: Are loose parts a mystery to you?

I bet you know more about loose parts than you think you do.

View in browser Hey there! I started using loose parts in my classroom over 30 years ago only back in the day, we didn't call them loose parts. I don't think there was really a set name for all the random bottle caps, spools, paperclips, and other pieces that I (and other teachers) collected for the classroom. It is nice to finally have a term that we can all recognize for the junk, I mean loose parts, we use every day in our classroom. Loose Parts If the term "loose parts" is a mystery to you, then let me catch you up to speed with this brief definition. Loose parts are a collection of random things from around the home, classroom, or even outdoors that can be used for open-ended play and learning all around the classroom. My students help us collect loose parts for our classroom. In the photo above, you can see a sampling of some of the loose parts we have collected over this school year. We use our loose parts for math, science, art, housekeeping, blocks, and any place else that I think the children will find interesting. I could go out and buy super cute manipulatives for my centers but what I LOVE about using loose parts is that it connects learning beyond the classroom and into the children's everyday world and home-life. Most of the loose parts you see on our table are small but loose parts can also be bigger things. Have you ever helped your students make a marble maze or ramps with a paper towel tube? Well guess what – that paper tube is technically a loose part. If you want to see one example of how I use loose parts, hop on over to this post: Loose Parts for Morning Math. My very best, Deborah Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed.