Just my thoughts, notes, and musings on this article linked below
In Playing withNature: Supporting Preschoolers’ Creativity in Natural Outdoor Classrooms,
Kiewra and Veselack look at four factors in these space:
- Predictable spaces
- Ample and consistent time
- Open-ended materials
- Caring, observant adults who support creative play and learning.
Obviously, the open-ended materials are loose parts! How do
these factors enhance and support loose parts play?
Why is creativity important? The first paragraph in Kiewra
and Veselack’s article looks at why creativity is important.
- Sustainability of the planet—we’ll need problems solvers that can adapt to many situations and communicate well with others.
- Seek adventure and find better ways of doing things—this takes creativity and application.
- Live life fully—have more control over what happens to them.
- Economic growth
- Solutions to societal challenges
- Maximize human potential
- Sense of well being
- Positive social change
- Learn and develop skills
- Handle stress and be more confident
Which of these are important to you as an educator? While we
might not be thinking of the long-term effects of creativity in early
childhood, how can looking at the bigger picture help as we cultivate
creativity in children?
Creativity is declining at a global level even though we
need it to solve complex issues. A big threat to creativity is our approach to
education in the U.S. Kiewra and Veselack quote Kim (2011), “Children have
become less . . . expressive . . . energetic . . . humorous . . . imaginative . . . unconventional . . . .
less likely to see things from a different angle.” What challenges in our
educational system are threatening creativity? How can we overcome some of
these challenges?
Kiewara and Veselack share ways educators can promote
creativity in young children, such as:
- encouraging flexible thinking
- wide-ranging play experiences
“Play can be used as a springboard for teachers to scaffold
and support.”
John Dewey, an educational theorist, says educators should
“give children something to do not something to learn”. This supports the use
of:
- provocations for learning
- planning open-ended play-based experiences
- “messing around”
Sir Ken Robinson states, “Creativity is not the opposite of
discipline and control. On the contrary, creativity in any field may involve
deep factual knowledge and high levels of practical skill. Cultivating
creativity is one of the most interesting challenges for any teacher.”
How can you encourage flexible thinking? How can you plan
for wide-ranging play experiences? What provocations for learning have worked
for you? How do you plan for open-ended play-based experiences? How do you
allow for “messing around”?
This reminds me of when I wrote about the “Ex Quotient” or
the need and willingness to experiment. Read more about it here.
Kiewra and Veselack (2016) mention predictable spaces as
part of creativity in natural outdoor classrooms. Caring, observant adults who support creative play and
learning are an aspect of creativity that Kiewra and Veselack report, sharing a
few key characteristics:
- open-ended questions that further scientific inquiry
- ensure long blocks of time for deep exploration
- keen observers of children’s play to see and document learning
- close observation of children’s explorations
- strategically support children’s processes and thinking to enhance learning
- physically in proximity of children
- offer observations
- follow children’s lead without taking over
- trust children to make decisions
- dialogue with children to promote taking other perspectives and learn about problem-solving
- facilitate and scaffold children’s learning
- model and support a sense of wonder
- set up learning areas in outdoor classroom
- make sure an abundance of loose parts are available
- provide learning support materials (clipboards, paper, pencils, other loose parts)
- freedom and flexibility to use spaces and materials in unintended areas or manners
What is our role as educators in promoting creative or loose
parts play?
“The teacher’s role is critical to supporting children’s
skill development in self-initiated experiences in a Nature Explore Classroom.
The teacher needs to be physically in proximity of children, offer
observations, ask thought-provoking questions, follow children’s lead without
taking over, and trust children to make decisions.” (Veselack, Cain-Chang &
Miller, 2010)
“Teachers bring a selection of equipment and play materials
outside from storage sheds and classrooms daily based on several factors:
teachers’ observations of and response to children’s needs; children’s
articulation of their needs or initiative in bringing items outdoors
themselves; staff members consideration of the weather and other factors.”
(Kiewra & Veselack, 2016)
“Play is the way children discover the world around them.
They explore, invent, and transform it to suit their needs.” (Almon, 2013)
“How hard they work, only we who have watched them really
know. They do not waste one precious moment. They are going about their jobs
all the time. “ (Pratt, 1948) I Learn
from Children
Nature inspired outdoor classrooms have many interesting
natural materials that invite creative play. In contrast manufactured toys
encourage acting out familiar scenes with predictability.
“A mistaken belief is that an effective way to support
creativity is by providing toys in which the inventor has already done all the
creating. Premade props for dramatic play do not offer the challenges or
opportunities that arise when children must find natural items they can use to
represent what they envision.” (Kiewra & Veselack, 2016
“Natural loose parts such as sticks, logs, sand and snow can
be anything children want them to be and are ever changing.” (Kiewra &
Veselack, 2016)
“If we encourage children to hone their own imagination and
inventiveness, they are less apt to need the transient novelty of a new toy to
generate capacity for creative play. We are helping them develop skills and
values that lend themselves to better stewardship of the earth and its natural
resources.” (Linn, 2008)
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As part of the methodology of the Kiewra and Veselack’s
study, Nature Notes were examined. Nature Notes is a way to document children’s
learning and interaction with the environment. Take a look at some of the
examples, such as Boating on a Log, the Motorcycle, the Door, Gravity with
Gutters, The Dinosaur. I have been to training on Nature Notes and see the
potential for documenting learning and collecting research. Read more about
Nature Notes here.
How might you use Nature Notes to document learning with
loose parts play? What other approaches do you use to document loose parts
play? How can you use this information to communicate with parents, share the
worth of your program, reflect on practice, etc.?
As far as the various Nature Notes scenarios, what ideas for
loose parts play did you find? What is a simple way you might allow for more
loose parts play from these examples?
Take a look at the descriptions of each school and outdoor
classroom under the heading Research Approach and Procedures of the article. What aspects are
appealing to you? Both schools use an emergent curriculum approach, allowing
children to “choose for themselves the materials and experiences that most
pique their interests” (Kiewra & Veselack, 2016).
One key aspect from Kiewra and Veselack’s research includes
the value of predictable spaces. How does the concept of space affect loose
parts play and creativity? The design of Nature Explore Outdoor Classrooms
plays a role as part of the space and learning environment.
“We noticed that when children have the ability to spend
regular daily time in a predictable outdoor environment, it becomes known to
them, understood to them, and familiar. In other words, its predictability
empowers children to explore their own ideas. This predictability showed up in
teacher’s documentation as children formulated plans for their work in the
designated interest areas that they knew would have the right materials and
ample space. Upon entering the outdoor classroom, teachers frequently noted
that children went directly to the areas of their interest and were often able
to begin again in places where they had left off previously.” (Kiewra &
Veselack, 2016)
62% of the documentation happened in the Messy Materials
Area and the Building Area (or a combination) Creativity was often found
through construction or manipulation of materials.
Scale was important. Outdoors, children could make larger
creations which also encouraged more children to be involved. How does space
play out in your loose parts play? Could it benefit from having less restricted
space requirements and moving it outside from time to time?
The examples in this section remind me of the variety and
depth of learning though loose parts play. What examples resonated with you?
What examples from your own child or work show that power of loose parts play?
Flexibility of space was also important. Play would spill
over the designated areas and children might transport materials to another
area for creation. They were given this freedom and flexibility. How can we
allow this with the children we work with?