december 2023
Having loose parts available throughout our environment provides play experiences for the children that allow for their imaginations to run wild. We are constantly amazed with how the children use these materials in their play. Since starting in September, we have continuously observed a variety of ways they have been using the loose parts. For dramatic play they are using bottle caps and dominos as food, blocks are turned into castles and forts and the beans and beads that are placed in the sensory table has provided hours of sensory play.
This month we place an assortment of small blocks, fake snowflakes, gems, wood pieces and more in a tray for the children to explore. Daily the group would gather on the carpet working individually or in pairs exploring the materials. They enjoyed grouping them together, mixing them up, only to sort them out again for the next day. T.C. and L.B. were using them for dramatic play, build traps, using different loose parts as the trap and trapped pieces. So imaginative! Some mornings the children spent the whole time engaged in these experiences with endless ideas for their play. We will be continuing to provide more opportunities for the children to explore as their ideas seem endless.
Over the holidays we would like to challenge you to look at everyday items and see the endless possibilities they may have and please feel free to share your discoveries with us.
Jen Tervo, RECE
Paige Cameron, Educator
