Loose Parts

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” - Confucius

What Are Loose Parts?

Loose parts are objects and materials that children can move, manipulate, control and change while they play. Children can carry, combine, redesign, line up, take apart, and put loose parts back together in almost endless ways. The materials come with no specific set of directions, and they can be used alone or combined with other materials. Children can turn them into whatever they desire: a stone can become a character in a story; an acorn can become an ingredient in an imaginary soup. These objects invite conversations and interactions, and they encourage collaboration and cooperation (expert taken from the book, Loose Parts Inspiring Play in Young Children).

Learning Intentions:

• I understand that oral tradition is listening and speaking to pass information from one person to another.
• I can compose and share a short oral story.
• I know that dialogue is an exchange of ideas, information, or opinions.
• I understand that effective dialogue includes: listening, staying on topic, asking questions and contributing

This week, students in Room 12 used ‘Loose Parts’ to help them share their one most joyful moment from their Fall Break. Students were very engaged in this activity and it was wonderful to see students orally sharing their most joyful moments with one another. Students were prompted to use their loose parts to assist them in expanding and adding details to their stories to help keep their audience interested and engaged. Please read some of the following student responses that are shared below.

My joyful moment was…

Garrett - My joyful was spending time with my friend Beau and going to the Trico swimming pool together and then heading to McDonald’s for dinner. This brought me a lot of joy because I like spending time with my good friend Beau.

Addison - My joyful moment was going to my cabin in Invermere. I wanted to go swimming at the outdoor pool but it was frozen, so instead I went skating on it because the water was frozen. My grandma came skating with me. This was really special because I love spending time with my family and I felt really proud of myself because I kept getting back up on the ice even when I fell down.

Hunter - My favourite moment from the Fall Break was hanging out with my family and going bowling. Bowling was great because I got to see my parents trying to defeat my bowling record. I had the highest score and I was happy about being the bowling champion!

Indy - Having a playdate with Charleigh was my highlight this Fall Break because it was the first we had ever played together outside of school. The best part of our time together was jumping on the king size bed in my basement and eating Halloween candy on it.

Colton - I spent the evenings of my Fall Break watching the movie series,Thor. This brought me joy because I liked staying up late all cuddled up in my sleeping bag while sipping on raspberry tea.

Benjamin - My joyful moment was going to Karsten’s birthday party. This brought me joy because it was so much fun going to a hockey target practice birthday party. It was great being able to shoot some pucks into the nets using a mini stick.

Piper K. - My joyful moment was going swimming at Trico pool with my older sister. This was very special because it was the first time I have ever been swimming with her! We went on a floatie together and then my sister, Dylan, fell off before me.

Max - My joyful moment was going to the Community Center to have a hockey practice. I was the goalie for our hockey team and during the practice I got a shutout. I probably stopped at least 30 pucks from going in the net! This was a pretty epic hockey practice for me.

Brodie - My joyful moment was going to Banff with my cousins. We had a snowball fight (because there was actually snow on the ground) and it was so much fun!

Skye - Over Fall Break, I had a playdate with Harper. We went to the park andplayed. This was really enjoyable because I love to be outside and it is even better when I am outside with my friends. It was so warm outside and I didn't even have to wear my winter jacket!

Lana - My joyful moment was laying on my bed and playing Roblox with my younger sister. I loved this because I am a pro at the game and I like going ahead of her and hiding my character so that she cannot find me.

A few snapshots...