Long-term projects. Learning projects in Reggio settings provide extensive research opportunities for young children, including real-life problem-solving among peers, opportunities for creative thinking and exploration. Children are often involved in these projects in small groups, while the rest of the class is involved in self-chosen tasks. Projects begin with teachers observing and questioning children about their topic of interest. They then introduce materials, questions, and opportunities that provoke children to further explore the topic. Projects often move in surprising directions as a result of problems that children identify. Therefore, curriculum planning and implementation revolve around open-ended and often long-term projects, which are based on a balance between teacher-directed and child-initiated activity. For instance, a project might be spurred by a child coming to school with new shoes – a potential learning journey in this case would be to find out how shoes are made, possibly also visiting a shoe-making workshop and discussing about clothes and fashion design.