Loose parts "Pop-ups" Series: "Natural Materials"

Open to community for free, children were invited into a large open space. Sponsored by EJPR, I created a series of 3 saturdays.  Providing child directed free play, access to time and materials, children explored, created, invented physical challenges, games and so much joy and curiosity sprung from manipulating materials through play.      

Loose parts

Loose parts offer enormous possibilities and invites creativiity, conversations and inspire stories.   

“The goal is to allow children to become fluent with materials-as if materials were a language.” en to explore freely.  Be a participant, exploring materials yourself!

 Inspred by Beautiful Stuff, educators sampled the activity of collecting, observaing/describing, sorting and categoriing varied materials.  

Sorting into containers; categories consisted of shiny things, metal things, circles, specific objects in abundancesuch as golf t's, tiles...

In the mindset of a prescholer, adults made comments/observations about the objects they collected and then later categorized 

REvisit and REdesign your infant/ toddler program workshop in Rutland

Provoking educators to explore and play with materials used in environments for young children...

Playdough with glass gems, tiles, golf t's, metal baking tins

Flour with tins from an antique shop, wooden pieces, scoops, cardboard tubes

Mixed matched socks and fabric used to create crinkle toys, shakers

Varied materials (keys, buttons, pine cones, spools, paper beads, wood rings, fabric, yarn, shiny metal tabs) hung from a branch to create a beautiful mobile

Observation journals made out of recycled paper and sticks