Beyond the Curriculum

At Olivet School, learning goes far beyond simply checking boxes on a curriculum document. While our teachers comprehensively cover the Ontario curriculum, the true magic of our classrooms comes from the freedom students have to explore, discover, and dive deeper into topics that genuinely excite them.

One of the greatest advantages of our small class sizes is the ability for teachers to truly know their students — their strengths, their personalities, and most importantly, their interests. This allows our educators to create meaningful learning experiences that go beyond textbooks and worksheets. Alongside core academics, students also benefit from additional hands-on learning opportunities, a rich Christian education, 120 minutes of music instruction each week, and 60 minutes of French instruction. Yet even with this full schedule, there is still room for curiosity-driven learning that helps students feel personally connected to their education.

A wonderful example of this can currently be seen in our Grade 2 classroom.

Over the past several weeks, the students became fascinated with the insects and small creatures they discovered during recess and while exploring the creek near the school. Rather than simply answering a few questions and moving on, their teacher embraced the students’ enthusiasm and helped turn their curiosity into a real learning opportunity.

Together, the class created a snail terrarium in their classroom. The students researched snail habitats, discovered what types of food snails need to survive, and worked collaboratively to recreate an environment where the snails could thrive. They carefully prepared hiding places, learned how moisture affects the habitat, and observed the snails’ daily behaviour.

Before long, the students received an exciting surprise — the snails had laid eggs.

What began as a fun classroom project quickly transformed into a hands-on science lesson about life cycles and animal care. The students eagerly observed the tiny eggs and counted down the days until they hatched. Now, the Grade 2 students excitedly care for the baby snails while continuing to expand their knowledge. They have learned how long snail eggs take to hatch, what nutrients snails need to grow strong shells, and how to create safe hiding spaces for the tiny hatchlings.

More importantly, the students are learning something even bigger than science facts: curiosity matters.

When children see that their questions and interests are valued, they become more engaged, motivated, and confident learners. Experiences like these help students understand that learning is not limited to a textbook — it is something alive and exciting that can grow from everyday observations and simple questions.

At Olivet School, we believe education should inspire wonder. Whether students are studying mathematics, music, French, Scripture, or even snails, our goal is to nurture a lifelong love of learning by making education meaningful, memorable, and fun.