Loose Parts - Fifth Edition

More natural materials were used in this version of "loose parts". Corks and small wood cubes were distributed in a haphazard fashion, across the carpet. There is an element of surprise now, when the children enter the classroom, and we hear it in their voices.

 

Presently, the children are eager to create and want to have a picture taken of every design they come up with. We value each of them, and are encouraging the children to explain more about why they are proud of their creation. As much as we want to preserve each piece, I feel we also want to move towards letting go, resilience, being in the present moment. We want the children to recognize the feelings that accompany taking a risk and creating a piece that reflects their interpretation, in the moment. 

Balance and placement were important here.

Organic shapes flowing.

 

Spatial sense revisited.

Colours of the rainbow.

"It's a Disney castle."

This child liked that this piece would start to roll, and

challenged themselves to make it taller.

Simplistic beauty.

 

We find that children are deciding to work alone, beside somebody, or collaboratively -- depending on the day. Perhaps, depending on the materials presented? And sometimes, depending on the moment.

 

There is much collaboration that takes place. The children have to share the resources -- not "hoard". They are encouraged to take from the pile as inspiration leads them. We hear that they are asking a friend to pass them an item, or asking if they could use something in particular when finished. And when our time has passed and it's time to clean up, more skills are exercised. Bins are placed in the centre of the carpet, sorting occurs, and they move like waves in the ocean --  ebb and flow. This allows for more continuous movement and a relatively quick clean up.

 

We took a risk and embarked on a new project. We are so glad we did! There is so much to be gained through this open-ended exercise. The children love it, and everyday we discover more reasons to continue with this initiative.

 

Thank you for visiting our atelier.

Loose Parts - Fourth Edition

Who can resist the texture of beautiful fabric? Years ago, there used to be a group of parents who would quilt in the front foyer of our school. Their beautiful creation would be sold, via raffle tickets, and a lucky family would go home, the recipient of a stunning quilt, made with love. Somehow, I acquired a bag of scrap materials from this group of quilters. I vaguely remember using these batiq fabric scraps in some creative work with the kinders. But alas, this scrap material ran out. And since the tradition of quilt making at Castor Valley seems to have taken a hiatus, I have been searching for a new line on scrap fabric. This spring, we scored! My mother joined a quilting group -- never having quilted before in her life! Aside from being so proud of her (these quilts are made for patients undergoing cancer treatment) I was also eager to find out if there would be any fabric scraps to donate. I am very grateful for the donations we receive, and there have been numerous art projects that have made use of these scraps.

While brainstorming open ended materials that could be used for our "loose parts" project, the notion of adding fabric to mix, seemed to fit.



Fabric, alphabet letters and dinosaurs. Oh my!

What the children had to say about the fabric:

"It was soft."

"It was flat."

"The fabric can be folded."

This child appeared to enjoy the process of placing

the fabric on in layers.

This collaborative effort required 

communication and teamwork.

Exploring letters in this "title" 

This child was using fine motor skills,

rolling up rugs.

This "pile of laundry" was weighted down.

I'm sure there was a story evolving here!

Fitting pieces together, to make a quilt or mosaic.

Simplistic beauty.

The use of fabric in this edition of "loose parts" reminded me again of the versatility of materials. When I'm at the hardware store, or a yard sale, I'm looking at items with new eyes. Our collections of seemingly random pieces are spurring creativity and wonderful social interactions in kindergarten. 

Thank you for stopping by the atelier.

Loose Parts - Third Edition

This version of "Loose Parts" was so exciting for the children.  There was an element of surprise in the novelty of having new materials to work with -- newly acquired the metal washers, and blue "gem stones". This exercise is a reminder to never underestimate the value of simple materials. The washers were picked up at the local hardware store, and they were a hit! The versatility of simple objects; in the hands of 4 and 5 year olds, is amazing!

Metal washers, plastic gems and frog counters

presented in a haphazard fashion, on the carpet.

 

The children spoke to what they enjoyed about the materials:

 

"The were smooth and sparkly."

"The washers could make towers." -- they can stack.

"These are frogs on lily pads."

"It's a tower."

"Check out my robot!"

The simple replica of an alphabet letter derailed to

create a wonderful form.

"I like dragon cages."

"Frogs at the pond."

