Can infants think about their quirky, curious futures? Sure, they can! Can they tell us what they imagine? No, they do not communicate verbally yet. So, how can they be empowered and lead us into their wild imagination? Well, this is a project about the earliest of stages in children’s learning, this is a project about rich pedagogy that embeds STEM with amazing educators that think babies deserve to be recognised for their own way of creating their future.

The babies in the nursery room were communicating their interests: crying to unknown sounds, smiling to the feel of educator’s cuddles, carefully observing the surrounding, and exploring new foods and drinks. What was their interest then? Exploring their world and discovering what their future would hold! This is how “5 little senses” started, as a way to invite babies in the Nursery of the newly opened FROEBEL Carlton Early Learning Centre and making their transition as comfortable as possible. Day by day the educators provided a variety of sensory-rich experiences where babies, educators and the community could participate: texture play, water and ice play, watercolour experimentation, cause and effect play, sticky and messy play, colour sighting, and sensory-led gardening.