I mentioned on Wednesday that in May we decided to drive to a part of the Italian Apennines that I had never visited. Ligonchio is the highest point of the Reggio Emilian Mountains. It took us about an hour and a half to drive there from Modena, and the drive was well worth it for the beautiful scenery, delicious food and panoramic visit to a historic Watch Tower.
I don’t know about you, but when the weekend arrives the last thing I want to do is stay inside (in Italy staying inside means cleaning). The weekend is when I want to be outside as a family exploring and discovering all that this country has to offer.
Reggio Children
A while back I discovered that in Reggio Emilia, a medium-sized town right beside Modena, there is s a man named Loris Malaguzzi who has developed a very innovative approach to teaching kids. Basically, it is about giving kids the space, time and possibility to really explore their world through hands on projects. He has developed a method referred to at the “Reggio Approach” and almost all of the PUBLIC pre-schools in Reggio city have adopted this approach. He has also founded a school called Reggio Children.
I’ve recently bought a few books about the approach but we’ve also attended the public workshops that are often held at Reggio Children’s main facility. While there, I noticed a flyer for another workshop that was being held in conjunction with Reggio Children but in the town of Ligonchio in a converted area of the Enel hydroelectric plant. …… I was WAY too curious not to go!
Atelier Di Onda In Onda
The Atelier Di Onda in Onda, (From Wave to Wave Workshop), is housed throughout the city of Ligonchio with 3 main areas. We only explored the part that was housed in the indoor hydroelectric plant, but I would love to return to see what the rest of the experience is like.
The aim is to integrate the “Reggio Approach” into an interactive experience to help children experiment with nature and science.
We entered into a stunning building with huge doors and lots of natural light to find many do it yourself activity stations for kids of all ages. The front entry is dedicated to magnets which was fun, but we spent the bulk of our time PLAYING WITH WATER!
Tubes, fountains, mills, hoses, sprays, vats, pools and ponds were all at our finger tips to engage in literally HOURS of water fun. Unfortunately, the day we went it was raining and a little cold and damp outside, but I could just imagine that had the sun been shining the view of the mountains would have been incredible.
The main goal here is to allow children a practical approach to really experiment with hydroelectricity, harnessing the power of water flow to create a chain reaction of events. Plenty of materials were on hand to create your very own water mill and, at just over two years old, our son was engaged with his creations for hours.
The Enel hydroelectric centre works in conjunction with Reggio Children to develop the programing and the workshops are run by “Il Ginepro” a co-op of trained professionals.
The experience was incredible, and I recommend a visit if you are planning a trip to Bologna, Parma, Modena, Reggio or anywhere in the Emilia Romagna area with kids!
Along with the stunning scenery the experience is the epitome of the innovative research that is coming out of this new Reggio Appoach.
We’ve now been to a few of the Reggio Children Ateliers and I will be creating a mini-series about the free workshops, this approach and why, I believe, in a few years time it will be as commonly known as the word “montossori”.
INFO:
Here is the Di Onda In Onda Website with their summer 2014 special events, hours and driving directions.
If you plan on going I HIGHLY RECOMMEND brining a full change of clothes for each kid, including clean/dry socks and shoes. I also brought two towels which were handy, and rain boots aren’t a bad idea either! The change of clothes allowed us to relax and really let our son explore and have fun. I noticed a few other parents weren’t as well prepared and heading into the chilly mountain air with a soaked toddler isn’t exactly a fun day out! So dry clothes for everyone!
Have you ever heard of the Reggio Approach? I’m so disconnected with what people are talking about in other parts of the world I’d be really intereseted to know! Have any other schools or science centres started talking about this?
Have a great weekend everyone! Next week I have been invited to attend the biggest Tourism Trade Conference in all of Italy and will actually be AWAY FROM MY FAMILY for 3 nights. Wow. I’m super nervous as I’ve never left my son for more than 1 -2 hours since he was born….I’m not even kidding!
I think this will do me (and him!) a lot of good. For the first time my husband will betaking him to swim class which is exciting! I’m really looking forward to my first professional conference in a long time! I will be blogging as usual and if you follow me on Instagram or twitter I will also be sharing what I’m getting up to in the Riviera Romagnola!