Hi Phin, loose parts are open ended materials. Playing with open ended materials creates an opportunity for children to make deicsions, using their imagination, repurpose materials, be creative, handle different textures, sizes and colours. Often through loose parts play many social skills are acquired such as persistence, problem solving, sharing, planning, revisiting ideas and much more. For example, our students use blocks to build a dance floor, a ship, a house, a den, and excavator and lots more.

@@reggiokinder4561 Thank you so much for your explanation.

Are you asking about student art portfolios? If so then yes the children choose art samples for their portfolios and take the rest home to share with families. The portfolios go home in June. It is student led not teacher directed.

Thank you for you interest A provocation is intended to provoke a deeper understanding and is usually linked to a project or inquiry. For example, my students are exploring clay and so the first day I set out lumps of fresh clay on boards at the table with no tools, they explored the clay with their hands and fingers pushing, pinching, patting, etc. After a few days I added some simple tools and photos of simple sculptures from last year's children. This provoked the children and their imagination soared. Each week we worked with the clay until they were finally ready to create a permanent sculpture. In Reggio one class was studying chairs and they used their clay skills to create chairs. An invitation is setting the table to invite the children to explore.familiar or new materials. I often set a table with watercolour paper, a brush, a jar of water and paint palette in the Atelier in the morning or set up the block s to invite the children to build a structure I may even add a small basket of animals to see how they can connect the two materials blocks and animals or set out the small world play table with a simple set up to invite the children to use the materials to create stories. In summary a provocation provokes a deeper understanding and an invitation invites children to use the materials in different ways. Liz

@@reggiokinder4561 Thank you very much for your clarification.

@@reggiokinder4561 Thank you very much for your clarification.

Hi Dina, I begin the first day of school when they come in groups of 5 We sit around the table and count the jars. After about five days I put them into pairs and they count jars together. I keep mixing the partners and then when I feel I know them and see who works nicely with who I assign a learning partner for the year. I do counting collections multiple times a week in the first month and then slowly reduce to once a week. I don't introduce the clipboards until around February to really ensure that they enjoy the new challenge and are successful. By then they are organizing their collections using containers like ice cube trays, ten frames, cups and plates. Last year I picked up silver star cups from the wedding section of the dollar store and they were the biggest hit.

It is mostly because my Kinders enjoy accessing writing throughout the classroom i do .have literacy shelves which have literacy play activities that are available during exploration and quiet play. I have writing papers and tools in the art studio with different markers, chalk crayons, crayons, sharpies and woody pencil crayons (thick). In the art studio they can make books, write notes on sticky paper and they have lots of little cards. I have writing tools in the block centre and in the home centres. We have clipboards in a basket that they can access and take to different parts of the room.

I love all of your questions. I like to have a carpet on the floor adjacent to the math shelves and a table nearby. the child can choose where to take the math activity. Usually they just use the carpet unless someone is there. If it is a board game then they usually take it to a table although checkes/chess seems to be popular with a child each on a stool with a stool in between them for the game board. Yes they can transport loose parts to another part of the room and they can access other loose parts to add onto their play, especially if they are using the tinker tray for story play. The jars are always in the counting collection so they know the jar goes there, the tinker trays are always on the same shelves so they know they go there. If they get a acrylic box of loose parts then they know that the loose parts go to the loose parts shelf. they seldom use all of the objects in the containers so they easily recognize what was in the container. Because we use loose parts throughout the curriculum every day they are very familiar with them. Also I slowly add to the loose parts so that they are not overwhelmed at clean up. We all clean up together including adults until everything is in it's proper place. It is important to bring things out slowly over time while they learn their job, When I introduce materials slowly then they learn and remember where everything goes. I don't have assigned tables (rules) but often the placement lends it to being used for specific purpose such as math. I do often have a dedicated inquiry table or clay table which is an extra table in the room and displays stay on the table for a long time. Sometimes it gets moved into the hall because the room starts to feel full. Some years we have a loose parts table or story play table. It really depends on the amount of space in the room. Last spring my Kinders really wanted a second story play table and so we hunted and found an old 2 x3 orange table and they loved it, a month later they decided it should be a dedicated loose parts table. :)

Hi Jodi, I thought it might help if I share how I organize my assessment and then provide an example. