FAB Lab Incubates Curiosity in the Lower School

By Francis Atemo, Assistant Head of the Lower School

“Today we have FAB Lab!” is a statement of excitement that fills our upstairs hallway as you walk past third and fourth grade classrooms on Fridays. Students love this time. If you ask them why, you will hear responses such as, “I get to decide what I want to learn, even though my teachers help me,” “I am working on a project with some of my friends, and we are really close to getting it done,” “You have to come and see what we have been working on!” “I never knew learning could be this fun!” St. Anne’s-Belfield understands that children are naturally curious and therefore have a lot of questions and ideas that they want to explore. To nurture this curiosity beyond the core subjects, students engage in self-initiated projects. They get to explore questions they may have about a given topic, test models to prove their hypothesis, and create end products that educate others and showcase their learning. This is what FAB Lab is at St. Anne’s-Belfield School! Now, let’s delve into the exciting projects that started the year.

At the beginning of the school year, Grade 3 students wanted to explore an area cherished by many children: games. Each third grade class created a game, considering questions like “What makes a game fun?” and “How do you include mystery or imaginative play into a physical game?” The end products included a new outdoor game that enhanced their outdoor recess experience, a new board game for small groups to connect and deepen friendships and a video game connecting to the different school subjects. There is no way teachers could have imagined that this is how it would turn out

The same excitement was evident in Grade 4. The students began the year by learning about natural disasters. Tsunamis is one that one class explored. Their curiosity led them to explore questions such as, “How are tsunamis formed?,” “What are the effects of tsunamis?” and “How can we help victims of tsunamis?” This curiosity transformed into creativity as they created a newscast, a rap, and a graphic novel to educate others about tsunamis.

Why does all this matter? The emphasis on curiosity-driven learning aligns with our educational philosophy at St. Anne’s-Belfield, where we strive to ignite the spark of curiosity rather than merely filling vessels. For learning to be lifelong, the team cherishes students’ curiosity and seize multiple opportunities to enable students to go deeper in various subjects and topics. Teachers instill values and explicitly teach skills that will enable students to succeed not just now but in the future all while cultivating the joy of learning.

As life undergoes rapid changes accelerated by the rise of AI, and the world becoming more complex, schools and teachers now have the exciting role in educating students who will tackle challenges we can’t yet even imagine. Our teachers seek to be challenged and collaborate for deeper understanding to support students in developing the academic skills and social competencies to become skilled advocates for a better tomorrow. At St. Anne’s-Belfield School, we value partnership with families and look forward to continuing to cultivate and nurture the spirit of curiosity in our students. As they grow strong in body, broad of mind, tender of heart and responsive in soul, we celebrate the thrill of learning together.