Loose Parts Inspired Books!

We LOVE loose parts inspired books! Find my lists on Amazon as well! 

Here are a few of our book picks:

Loose Parts Books

Fort Building 

Rocks

Nature Art

Blocks

Tinkering

Cardboard

Loose Parts Professional Development Books

Happy Reading and Creating! 

Barriers to Getting Outside

 Listen to this on the Loose Parts Nature Play podcast! 

Barriers to getting outside

 

Q: Every year I have more and more kids who DO NOT play outside and are hesitant to get out of their comfort zone. Reluctant students. 

What an opportunity to give them the gift of the outdoors. Continue to educate parents, families, use the outdoors as homework, share tips with parents, celebrate the outdoor time

Baby steps into the outdoors if some need that more. 

Host family nights, family nature club, etc. 

Podcast episode—Help! The kids aren’t playing! 

 

Q: Definition of outdoor learning//Curriculum/Simple planning

I feel like I’m hearing two different definitions. One is more exploratory and using nature to teach. One seems to just be doing your work outside. Which is it? 

Yes! Both! Many start by dabbling with just taking regular work outside (reading is a great example); however, nature/outdoors can be easily integrated. Lots of curriculum—Growing Up Wild, Project Learning Tree, Project Wild, Project Flying Wild, Wild Math, Loose parts, nature, and math

Emergent curriculum

Nature studies

Okay to keep it simple—sit spot, free exploration time, journaling

Sledding-sleds! Yes! 

Store common needs near where they will be used—what could this school use? Sleds, magnifying glasses, tools, etc.

 (who takes ownership of the space? That is what is often problematic. Rotate once a quarter/month?)

 

Q: Communication

Sharing what’s happening when it’s still happening

How to respect each other

            Knowledge, experience, comfort

Try it!

Partner with someone else

What do you like doing outside?

Not required at this time, but the school is heading in this direction. How can you be part of it? 

Baby steps.

Finding a good fit for educators

 

Q: Bugs, bugs, and more bugs

Get curious about them

Children are naturally drawn to them

Use insect repellant

Use tools to investigate them (nets, jars, tweezers, etc.)

Therapy

Connecting Children to Animals podcast episode

 

Q: I get really nervous about where everyone is and losing someone. Lots of head counting—ha ha! 

Yes, lots of head counting! 

Set boundaries—cones, tree tape to mark it, bandanas, etc.

Establish that children need to be where you can see them and they can see you.

Buddy up! 

Enlist help—smaller groups of 4-5 with one adult volunteer in the space.

Practice, practice, practice! 

 

Q; Safety/Parents who worry about injury

·      first aid kit and basic first aid skills

·      Educate Parents—risky tool kit for parents from Canada, invite parents to be part of it

·      Climbing trees—will talk about it soon

·      Bees—practice being inquisitive of bees, be still, when we react they are more likely to 

·      Asthma attacks—know medical needs of students, have them carry inhalers/epi pens, know of closest nurse (at the high school), have communication available

·      Being the only adult—Set boundaries, walkie talkies/communication plan, first aid kit, consider volunteers or extra staff. Pair up with another group. What happens if alone?

·      Ticks—preventive—long, light colored pants tucked into socks, hair tied back, avoid animal trails, bug spray, do regular tick checks—have tick protocol in place if you find one (tick remover tool, put tick on tape and save, alert parents, clean with alcohol wipe)

·      Cold (frostbite)/kids not having proper clothing/not warm enough—decide on lows/highs of weather/feels like temps (share chart), layers, have extra clothes/gloves, fire to warm up, warm tea in the weather, stay active, educate families on what the child will need, practice putting on clothes, hand warmers, go out for shorter times if needed and build up to longer time outside, waterproof glove covers (Merry Lea), have a lending closet, allow donations/swaps (FB group)

·      Poison ivy—learn to identify, clear regular play areas of poison ivy, use coveralls for children, mark where poison ivy is to be aware of it. With 2/3 year olds—clear it of the area or wear coveralls—use a smaller space

·      Stinging nettles—learn to identify, only problematic parts of the year, jewelweed is a natural relief for it, sting only lasts about 15 minutes, have legs/feet covered up, clear as needed

·      Weather/cold (addressed above), rain, lightning, shelter needed? Watch the weather. Identify a shelter/plan for when in the outdoor space, rain gear

·      Restroom access—port a potty/composting toilet, handwashing station, portable toilet (Merry Lea)

·      Danger—sticks, tree climbing (see above)—sticks need space, shorter than forearm or big enough that it needs several people to move it, stick to stick

 

Q: Having enough buses and bus drivers available throughout the day/scheduling/Transportation

Work out a rotating schedule with supervisors

Sign up sheet—everyone gets a certain time at first and then others can sign up for more? 

Schedule sharing/overlap—lots of space/divide it into zones if it’s starting to get too busy? 

Join in with another group! (teacher who had high school pe join in with them)

 

Q: Liability Issues/Accidents (usually have fewer than on a traditional playground—what do you do if there is an accident on the playground? Document.)

Insurance! 

Trained for risky play/management

Educate parents of what you are doing

Safety checks/maintenance

Risk/benefit assessment

 

Q: Our time schedule/Time

We have designated times for each minute of the day for the subjects we teach and specials throughout the day.

