Loose Parts

Loose Parts are an important part of our Play Based Learning.  The term loose parts refers to the 'stuff' we play with:

"As long as materials can be moved, redesigned, put together, and taken apart in a variety of ways, they are classified as loose parts"
Simon Nicholson (Founder of the idea of loose parts). 

"Loose parts were made for intelligence building.  Say you need to make a motorway-overpass in the clay bank.  To start with, you don't know what you are going to do, nor how you are going to do it.  All you have to go on is an idea in your mind and the materials available.  As soon as you look at the loose parts, intelligence gets to come out and play.  You plan, trial, construct and engineer with the loose parts, and before long you have the overpass in operation" from The Sacred Urge to Play by Pennie Brownlee and Kimberley Crisp.

In Te Kakano we are trying to build up our resources of loose parts especially for outdoor use.  As you can see from the photos below we have some tyres and rope but need more loose parts to create with.

Large Loose parts such as:
saw horses, pipes, guttering, planks, tree trunk rounds, wooden pallets, wood offcuts, crates etc...

We are also keen to get some more small loose parts for our inside environment. These would include materials such as:
paper rolls, mens ties, milk bottle tops, pipe cleaners, coloured stones, natural materials such as pine cones.

Please see one of the teachers in Te Kakano if you have something to donate and we will see if it is still needed.

Here is a link if you are interested in finding out more about loose parts: Loose Parts: Who is doing the thinking?

At the end of this post is a free ebook that has lots of great examples of loose parts. There is a copy of this book in Te Kakano. Please feel free to ask to have a look.