The Super Power of Loose Parts: Loose Parts Play in School

By Dan Rees-Jones

Within the first week or so of new job at Children’s Scrapstore as a Play Development Officer, I found myself delivering training in a small room to six lunchtime staff about play and playwork and what they could expect to see when their new Scrapstore PlayPod * opening in a few weeks.  I was confident in talking about play and playwork, but my main problem was that I really hadn’t got a clue about what they could expect to see!

It’s not that I was “loose parts shy”.  I am no stranger to Scrapstore and like many other play professionals I was one of those many folk that not only forgot my membership card every time but also relied heavily on Scrapstore for inspiration and valuable resources that supported and extended various different play sessions.... fondly remembering a play ranger session where we played cricket with a mannequin arm with much amusement!

The day before “The Opening” after delivering a training session, I thought I would be a good idea to do an observation of the lunchtime to gauge how introducing hundreds of loose parts into the environment might work… After approximately 15 seconds of standing on the playground a girl and boy approached me and asked me what I was doing….. They then announced that it was probably best for them to give me a guided tour of their playground and playing field.  As we all moved around the space they pointed out what features they enjoyed and the types of games they liked to play. They seemed really excited about their new roles as tour guides, which they took very seriously and in the knowledge that they had the complete attention of the ‘new person in our playground’.  I felt quite honoured that they were giving up their free time to show me their playground and enjoyed the attention I was receiving.  As the tour progressed I was also invited to play various different types games they liked playing and asked if I knew any games…. And so on and so on…..then the whistle went and that was the end of playtime.  Observation fail!

On the opening day, I had a small briefing with the lunchtime staff, where I tried to inspire confidence and excitement within the team… which was difficult in the circumstances… but I think it went well and everyone seemed excited about the prospect.  Just before the children arrived on the playground we removed all the large loose parts from the Scrapstore PlayPod leaving the floor clear so children could run into the structure.  Not knowing what was about to happen created some a range of feelings for me at this point.. an unusual mixture of giddy excitement, dread of something going wrong leading to anticipation/nervousness of being the one responsible or the notion of being dramatically under whelmed.

I heard the children before I saw them then in what seemed like a stampede about 100 children ran past me with obvious excitement, shouting and screaming. Some children appeared to be clutching almost waving pieces of paper, which I later learned were design plans for the structures they wanted to build!  The effect for the first few minutes was quite mesmerising, almost unbelievable… More and more children kept streaming from the lunch hall and then proceeded to literally clear every item of “scrap” out of the structure onto the field with the adults, (myself included)… just stood still almost rooted to the spot watching in amazement. Quite redundant.

To the observer it looked like 210 children had just unwrapped their presents on Christmas Day in the playground, a powerful assault on the senses….lots of bright colours, movement in every direction and plenty more noise.  It was chaotic to observe in the first instance.  Once the ‘Great Scrap Rush’ subsided the play morphed into a hive of frenzied building activity.  Large and small groups of children were making dens, offices, hammocks and swings building off anything and everything available to them. There was small groups combating with cardboard tubes, others pulling children around in crates and banging drums or making as much noise with scrap as possible.  As all of this unfolded I started to relax and then found myself smiling… The children weren’t enjoying this, they were loving it, which was an enjoyable spectacle to observe.

The lunch time was over as quick as it started. I wasn’t sure how all the stuff was going to fit back inside the box…but the children collaborated brilliantly.  As the playground became clean and silent again I had an epiphany:

Maybe I am a loose part?

Just yesterday, I had been the new and exciting loose part/person, bringing novelty and interest into the environment.

Today not one child spoke to me or even seemed to acknowledge me being there.. It was like I had become invisible or hidden from sight.  Because of the loose parts I had become redundant to the children’s play needs. 

What if I am a loose part?

Whether I am a loose part or not… what this experience demonstrated to me was the super powers loose parts possess.  They are an amazing enabler in play and offer potential to build, create, transform, destroy, build resilience, learn about, stimulate imagination, support group collaboration and build friendships.  

The description ‘loose parts’ was first explained by Simon Nicholson in 1971. His theory was based on the idea that children will play more imaginatively and flexibly with loose parts that are lying around than specifically designed play equipment.

‘In any environment both the degree of inventiveness and creativity, and the possibility of discovery, are directly proportional to the number and kind of variables in it.’

*The Scrapstore PlayPod introduces loose parts into school playgrounds to transform playtimes.    
                  

Here is another account from a playwork trainer of his observations of how loose parts play can make a significant impact on children’s approaches to play.
Further Reading

Theory of Loose Parts, An important principle for design methodology: Simon Nicholson 1972, Vol. 4, No. 2,

Play & Playwork, 101 stories of Children Playing: Fraser Brown 2014

The Value of Play: Perry Else 2009

You can also read our other blog posts in this series:
What is Play?, The Importance of Play, The Play Cycle, My Sofa: Enabling Environments, Easy Rider: Risk and Play, Children and Schemas, Visual Play Audit Service

Scrapstore Play Services offers a range of playwork training courses if you would like to find out more about playwork training and loose parts play in schools.
Phone us on 0117 9143002

Children and Schemas - Understanding Different Play Behaviours

by Claire Sands

Why does he keep taking the blocks and hiding them? Why is she always wrapping things in blankets? Why do our children do the things they do. This blog post explains schemas and why knowing about them can really help us to understand our children's behaviour and to provide play opportunities they'll engage with.

