Day: January 3, 2020

It is important for directors and program administrators to lead the way when it comes to incorporating loose parts. Your guidance, knowledge, and excitement about loose parts will be invaluable to staff members who are new to using these kinds of learning materials.

Use a variety of methods to introduce the concept of loose parts play.  You can share articles, books, videos, or professional development courses, such as the one offered by CCEI (CUR125: Loose Parts: Incorporating Found Objects and Open-Ended Materials into the Classroom).  Once employees have had the chance to review the materials, hold discussions about the benefits that loose parts would bring to the program, as well as the challenges that might arise.

Before collecting any new materials, take some time to guide teachers through a few of the following reflections:

• Consider your program’s philosophy and mission statement. Work with staff members to align the benefits of loose parts to the overall mission of the program.
• Work with individual teachers and teaching teams to reflect on how loose parts play relates to the goals teachers are attempting to reach in their learning environments.
• Ask teachers to evaluate the materials that are currently used in the environment. How many could be considered loose parts? Which materials could be used in conjunction with loose parts? Which areas of the classroom could be enhanced with loose parts?
• Ask teachers to consider the storage of loose parts. Where will materials be stored when not in use? What needs to happen to make space for the storage of loose parts? For example, do teachers need time to clean out a closet before bringing in new materials?
• Work with teaching teams to identify a few simple, starter materials that teachers can introduce in to the learning environment. Help teachers decide how the materials will be introduced to children and a few guidelines for the use of the materials – but keep in mind that the use of these materials should be largely child-driven.

As teachers become more comfortable and confident with the implementation of loose parts, challenge them to continue to think outside of the box about the materials they use in the classroom.

You can find more tips for getting started in this resource here.

For the main article Exploring Loose Parts, CLICK HERE

For the article Benefits of Loose Parts, CLICK HERE

For the article Loose Parts for Infants & Toddlers, CLICK HERE

For the article Loose Parts for Older Children, CLICK HERE

Once children have stopped mouthing materials and have better muscle coordination, many different loose parts materials can be introduced.  Practically any safe material can be used as a loose part in a preschool classroom. The items provided to infants and toddlers can be enhanced with:

• Various lengths of string, yarn, and ribbon
• Sand paper scraps
• Wooden sticks, disks, and logs
• Polished and unpolished stones and rocks
• Prisms, sea glass, and glass pebbles
• Wire
• Items made from cork or sponge
• Dried and fresh flowers
• Various seeds and pine cones
• Clothes pins
• Straw bales
• Tires
• Milk crates
• PVC pipes and tubing
• Pool noodles cut to different lengths
• Buttons
• Clothing made from a variety of fabrics
• Dirt, mud, clay, etc.
• Magnets
• Dice and other random game pieces
• Popsicle sticks or tongue depressors

Check out tons of other ideas on our Pinterest page here!

For the main article Exploring Loose Parts, CLICK HERE

For the article Benefits of Loose Parts, CLICK HERE

For the article Loose Parts for Infants & Toddlers, CLICK HERE

For the article Director’s Corner – Helping Teachers Get Started with Loose Parts, CLICK HERE

When choosing loose parts for infants and toddlers, avoid materials that are choking hazards. That being said, there are many different materials that can be introduced to infants and toddlers:

• Cardboard food and packing containers
• Plastic bottles, yogurt cups, and empty spice containers
• Various fabric scraps or doilies
• Pots, pans, funnels, and utensils
• Large spools
• Baskets and tin containers
• Various lids
• Paper towel rolls and tubes of various sizes and materials
• Pompoms and cotton balls
• Various sizes and shapes of foam
• Large beads and napkin rings
• Nature items such as mini gourds, leaves, shells, etc.
• Wooden pegs and dowel rods
• Tile samples
• Wooden planks

There are many other materials that you could use – what loose parts have you used with infants and toddlers?  Tell us on Facebook here!

For the main article Exploring Loose Parts, CLICK HERE

For the article Benefits of Loose Parts, CLICK HERE

For the article Loose Parts for Older Children, CLICK HERE

For the article Director’s Corner – Helping Teachers Get Started with Loose Parts, CLICK HERE

Because loose parts can be used in many different ways, they are a great tool for strengthening all areas of development.  Sometimes, children will use materials in ways that support hand-eye coordination and fine muscle development. Other times, they may use those same materials in a cooperative way that promotes communication, negotiation, and problem solving. Some loose parts lend themselves to the exploration of early literacy concepts, mathematics, or scientific thinking.

Loose parts are open-ended, meaning there is not a predetermined right way to use them. Using loose parts is an active, child-led process. This gives children an opportunity to express themselves creatively and use their imagination. Children can use materials that have multiple purposes in their storytelling and pretend play. These activities typically involve a group of children, meaning that they are also practicing cooperation, collaboration and negotiation skills.

As children explore, they are able to make connections to prior knowledge, learn from others, and conduct their own experiments. Because the exploration is child-driven, children strengthen their concentration skills, increasing their ability to focus their attention and ignore distractions. These learning experiences improve critical thinking and self-regulation skills, which are essential to success in school and in life.

Introducing loose parts outdoors can have the benefit of helping children connect to nature, which has scientifically proven benefits to health and well-being.  Items from nature can be used as loose parts that children can use to construct new creations and explore engineering and design.

What other loose parts benefits can you think of?  There are many, many more!

For the main article Exploring Loose Parts, CLICK HERE

For the article Loose Parts for Infants & Toddlers, CLICK HERE

For the article Loose Parts for Older Children, CLICK HERE

For the article Director’s Corner – Helping Teachers Get Started with Loose Parts, CLICK HERE

Happy New Year!  Happy New Decade!  What a great time to adopt new strategies to promote children’s creativity and exploration!

An easy and inexpensive way to do so is by incorporating loose parts into the learning environment.  “Loose parts” is a term used to describe any material that can be used in an open-ended manner.  These are materials that can be used in many different ways, or for many different purposes.

Loose parts can be recycled materials, found objects, or items from nature. Ideally, the materials are free, but some loose parts can be found in stores or from supply vendors for very little investment.

In this newsletter, we will explore the benefits of loose parts and materials that are appropriate to use with children of different ages. If you are interested in learning more about bringing these valuable learning materials into your environment, be sure to check out one of CCEI’s newest courses, CUR125: Loose Parts: Incorporating Found Objects and Open-Ended Materials into the Classroom. This course is the free trial course of the month of January 2020 for individuals who are new to CCEI, so be sure to share with your colleagues!

For the article Benefits of Loose Parts, CLICK HERE

For the article Loose Parts for Infants & Toddlers, CLICK HERE

For the article Loose Parts for Older Children, CLICK HERE

For the article Director’s Corner – Helping Teachers Get Started with Loose Parts, CLICK HERE