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Apr 23, 2023 14 tweets 8 min read Read on X
We're getting ready to head into our session on literacy and loose parts with Dr Carla Gull. Moderated by @twisha27 and supported by @shamal_merchant and @KKatPlay. Grab a quick snack and drink and come back to continue our #EYPlayParty🎈 Image
What exactly do we mean by literacy? Although reading & writing immediately come to mind, according to @AlbertaEd, in EY it is the ability, confidence, & willingness to engage with language to acquire, construct, & communicate meaning in all aspects of daily living. #ToddlePlay
And what about loose parts? Simply put, it refers to objects that can be put together in many different without specific direction. #EYLooseParty #LoosePartsPlay Image
To develop a loose parts mindset: Involve children in planning & building the learning space, allow experimentation & a "yes" mentality in play, blur lines between inside and outside, solve real-life environmental problems, & use what we have naturally. #EYLooseParts #AddWater Image
There's no fixed template for what a loose part should look like. It doesn't have to be natural and unpainted, says Carla.

As educators, we tend to setup classrooms the way we think it should be, but what if we let children arrange it the way they want? So much potential!
Loose parts have featured in play for centuries - through #montessori #ReggioEmilia. Asked how our attendees incorporate loose parts for literacy today, they mention storytelling, picture frames, story walks, collages, mark making, sequencing, 3D sculpting, messy play, & sorting
Little hands need a lot of different textures and material to develop hand strength and fine-motor skills. 👐🫶 Some of these materials can be used to stimulate literacy skills beyond reading and writing #EYLiteracy #EYLooseParts #EYPlayParty Image
Digging, scooping, using natural material, creating faces using materials from nature, painting on leaves, drawing with twigs...all of these contribute towards pre-literacy skills. The more varied the material, the more valuable the opportunities that children get #EYOutdoors Image
Absolutely! We need a strong foundation that we can build onto - what better time than the Early Years?
Loose parts can be used for pre-literacy and pre-writing development, to tell stories, to write in unconventional media such as sand or mud, in dramatic play, to make music, for class-made books, as provocations. There are also some fantastic books incorporating loose parts. ImageImage
Children with a "loose-parts" mindset can transform objects as needed - something that is a fan during one playtime, might become butterfly wings the next. The flexibility & open-ended nature of this type of activity is immensely valuable to children's development #EYLooseParts
Keeping in mind the conceptualisation of literacy as a means of expression & communication, here are some ways that loose parts can support literacy. The stimulus for creativity, problem solving, storytelling, & exploration that loose parts provide is very valuable. #ToddlePlay Image
Coming to a close, Carla asks what attendees' main takeaway has been: idea jar, mud kitchen, special days to celebrate loose parts, loose parts are treasure not junk, allowing a mess - all so valuable. Finally, here are bottomline essentials for loose parts. #EYLooseParts Image

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More from @toddle_edu

Sep 30, 2023
We're "behind the screens" with @LeenaBMc of @STEM4Real, ready to begin our session on creating a culturally responsive science curriculum. Please take your seats and get ready for lift off 🚀 🧵👇#ToddleTIES #STEM #Equity #DEI #Education Image
@LeenaBMc @STEM4Real Overheard during tech check "You see the disgusting video?" followed by an excited wiggle. What have you got in store for us, @LeenaBMc 👀🧐 #ToddleTIES
@LeenaBMc @STEM4Real The doors have opened and people are zooming in from Thailand, India, Mexico, Japan, Puerto Rico, USA, China, Philippines - wow it's super early for some of y'all - thank you for helping make #ToddleTIES a truly global conference!
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Apr 23, 2023
Our penultimate session of the #EYPlayParty is a chat on Outdoor Play with @MuddyTeachers, Anne-Marie Evans, Christina Pickles, hosted by @MsNursery.
Chat has absolutely taken off, with people saying hello from China, Egypt, Thailand, USA, Pakistan, Italy, Uzbekistan...and more. Image
First of all, Christina stresses on the importance of the adults getting in touch with how they feel about the outdoors themselves? Insects? Heat? Dirt? She flags that teaching outside requires HUGE flexibility, since you may not even have a window to throw your plan out of!
An urgent reminder: what did outdoor play look like for us? We fell down, stayed out till dinner time, climbed up trees, got dirty, etc...children today don't have that opportunity, and it's our job to bring it back for them, says @MuddyTeachers.
Read 16 tweets
Apr 23, 2023
We have started our watch party for Sound Art: Connecting contemporary art and children's play, by @louisa_penfold, Diamond Arrington, and Kaijeh Johnson. Image
Contemporary art and children's play may not be the most obvious combination, but the sensory stimulation, fuel for curiosity, and channel for self-expression make contemporary art a great medium to enhance children's experience of #LearningThroughPlay.
With these two contrasting images, @louisa_penfold highlights the range that children's art covers, with one being a structured adult-intended creation, while the other is messy and exploratory. New materialism suggests that materials and people mutually transform one another. Image
Read 10 tweets
Apr 23, 2023
Up next, we’re diving into the wonderful world of treasure baskets with @MctavishAnni. Through this workshop, she will introduce us to not just what a treasure basket is, but also how to make our own, and how we can engage in high-quality #EYPlay. #ToddlePlay #LearningThroughPlay Image
Babies are born with about 100bn neurons!! Sensory, emotional, & physical activity triggers neural connections 🧠 making thinking & learning happen. Children's whole bodies respond to sensory stimulations, shaping their experiences & pathways #BrainDevelopment #EYPlay #EarlyYears
Treasure baskets, pioneered by Elinor Goldschmied in post-war Europe, do not need any complicated/expensive equipment. You can put a treasure basket together with things you've found around the house, typically something easy to hold & manipulate & made of natural materials. Image
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Apr 23, 2023
Here we are backstage, waiting to start Day 2 of the ultimate #EYPlayParty with a keynote on #LovingPedagogy by @tamsingrimmer. This session on how adults can help children feel loved and promote positive attachments will be moderated by @MsNursery. #ECECommunity #PlayfulLearning Image
The party is officially on, with Iceland, Macedonia, Chile, Italy, Cambodia, England, Switzerland, Uzbekistan, Canada and sooo many other countries being represented in our webinar chat box. Where are you joining us from today? Give us a shout and let us know! #EYPlayParty 🛩️
Remember to send us your questions and share your reflections with us here and in the webinar chat box and we will get them across to @tamsingrimmer 📨 We love hearing from you! #ECECommunity #TeachEarlyYears #TeacherCommunity #TeacherNetworking #EYPlayParty
Read 17 tweets
Apr 22, 2023
That's a wrap on Day 1 of the ultimate #EYPlayParty! A huge thank you to everyone who took part! If you haven't yet jumped onto this party bus 🪩🚍 you can sign up here bit.ly/3UHU3ZF This will also get you access to recordings, exclusive toolkits, & action labs ‼️🧵👇👀
Our keynote for today by @ABCDoes was the first event of #ToddlePAPS. You can find some summary tweets here: threadreaderapp.com/thread/1649737…
Our fireside chat with @BenMardell @MaiaBassett and @HSteinbring provided some really wonderful reflections, some of which have been shared here: threadreaderapp.com/thread/1649754… @pedagogyofplay
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