You can also read our other blog posts in this series: What is Play?, The Importance of Play, Barriers to play, The Play Cycle; My Sofa: Enabling Environments, Easy Rider: Risk and Play

A regular Thursday in my house, after being at work for a few days away from my two year old son, usually involves an internal battle between spending quality time with him and getting stuff done around the house. It also usually involves his external battles with me over just about everything. Putting trousers on, having nappies changed, eating breakfast and anything else related to trying to get out of the house! I think it’s his way of communicating that he just wants to be with me but as with all two year olds this doesn’t necessarily come out as sweetness and light! 

On a Thursday I am usually just about ready to drop by about 9.15am. Last Thursday I thought we’d had a break through. I was happily putting away some washing thinking to myself how remarkably well I had managed the morning; we were dressed, fed and I was actually managing to tidy up, all before 9.30am. It was during this moment of smug reflection that I became aware of the most unsettling of sounds… You know the one… Silence!

It’s that moment when you notice that it’s been a little bit too quiet up there for a little bit too long.

Could he just be quietly contemplating his book collection? No chance.

Emptying cupboards in the spare room? More likely but nope, not in there…

Oh no, the bathroom! The room of the house you least want to find your toddler ‘investigating’ - I slowly opened the door and there he was, with one of my brand new trainers perfectly lined up under the tap, poised and ready to fill it up with the next turn.

‘What are you doing?! That’s mummy’s shoe!’

‘Mummy not cross’

‘Yes I am cross, they cost a lot of money!’… Tears

What was he doing that for and why?

I probably could have dealt with that a bit better. I want him to have the freedom to roam around without me but so often he wants to explore the corners of the house that I want him to avoid! And I felt so mean for getting cross. I pondered this little interaction and the many others that have happened over the past month or so. I had made the assumption that he was trying to get my attention by filling up my shoe, but when I really thought about it, this time the signs pointed to something else:

·         He was engaged and concentrating pretty hard on what he was doing

·         He was genuinely startled when he noticed I was there

·         He got really upset when he saw how cross I was (unlike if he were filling my shoe to get my attention when he would most likely laugh hysterically at my attempts to stop him!)

Thankfully my work involves training adults and early years practitioners to support children’s play. Sometimes this means piecing together observations and reflections in order to support children to play in a way that they choose. I spent some time thinking about this little interaction.

• What was he actually trying to do?
• Has he displayed this type of behaviour elsewhere?
• Could this provide a clue?

That was when it hit me…

• Last week he spent an hour putting toy animals in and out of a ‘den’ that he’d made by propping a small cushion up against the sofa arm.
• He gets very upset when bath time comes to an end as he is completely obsessed with moving water from container to container. He likes to get inside things, cupboards, boxes, small gaps.
• He loves watering the plants, but mainly the bit where you fill up the watering can, he could take or leave the actual watering bit.
• Last week he put his Dad’s favourite beanie hat down the loo.
• He is constantly asking ‘what’s in there mummy’.
• He loves just colouring in the eyes of people and animals in colouring books. I thought this was a bit odd but it was all beginning to make sense…

 

He was showing a containment schema.

What’s a schema?

A schema is a pattern of behaviour that a child demonstrates through their play.

This can be seen through their actions, language and interactions with their environment. It’s the way that young children make sense of the world around them and can show you how they are choosing to learn about the world in that particular moment.

There are around 41 different types of schema identified. A few of the most common ones are:

The key is to try and notice patterns across many different situations. If they just do something once, it’s probably not a schema. If you see it happening in different situations across a period of time it might well be one. In my son’s case his is around containment, so putting things inside other things and is being displayed in lots of different ways. But why is this information useful?

• Children articulate their thinking expressively through their actions.
• It could give me an insight into the ideas and concepts he is currently exploring.
• It helps me to fathom out previously unfathomable behaviour!
• It helps me support his play better and introduce resources.

Young children will explore the same concepts such as size, weight, gravity, movement, volume etc whether their schematic preference is putting things inside other things (containment), moving things around (transporting) or exploring the movement of objects and themselves (trajectory) to name a few.

Even if their behaviour seems to be focussed on one particular thing in one particular way they are still learning in a way that is relevant to them and critically, playing in a way that they choose. When we support this behaviour and follow their lead it means they are in control of their play and learning which is powerful stuff! That’s not to say it’s ok to empty Grandad’s wallet into the washing machine and pop it on a spin cycle, but if we try to understand the intention of children’s actions we can think about how we can support it in ways that are perhaps a bit more palatable.

