ABSTRACT
From the beginning, Centro Las Olas had a strong educational philosophy centered on the power of inquiry and communication as the driving forces of the learning process. As one of the original mothers of Las Olas and as its educational director, the author felt strongly that creating a space for children to play in Spanish was just the beginning. For the children, inquiry takes place in the classroom through extended investigations of topics of interest. These topics are born from open-ended, complex play, a natural activity of children and one through which they are always working to grow their roots. Children participate in el día de compartir during their final year at Las Olas before heading to kindergarten. The teachers consider each of the four roots of learning such as language, reasoning, representation, and relationships as they look for the meaning and importance of the children's experience for the week.
