Getting maths into the outdoors is one of the biggest concerns many practitioners have. It is probably the thing I am asked about the most where maths is concerned. This post is by far the most comprehensive quantity of high-quality outdoor math activities for children aged 3 to 6 that you will be able to …
If you are interested in loose parts play, you may well have wondered how to best support it outside. How easily can it be achieved? What resources or skills do you need to get it going? What does loose parts play outside look like? What storage or budget may you need? Is it all worth …
The term ‘heuristic play’ is often used in childcare circles, but rarely as part of normal speech by people or parents outside the industry. However, it is a type of play that probably all parents have witnessed. To simplify the term, it is playing with everyday objects, and moving around with them in different ways. …
You may well have heard other parents or fellow educators talk about treasure baskets, and wondered what they are. Many people use these baskets as a fantastic way of stimulating interest in babies, and in creating a multi-level learning opportunity for them. But what exactly is a treasure basket? A treasure basket is a shallow …
Often the simplest things in play can be the best, and playing with treasure baskets is something that babies seem to find so enjoyable and get amazingly engrossed in. But have you ever wondered what they are actually learning? What are the benefits of using treasure baskets with babies? There are many benefits of using …
There are many skills that are central to science that are fostered by children engaging in loose parts play. Some key ones include: Investigating Exploring Creating and testing hypotheses Constructing and deconstructing ideas Engaging with the world around them. There are all sorts of experiments that children can try out using loose parts. Many of …
Loose parts play is one of the most exciting and versatile ways of getting children to become motivated, independent and excited about their learning. They become fully involved in what they are doing and develop their own ideas and sense of self. In this post, I am going to list 40 of my favorite loose …
Loose parts play comes with some small associated risks. As either an educator or parent it is a good idea to be aware of what these risks are, and how to either prevent or manage them. In an educational setting, you may also want to have some form of written risk assessment for any loose …
If you see children being engaged in loose parts play, you can see for yourself many of the obvious benefits. Children get really involved, much more often than in adult-led activities. They seem to be having fun, and surely learning at the same time. But have you ever wondered, what are the benefits of loose …
There are so many children these days that are obsessed with superheroes. Superhero play infiltrates everything: games involving the Three Little Pigs are suddenly invaded by the Hulk and Spider Man. Many practitioners are learning that superhero play is probably something better to work with, rather than stamp out. If the children are so passionately …