Soup, Curiosity, and the Power of Responsive Teaching

 At Little Explorers, our curriculum grows from meaningful, real-world experiences that respond to what children say, do, and notice in the moment. This week’s exploration of Pumpkin Soup showed how in-the-moment planning allows us as practitioners to respond to curiosity, apply professional judgement, and cover every area of learning through authentic experience, all without complicated setups or over-planning.

Story Time and the Spark of Curiosity

This Halloween or Little Explorers arrived full of excitement, eager to talk about pumpkins, costumes and celebrations they had seen in the community. We followed their interest by reading the autumn story book ‘Pumpkin Soup’, a familiar autumn tale linked to seasons and friendship. As we talked about the story, the children noticed that some of the animals looked sad, which opened a natural opportunity to discuss emotions and friendship. Recognising this as a teachable moment, we seized the opportunity to use our ‘Colour Monsters’ to explore feelings further. The children confidently matched colours to emotions, using words like happy, sad, and angry to describe how the characters might have felt.

This was a clear example of noticing what the children needed to learn and responding immediately.  We made sure we were responsive, the environment was enabling, and the materials were already accessible, all key principles of the EYFS in action.

In-the-Moment Investigation: What Is Soup?

As we read, it became clear that the children were a little unsure about soup itself, asking what soup was. Rather than moving on, we paused and decided together that this was worth exploring. We found a tin of carrot and coriander soup in the kitchen and explored it together, reading the label and comparing the ingredients with those in our story. As we opened the tin, we modelled how to use the ring pull safely, explaining the importance of adults handling sharp lids.

We reached for our mechanical weighing scales, immediately accessible in the playroom, comparing them with the electronic scales used the previous week. Our Little Explorers noticed the numbers increasing as the soup was poured in, demonstrating curiosity about how different types of scales measure and display weight.

As we poured the soup into the bowl, we talked about how it moved and filled the space, recalling what we had taught the previous week during our People Around the World topic about coffee beans growing in Africa. In that earlier experience (shared in our Coffee, Curiosity, and Connected Learning blog), the children explored how coffee starts as a bean, is ground into powder, and then turns into liquid. This week’s observation of soup provided a powerful moment of connection, revisiting and consolidating that earlier understanding through new, hands-on experience.

Cooking, Counting, and Transformation…

We then decided to prepare the soup to taste and agreed to make croutons to go with it. The children helped to cut the bread into squares, noticing how one large rectangle became many smaller pieces. They counted cubes, compared how many each person had, and talked about sides and corners as they worked.

When the croutons came out of the air fryer, we observed how they had changed, from soft to crispy, pale to golden. The children used descriptive words such as hot, hard, crunchy, and square, showing careful observation and engagement with new vocabulary. Everyone enjoyed tasting the soup with their homemade croutons.

This single activity wove together multiple strands of learning:

• Mathematics: counting, comparing quantities, recognising shapes.
• Science: observing physical changes when materials are heated.
• Physical Development: cutting, mixing, and stirring with control.
• Language: using descriptive and comparative vocabulary in context.
• PSED: Understanding rules for using tools safely
• KUW: Learning that croutons originated from France!

A seemingly simple task revealed depth and connection across the curriculum, grounded entirely in practical, hands-on play.

Extending Learning Outdoors…

Later, we took the learning outside. The children were eager to continue playing, so we extended the experience into our mud kitchen. Because herbs and tools were already accessible, learning continued seamlessly. Using a real pumpkin from our autumn display, herbs from the garden, and a range of natural materials, the children made their own “pretend soup.”

Our Little Explorers stirred, poured, and mixed, noticing the smells, textures, and colours around them. We supported language, extended thinking, and modelled turn-taking, while the environment provided everything needed to sustain interest and depth.

This moment captured what it means to have an enabling environment: the right materials, in the right place, at the right time, ready to turn curiosity into learning.

Reflection on Practice… 

This experience demonstrated how the four guiding principles of the EYFS are brought to life in practice. Each child’s curiosity and prior knowledge shaped how they engaged, reflecting guidance which emphasises the importance of noticing what children can do and building on this through meaningful interactions and responsive teaching. Positive relationships enabled rich dialogue, enabling environments made learning immediate, and interconnected experiences supported progress across every area of development. This soup experience exemplified those principles, a short, spontaneous activity that became a full-curriculum opportunity because practitioners noticed, responded, and extended learning meaningfully in the moment.

Thought for Practitioners…

In-the-moment planning is sometimes misunderstood as unplanned teaching, yet it requires deep knowledge of both child development and curriculum intent. It means knowing what matters and recognising when it’s happening, even if it wasn’t written down that morning. The soup activity wasn’t pre-planned, but it met multiple curriculum goals with depth and purpose. It showed curriculum in action: intent that can be seen and explained clearly through what children do and what adults say. The impact was immediate and measurable: language growth, sustained attention, and applied understanding.

Theorist Reflection…

This practice aligns closely with Vygotsky’s theory of shared, social learning and scaffolding within the Zone of Proximal Development, where adult guidance extends children’s thinking through dialogue and modelling. Montessori’s emphasis on learning through practical life was evident in the children’s independence and real-world engagement. Bourdieu’s concept of cultural and social capital underpins our approach, showing that authentic, everyday experiences like preparing food provide powerful knowledge and language foundations for all children.

Curriculum Statement…

This learning experience reflects how our curriculum intent, implementation, and impact work in harmony.

Intent: to build understanding through real-world, connected experiences.

Implementation: by responding to curiosity in the moment, using what was available and relevant to the children’s learning journey.

Impact: children developed vocabulary, mathematical reasoning, and scientific understanding of change. They strengthened fine-motor skills, empathy, and cooperation.

Learning remained authentic, purposeful, and connected, a clear example of high-quality early education rooted in curiosity, reflection, and professional awareness.

Parent Reflection: Learning Beyond Little Explorers

As part of our People Around the World theme, we have been exploring how food connects people everywhere. At home, you could continue this learning by:

Talking together about where favourite foods come from (for example, “Do bananas grow in cold countries or warm ones?”).

Exploring soups from around the world, such as Italian tomato, Indian lentil, or Chinese noodle, and noticing colours, smells, and textures.

Using a map or globe to find the countries where your family’s favourite ingredients might grow.

These simple moments help children build understanding of the wider world, develop rich vocabulary, and connect their home experiences with the learning that happens at Little Explorers every day.