Digging for Dinosaurs

Yesterday at school during recess the kids found a large mound of dirt that was from the construction of their new playground. One of the first graders (the grade that I would prefer to teach) had checked out a book about dinosaurs earlier that day and decided to look for dinosaur fossils. They found some dinosaur footprints (dog footprints) and were SO excited about it. They continued excavating for the rest of recess, not once choosing to play on the playground.
This experience taught me that children have fun while learning on their own. Instead of playing on the playground, the students on their own got out their book and dug for fossils with no instruction for me. Their imagination led them to inquire about the dirt and fossils and they had a great time doing it. This experience shows how teaching by inquiry is a great way to teach elementary students because their imagination offers so much. While inquiring, students can have fun and come up with more findings than may have come from a typical lesson plan. They do not get bored or finish early because the possibilities are endless.