The Grade 1 students at Assiniboia Park School recently had a taste of a new education philosophy from Italy, set up by teacher intern Melissa Moffat, and the result was a day spent in exploration and experimentation with their imaginations - in other words, the students had a lot of fun as they learned.

Moffat, a Weyburn Comp graduate, is interning at the school as a part of her university training, and set up a series of stations around the classroom inspired by a two-week trip she took as part of a Canadian Study Tour to Reggio Emilia, Italy, last February.

"This is an up and coming education philosophy at the U of R and I think at the U of S too," said Melissa, before explaining the thinking behind the various centres around the room.

A wide variety of materials were set up in stations, like a large container of white rice on one table, and a large round yellow tub of snow in the centre of the room. Two overhead projectors were set up on the floor with transparent items available for the children to place on the projector and see the result projected on the wall.

At a long table she set up brightly-coloured paints and play-dough, and along one side of the room was a station with lego building blocks. The children were able to go from station to station as they liked, and they explored the material at each station using their imaginations and their five senses to learn about it.

"The schools that I observed in Reggio Emilia were infant-toddler and preschool settings, but many of the ideas I have gained from the experience can be implemented into any grade," said Melissa.

There are seven key principles that are the basis of the Reggio Emilia philosophy: collaboration; the image of the child; the environment (or how the room is set up) as a third teacher; relationships, between the children and with the teachers; transparency (like the items used with the overhead projectors); documentation (Melissa's teacher Nancy Smoliak used a digital camcorder to record the children's activities); and provocation, respect and reciprocity.

Under this philosophy, children are given the best quality of materials to show them that they are valued, and large blocks of time are given for exploration of those materials.

"Children are encouraged to represent their thoughts and ideas through many different forms of media, including paint, clay, computer, words, drama and so on," said Melissa. "The centres that I set up for my students are inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach and some of the centres that I viewed during my visit."

She explained one principle that quite evident during her visit is that of relationships between the children, families and community.

"The local theatre asked the four and five-year-olds at the Diana preschool to create the design for the theatre curtain. The children did not believe in their ability to create the design, but their community believed in them. The curtain that is proudly displayed is breath-taking. The children are seen as capable by everyone in the community, and as a result, the children believe they are capable," said Melissa.

She had first studied about the Reggio Emilia approach with her early childhood education professor Twyla Mensch, and when a trip to Italy was proposed, Melissa and 20 of her colleagues jumped at the chance, and they took a two-week Canadian Study Tour there to have a first-hand look at where the philosophy was developed.