Designate weekly, monthly, or quarterly days to be out. 

Take the subjects outside.

Do “special” days outside.

Combine with specials for outdoor time. 

Try it! 

How can you flex the schedule? 

Could schedules be rearranged slightly to cluster specials into one half of the day allowing for more time outdoors the other half?

How can specials classes use the outdoors? 

Use travel time as learning time

Specials—only have 30 to 60 minutes—consider prolonging sessions once a quarter to bring children outside. Use nature closer to the classroom. Bring nature inside.

 

Q: Prepared for upper grades?

Still teaching the same standards, just adding in another, enriching context. 

Continue using a variety of good teaching practices.

 

Q: Tree Climbing in Early Childhood

Share Tree Climbing Toolkit

Risk benefit

Consider your risk tolerance

What to Say Instead of Be Careful

July/Aug 2021 Commonly Asked Tree Climbing Questions in Exchange

 

Q: I didn’t know how to introduce “fairy house building” (seemed fun but far-fetched).

“tiny friends”

Architecture books

Leaf huts

Fairy hut

Challenge

Leave a letter of request from fairies

Stem challenge

Animal architects—build like the animals—podcast episode

 

 

Q: Would like our Clubhouse Enrichment class to be held here at the HS. The space is amazing! 

It is! Try to use it as much as you can and identify smaller spots closer to your home school as well.

 

From a teacher: 

My only barrier is to realize there are no barriers. –YES! Yes! Yes!

Tree Climbing in Early Childcare Settings!

 Excited to have our research on tree climbing in early childhood settings out in the most recent issue of Exchange Press!

Check it out here!

106Marcia Berkey, Marlene Bigler and 104 others

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Local Loose Parts Nature Play Options Available

Local Loose Parts Nature Play Options Available 

Work/live within 1.5 hours of Goshen, Indiana? Feel free to reach out to me about visiting your school, party, club, or community event! 

 

A variety of options are available. We can do a combination of options that fit in my vehicle. Please list top three you would like to have your students experience. Of course, all of these things can be used in conjunction with other items. There is no rigid definition of what should be used in what “zone” or area. Loose parts are free to mingle amongst the play! Supporting books are available for all zones upon request. Fees start at $60 depending on number of participants, options requested, length of session, and location. Send me an inquiry at insideoutsidemichiana@gmail.com with desired date(s), approximate time, location, description of your outdoor space, contact information, and top 3 play options.

 

Suggested Options (though I can work custom magic as well!):

 

Cardboard Construction! We both supply cardboard. I bring cardboard tools, tape, connector examples, and accessories for large and/or individual cardboard builds. Items with cardboard and tape only can stay at your site or go home with the child/family. Specialty cardboard connectors would go home with me. 

 

Build Your Own Obstacle Course An open outdoor space is perfect for children and families to create their own obstacle courses! Large outdoor loose parts and stop watches will be available. 

 

Mud Play! Any space can be turned into a snow, potion, or mud station, depending on the weather. I bring mud friendly pots, pans, utensils, and accessories to transform your area into a small mud zone. You supply the mud (or I can bring a smaller amount), I’ll bring jugs of water depending on how large your group is.

 

Simple Machines Outdoors Explore basic concepts of simple machines through outdoor loose parts! Try options around levers, pulleys, screws, wedges, inclined planes, and wheel and axle. This is a fun play option with open-endedness to have hands-on options to experiment with simple machines.  

 

Ramps Explorations! Large PVC, wooden, and specialty ramps, height building materials, and many rolling, sliding, and non-rolling options to stimulate ramp inquiry! Indoor options can also be provided.

 

 

Math, Loose Parts, and Nature Math is all around us in nature! Let’s take the tools of math outdoors, as well as use natural and manufactured loose parts to explore numeracy and mathematical concepts. 

 

Small World Play A variety of small world play can be available such as dinosaurs, fairies, local animals, and vehicles. Combine characters with tree cookies, pine cones, glass pebbles, rocks, and more for children to create small world play. 

 

Building Blocks and More Building is a great adventure! I’ll bring a variety of wooden blocks, tree cookies, specialty blocks, and loose parts add ons for open-ended building options. 

 

Pulley Play Try a variety of pulley options and challenges. Trees with lower branches or other structures to throw a rope over are essential for this zone. I’ll provide ropes, baskets and containers, stuffies, weighted materials, noise exploration, and ways to make colors fly. 

 

Fort Building Large pieces of fabric, tarps, rope, clamps, crates, building sets, sheets, and clothespins, along with existing on site materials, are available to create forts, dens, and other construction options.

 

 Nature Play Field guides, bug catchers, tweezers, scavenger hunts, and other open-ended nature play options will be available along with several themed nature play “kits” with materials to support a particular topic (birds, amphibians, shapes in nature, transient art, etc.) 

 

Dramatic Play Scarves, greenery, pieces of fabric, costume materials, and dramatic play options will be available to enhance play. 

 

Transient Art Large frames, natural items, sticks, and some manufactures items will be available to create! I’ll bring examples from various artists and look forward to seeing the children’s imaginations soar! 

 

Music and Movement A variety of handmade and manufactured musical items, scarves, hand ribbons, and items to explore sound round out these noisy options!