A key element in a Froebelian approach is the role of the adult. An ability to listen and observe and know when to step in or when to hold back is crucial. Sometimes adults feel they have to step in and solve problems for children, but a problem is such a rich source of learning.

C: We’re making a dinosaur. It’s a Stegasaurous. It has teeth, razor sharp teeth.  It needs some eyes.
L: Look these make perfect eyes.  Horns, these are horns.
E: These are the nostrils.
C: So where’s his eyes?
E: It doesn’t have a name yet.
D: Can I play too?
C: Yes you can play too, but you must promise not to break the dinosaur. It’s very delicate and we’re going to frighten other people with it.
L: Yeah, you can go under. It’s big enough for three. Come in.
C: All right lets do this. Roooaaarrr.
All: Raarrr, raarr, raarrr
[In the excitement, the blocks that were holding the tail fell down and bumped on L – the girls stopped and started to take the blocks down]
C: Lets take the detail down, the detail down.
E: Lets take it down.
C: Then we can make it much safer. We can build it again, but much safer. Sleeping.
E: We need to build it soft. We’re making it much softer and much . . .
C: Safer. The dinosaur’s sleeping.
E: It needs to be standing up because if it falls down it will bump her.
C: It needs to be sleeping.
E: The legs here.
C: What about the claws? The tippytoes. One claw here on the tippy toe.
L: And we don’t need that.
C: Straight claws here and bent claws over there.
L: Bent, these bent?
C: No not these sort of claws.
L: I’m sitting on the dinosaur’s foot.
C: I’ve got some bigger claws for the back. Lets see if I can find the other pair. I’m sure there were two pairs. Or we could just make them straight claws. It doesn’t matter.
E: No it does. I know where the other pair is. The other pair. Claws. (looking)
L: You don’t actually know where it is.
C: I found it.
L: She found it.
L: Now I want to go outside.
C: Do we? I don’t want to. I don’t want to play alone. We can leave the dinosaur, but we’ll tidy up everything else. I don’t’ want to play with the dinosaur right now. Bye bye dinosaur.
L: Bye dinosaur, see you tomorrow.
C: 168 razor sharp teeth.
L: A hundred and sixty, a hundred and sixty sixty grams of razor sharp teeth.


The role of the adult here? Listening, observing, recording. Not one word of intervention required.
And the learning? Collaboration, negotiation, sharing, risk assessment, listening, talking, vocabulary, mathematics, construction, forces, balance etc etc etc

Aren't children wonderful?