ABSTRACT
We are explorers from the cradle to the grave. We seem to be born with curiosity, ‘a need to know’, although in unfavourable circumstances this can be stifled (Tizard and Hughes 1984). The young child reaches out from the cot or crawls towards to the flower bed or presses the buttons on the TV remote control, all with unspoken questions such as, ‘What is it?’ What will happen if…?’ ‘What will it feel like if I…?’ As children acquire vocabulary their enquiries spiral upwards, with new words fuelling subsequent questions and actions, such as Cindy (4 years) ‘What's that?’ (A stapler), then ‘What's a stapler for?’ … ‘Can I have a go?’
