Loose Parts in Family Childcare
Loose parts are all over the house in family childcare settings. From a collection of key chains that you saved, to a drawer full of washers in you husband's tool box, to some tires that you found along the side of the road, to scrap wood from your last woodworking project, loose parts are found in homes. I first encountered loose parts from Takoma Park's blog. At Takoma Park, the kids build amazing outdoor creations out of, lot's of junk!
What are loose parts you ask? "Loose parts are materials that can be moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up, and taken apart and put back together in multiple ways. Loose parts can be used alone or combined with other materials. There is no set of specific directions for materials that are considered loose parts. The child is the direction." --Loose parts: What does this mean?
There are two fabulous books written by Lisa Daly on the subject that offer amazing inspiration.
It's easy to incorporate these ideas, especially the ones in the Infants and Toddlers book (since we often have mixed-age groups) into our homes and make them available to our students. All you have to do is collect lots of 'stuff' from around the house and put it out there for the children to create with.
This is a great way to get those all important STEAM skills in: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts (and Design), and Mathematics. You can measure, weigh, design art project, build a structure, create a landscape, dump, carry, count...there are seemingly endless possibilities with these open-ended materials.
Not only are you incorporating free toys, they can also be quite beautiful. When on interviews with new parents it's a great speaking point to discuss the value of your program.
Loose parts help children's imaginations soar and allow their creative spirit to flourish. If you are looking for a toy to buy to bring some new life into your playroom, consider taking a walk through your neighborhood thrift shop and pick up some interested loose parts for your kiddos.
