate, nurturing expectations for life in the soil of childhood.

Project Introduction:

The Tengchong Banqiao Preschools of the Future (POF) Project is supported by Boehringer Ingelheim (China) Investment Co., Ltd. and jointly implemented by HPP and the Tengchong Education and Sports Bureau, assisting in the execution of the "One Village, One Preschool" policy. The project focuses on early education by improving preschool classroom facilities and teaching aids, providing regular professional training for teachers, and offering ongoing supervision to address challenges in daily teaching activities. Additionally, parent committees are established to conduct training and promote home-preschool collaboration. Emphasizing play-based teaching, the project supplies tools such as teacher management kits and instructional materials to expand access to rural preschool education and enhance its quality, ensuring more children receive high-quality early learning.  

This article reflects the author’s views and does not represent the stance of the funding organization.