Initiating an Investigation

In order to start investigating about the life cycle of a particular living thing, one must start or initiate the curiosity of the children. There are many ways to present the life cycle to the children and how to use their interests in order to use it as a way to start an investigation. One way to spark an investigation around the big idea of a life cycle would be to provide the children with pumpkins. This investigation would be great to start at the beginning of the school year due to the fact that it would be the season for pumpkins. Bringing pumpkins that are in different stages of the life cycle into the classroom might initiate or spark an interest in the children and could potentially lead to an investigation.

(picture from http://playissmart.blogspot.ca/2012/10/pumpkin-inquiry-part-1.html)