Education and Early Childhood Learning

Loose Parts Love

What is something or someone you love? Show your unique ideas using loose parts!

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In a Kindergarten classroom, learners explored and valued themselves and their peers by identifying what their interests and abilities are. The teacher had many books to support diversity. As the teacher read the book Things I Love by Bear by Susie Linn, the following question came up: “What is something or someone you love?”

In a turn-and-talk, learners shared some ideas of things that interested them, things that made them unique, and people who are important to them. The learners then shared as a whole class, and the teacher recorded their ideas in a word splash on chart paper.

The teacher showcased something they, themselves, loved: using loose parts. Loose parts are materials that can be moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up, and taken apart and put back together in multiple ways. For example, this might include blocks, seashells, pine cones, pompoms, gems, string, wooden rings, balls, pool noodle pieces, and so on.

The teacher created something that resembled a dog using marker lids, rocks, and sticks. The teacher then wrote “I love my dog” on a sentence strip.

After a turn-and-talk to initiate ideas, learners collected and chose different loose parts to create something or someone they love.

After learners created the thing they love, they took a sentence strip and copied the sentence starter, “I love.” Then, using inventive spelling, they wrote the word describing something they love.

The teacher walked around the room and, to deepen their ideas, asked prompting questions such as the following:

• Why did you choose this item or person?
• What could you add to your loose part creation?
• Tell me more about the thing or person you love.

After the learners completed their sentence, the teacher took a picture of their loose-parts creation and sentence strip.

In the end, learners shared and reflected on everyone’s loose-parts creations with a Knowledge Building Circle,* in turn sharing in the interconnectedness of themselves and their classmates as part of the classroom community. The teacher displayed the learners’ work on the whiteboard for everyone to see. This served as a way to honour the work that each individual did, as well as to connect with one another through the similarities and differences that they all showed representing what they love. 

* Knowledge Building Circle refers to the seating configuration of learners as they engage in sharing and co-constructing collective knowledge and understanding.

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Dimensions of Global Competencies in Action

Connection to Self

• Learners recognize personal interests, strengths, gifts, challenges, and opportunities to support their learning and well-being.
• Learners come to know factors that shape their identity.

Citizenship

• Learners seek out diverse viewpoints, experiences, and world views.
• Learners connect with others in responsible, respectful, and inclusive ways, both in person and in digital contexts.
• Learners explore the interconnectedness of self, others, and the natural world.

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