Here is a good example of children demonstrating different schemas within their play using a Scrapstore PlayPod.

Scrapstore Play Services offers a range of Early Years Training courses if you would like to find out more about Schemas or playwork theory.
Phone us on 0117 9143002 

USEFUL TIPS FOR PARENTS

Observing your child(ren):

Sometimes children may display a cluster of different schemas, sometimes they may not show an obvious one at all (and that’s just fine) so they are not the answer to everything! However, they can just help a little bit to understand some of the unfathomable moments of parenting. 

So next time you are scratching your head as to why your 3 year old has covered your 3 month old’s hands and feet in paint, think to yourself:

• Is this a schema – can you think of another time they did something similar?
• Is this so bad?
• Can I reframe this situation so they can paint all over something, just not my precious daughter?!’

Things for you to consider:

• Try to understand the intention of the action in order to make sense of it and support it in a way that is more acceptable to you
• Do the benefits outweigh our annoyance/fear/frustration to just let it happen?
• Could you step back a little, observe and reflect on what you see?
• Be a little calmer when discovering the cat has been wrapped in cling film… again!

Could you provide any resources to support the play?

• sheets and cushions
• move the furniture around to make dens
• go out with a bucket to collect stones and sticks?
• get out the pots, pans and containers that you didn’t mind being played with.
• save tubs from recycling for ‘collectables’.
• Roll up lots of little balls of play dough that could be move from container to container. 

Most importantly try to follow their lead. Play a little bit when you're wanted and, who knows, some of your ideas may spark theirs and some may spark yours!

Good luck!

FURTHER READING:

There are some great leaflets about Schemas that have been produced for parents that help understand this topic a bit better.

 

My Sofa - Enabling Environments

A sofa can mainly be distinguished by a relatively high back, armrests, and a seating space that accommodates at least two people and traces its origins back to the 17th century….(www.wisegeek.com).  When I bought my first sofa I was unaware of how attached I would grow of this piece of furniture… A very personal relationship had begun… It was a relatively simple L shaped design, comprising two pieces; one short and the other long like a chaise lounge and instantly became a feature in our lounge. Initially we used it in the way you would expect most folk to… Then we started a family and things changed. The scope and expectations of what this furniture could do for our family became much broader than I could ever imagine... and continues to be a source of fascination for me as we all grow.   

Here are some of the things our sofa does for our family now: 

• The high back provides height to jump off, balance on, generate a different perspective from. 
• A platform to do shows on, parade around and build off. 
• The back and two piece design provide opportunities to post things through and down – Toys sent into the abyss. 
• A safe and special place to retreat too, be ill in, to watch TV on, hide in, read on, to laugh on and cry on. 
• A structure to learn to walk around, lean across, race cars and balls under. 
• A structure to fall off, slip off have accidents on where resilience is built. 
• A communal structure to all be together on.  
• The cushions provide walls that can be used to build shops or dens; draping over material to further this construction.   
• Cushions make obstacles to climb over, stack together creating height, risk and challenge – to explore on.  
• Cushions to throw at each other, good things to crash land onto. .. 
• And finally… When we get round to it... Pulling out the sofa - treasures remembered  

My sofa is no longer a sofa… 

It has morphed with the introduction of young children… It has become an exciting play space or fantasy world that generates a myriad of play possibilities and opportunities for my children and beyond.  

The theory:

Dr Fraser Brown talks about compound flexibility which I think explains this in an academic sense:

Browns theory of compound flexibility offers a view of child development linked to the play environment. It concerns the way in which development takes place via 

‘The interrelationship between a flexible/adaptable environment and the gradual development of flexibility/adaptability in the child. In this theory it is suggested that the degree of flexibility in a child’s play environment has a direct effect on the extent to which exploration and experimentation are possible. Children who experience such things, together with the associated sense of control, will be likely to develop self-confidence, self-acceptance etc. This in turn leads to an ability to cope with daily problems in a more creative, imaginative and flexible way.'   Brown , F (2003)  

 

There are many things within our homes that will engage children within their play which in turn helps them to develop an understanding of their environment. The Scrapstore PlayPod is a great example of how children are creatively engaged in play, problem solving and scientific exploration in many different ways using everyday 'loose parts' to extend their play. This short film shows this in action:

On reflection it’s true to say that I have developed a close working relationship with this sofa and love it dearly – and today even though it’s now a bit dirty and completely the wrong colour for our newly decorated house, it’s become personal!  

FURTHER READING:

Teachers TV -Enabling Environments: A great video that shows enabling environments in Early Years - lots to replicate here
Scrapstore Play Services offers a range of playwork training courses if you would like to find out more about playwork training about playwork theory.

Phone us on 0117 9143002

 
by Dan Rees Jones


USEFUL TIPS FOR PARENTS

Things you can consider:

• What furniture can your children move around or take apart?  
• Are they allowed to explore and experiment with some cupboards or drawers?   

The real challenge is how this play makes us feel inside and what rules and boundaries we set which either extends or limits this.