 

The children loved their time exploring with seemingly, unrelated objects. "Loose parts" has helped me better understand their skills at drawing connections and making meaning. What began as a light hearted experiment, is quickly gaining momentum and establishing itself as a very valuable practise in our JK classroom. In fact, I now see the value of "loose parts" well beyond kindergarten. It is more than "play" -- innovation comes from expanding upon our schema.

 

Thank you for joining us at the atelier!

Loose Parts - Second Edition

It looks like a mess, right? I have been collecting (with the much help from former students) these caps for a couple of years now. I still have a dream of inspiring the students to create a huge mural made from bottle caps ...  In time, it will come. I wish I'd started the "Loose Parts" project sooner!

 

 

This is our second edition of "Loose Parts" and it explores how unrelated bottle caps and farm animal counters can inspire and be a creative and sensory provocation to 4 and 5 year olds.  We spread these materials out on the area carpet and welcomed the children into the classroom. They donned indoor shoes, and made a bee-line for the carpet.

 

 

 

"There were so many of the same colour."

"They could stick together." -- stack and fit into each other.

"Some were the same and some were different. Some were 

different colours."

Patterning at play

Animals in the barn.

"Animals are in the corners of the X."

"Look at my claws!"

"This is our volcano!"

"Everything is in its own row."

This child created a rattle. MUSIC! This was an unexpected

outcome! I love the inquiry that is taking place!

"This is my person."

 

Creativity and innovation is abound!

Thank you for visiting our atelier.

Loose Parts - First Edition

We've been exploring again! Always on the look-out for enriching experiences, we've taken a risk and tried our hand at a movement or philosophy called "Loose Parts". The idea behind "Loose Parts" is that children are provided with materials that are seemingly unrelated and given the time and space to construct, test, probe and experiment. While at play, they are developing so many valuable skills. Notice I say, "developing" and not "learning". This form of open ended play; without superimposed questions or direction, is thought to lead to innovations and design. I don't feel that it is a new way of thinking, but it is being revisited and newly appreciated, as a multi-disciplinary practise that allows our children to explore at the perfect pace for them. I like to think that there is "flow" between the left and right hemispheres of the brain - a sort of "brain gym".

"Loose Parts" have become a part of our morning routine and we will celebrate our journey in a series of posts. In this first edition, coloured rods and buttons were literally dumped in the middle of the carpet. We didn't know what would transpire... have a look. Within seconds, they were captivated. And so were we!

"It's a garden of flowers and food."

"It kind of looks like a dragon cage."

This child was balancing buttons on the ends of the rods.

"Just" creating. We think it's beautiful!

"Its a house. I put buttons inside."

I have to marvel at the zen quality with which the children are approaching "Loose Parts" time. They create, desconstruct, and create again. We truly celebrate what transpires on the carpet, in terms of language, science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

 

My aunt, who is a furniture designer in Toronto, and my uncle, a retired Professor of Art & Design, have commented on how important it is that children explore their creativity. They admire how these children approach creative tasks without inhibition. In kindergarten, it's all in a day's "work"!

 

Thanks for visiting the atelier!  

Many Moons

 

This story dates back to last year, when FDK teachers were asked to "rethink" traditional calendar. I've been tucking ideas away ever since, and was inspired at the beginning of this month to look at the phases of the moon for the duration of December. We have overheard the children talking about the recent Rosetta Mission and pictures from the comet at snack time. This had us thinking that a study of space was imminent. Hence, the moon phases have been incorporated into calendar.

Each day this week, we've been pulling up a website that shows the moon phase, and the children have had many questions. We watched the age old video of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon. It's been fascinating! And the children were thrilled one day this week, when they noticed the moon while walking to the buses. "It looks the same as our calendar!"

 

There was much anticipation on Friday, as the waxing Gibbous moon approached a full moon. We pulled up the website, and while we were talking, something on the screen caught our eye. Numbers were changing. We hadn't noticed this before, but the distance to the moon was changing! Before our very eyes, the children were calling out the number in the ones column as it increased. In very little time, the moon had travelled the distance equivalent to the distance between our school and Metcalfe. This created quite a buzz!

 

We started recording the buzz on chart paper. Their comments are brilliant! Never underestimate the mind of a four year old! And then they started story telling - how they would bring the moon back, and why the moon was travelling. The adults in the room were staring at each other in disbelief - what just happened?!? We had to find a way to let the children tell their stories.

