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Playing with Loose Parts
April 10, 2012
The child must know that he [or she] is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn’t been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him [or her].
-Pablo Casals
A video promoting the value of a UK product called Scrapstore Playpods (storage units with lots of loose parts) also demonstrates the value of active outdoor play.  The narrator observes...

"Children who are happy and engaged in play have a better experience at school.  It has also been found that the adults in school have a better experience of their school day.  We have found that introducing a Scrapstore Playpod in schools at lunch time has introduced learning through play, significantly enhanced inclusion for all children, increased critical skills development, and helped improve children's relationships and self-confidence, and enabled children to experience other learning opportunities such as teamwork, negotiation, risk management, conflict resolution, and improved communication and problem solving, all of which add up to happier, more engaged children in school."

Check this out for yourself by viewing the video.

Thanks to Zvia Dover for sharing this fun video.






Big Body Play

"Big body play" - the sometimes rowdy, always very physical running, rolling, climbing, tagging, jumping, grabbing, and wrestling that most children love and many adults try to shut down - can and should be an integral part of every early childhood setting. Drawing from evidence-based practice and the latest research, this book explains the multitude of benefits of big body play for young children's social-emotional, cognitive, and physical development. You will also learn how to organize the physical environment, set rules and policies, and supervise the play.

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Comments (4)

Displaying All 4 Comments
Jeffrey Hill · April 24, 2012
Children's Scrapstore UK
Bristol, United Kingdom


Hi, thanks for showing the video, the excitement it's causing is terrific. We are talking with some people in the US about how to go about this. It's more complicated than it first appears. We'd be happy to talk to anyone motivated to do something as we are aware of the same difficulties and needs being present in the US as in England.

Karen Kuras · April 17, 2012
Council On Rural Services
Troy, OH, United States


I love this idea! Every school should have a Playpod. For the past 2 summers three of our school-age child care classrooms (60 children ages 5-12) have gotten together and built things out of recycled items. It is amazing the way they work together and the concentration they have, not to mention the creativity. I wonder if there is anything similar to Playpods in the US?

Tammy Mondschein · April 11, 2012
Elbow Lane School
Warrington, Pennsylvania, United States


I love the idea of the Scrapstore Playpod!!! Kids get bored very easily and they need different means to express themselves as well as learn. What a fun and exciting way to do so with these pods! Filling them up with all sorts of things not normally found in or out of the classroom, is a great way to promote creativity, developing confidence, self-expression, develop relationships, release any stress, let out some of that energy, and have fun while learning at the same time!!!! I really would like to talk to the teachers in our school, and start collecting items for the play pods, even if we have to start out small at first!
It was really interesting and fascinating to watch the children in the video, come up with all sorts of games, activities, and projects in different groups as teams! What a great idea! Thanks for Sharing!

William Strader · April 10, 2012
New England Symposium on Play
Wakefield, Rhode Island, United States


Some folks wanted to learn more about the research related to the Playing with Loose Parts, from the UK. Any Info on that? Some Play People would love to know!
Thanks
Bill Strader,
Coordinator, New England Symposium on Play



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