 

We quickly printed up some earth and moon pictures and looked at what the earth looks like from space. The children had opportunity to practice their cutting skills (curved line).

 

 

Stories were told.

"The magnet attached to the rope is bringing the moon back."

 

We had pulled up a video that showed the orbit of the moon, and one observant little scientist noted, "So that means, the earth is spinning faster than the moon!"

 

"The moon is spinning really fast."

 

Earlier in the week, one of the read alouds was a non-fiction text on space and the planets. Recognizing that their attention spans have not fully developed to the point that they can remain focused on the carpet for a great length of time, the plan was to look at the table of contents and let them choose the parts they were interested in. They were so focused and eager to learn more! They read that earth has one moon, some planets have none, and some have more than one. The picture below shows the many moons in space.

"My bridge is bringing the moon closer to the earth."

 

Before the children left for the day, two children asked us, "Can we build a rocket next week?" I'm now off to visit a local furniture store - a big box will no doubt be transformed into something very elaborate in the days ahead.

 

Thanks for visiting the atelier.

Preponderance of Pumpkins

Early pumpkin exploration

As October pressed on, there was an increasing interest expressed in pumpkins. In fact, many unsolicited pumpkins arrived on our tables (thank you!) and opened the window for many math, language, creative and musical explorations. We had opportunity to hear about your visits to the pumpkin patch, and the many success stories of home grown pumpkins. Still life renditions were created. We read stories and watched videos exploring the life cycle of a pumpkin. Some seeds are set aside with the intention of starting our own little pumpkin patch, come spring.

The timely appearance of pumpkins provided many sustained inquiries and opportunities for math in our focus groups and independent play. In these small groups, we capitalized on the childrens' natural curiosity, which allowed us to be the "guide on the side" as opposed to the "sage on stage".

My approach to mathematics and numeracy continues to develop, and capitalize on learning opportunities. Our intention is to "spark" a curiosity. With our knowledge of the spiralling curriculum (concepts are built upon each year, K-8) we take children from one level to the next, and allow them to progress at the perfect pace for them. Numeracy provocations were inspired, and we broke out into our focus groups...

To play.

To explore.

To observe.

To create.

One numeracy math provocation

  

The children explored and discussed. The "spark" was evident as they poured over the manipulatives before them.

Measuring tape mayhem

 

There were trials, and it was interesting to see the many directions the children went with the materials available. Clearly, they were building upon their prior knowledge. These could not have been unfamiliar items: a weight scale and a measuring tape. Their actions indicated they had some understanding of how to use them. From here, we build.

Measuring the "perimetre" of the pumpkin 

 

There were some prompts to really observe the measuring tape. "What do you notice?"  They noticed that there were the numbers 1, 2 , 3 ... like a number line. So, we started again at 0, and wrapped our way around the pumpkin. Someone announced, " 52! " and I asked, " 52 what? "  My question was never really answered, and they moved onto something else.

 



Building around the perimetre of the pumpkin.

 

The children started building/measuring/counting around the pumpkin using blocks. We'll get there eventually - identifying standard units of measure (e.g. centimetres ), and using terminology such as circumference and diametre. But in the meantime, their experience is expanding and curiosity is piqued. I assure myself that it won't be the last time the children use the measuring tapes. And in the meantime, using non-standard units of measurement is right on target for the kindergarten curriculum.

 

 

Meanwhile, in other parts of the classroom, children discovered that when they press down on the pumpkin with force, the number gets bigger on the scale. Connections are made to home, when they stand on the bathroom scale with one foot, and then two feet.

 

 

The exploration wasn't over yet. Balance scales captured the childrens' interest, and they took part in the exploration of items in one bucket v.s. the mini pumpkin in the opposite bucket.

 

 

Admittedly, there was some "front loading" of information to assist with the balance scale "play". And, I was thrilled to recently acquire little weights to add to this exploration centre.

This little person is indicating that he finally applied the right weight in the bucket in order for the pumpkin and opposite bucket to achieve balance. This is kind of a big deal :)

There are moments when I stand in awe at the amount of enthusiasm that the children express, and the content covered during a "break out" session in our focus groups. Without paper and pencil tasks, the children are truly exploring, and their learning is relevant and concrete.

We thank you for dropping by our atelier.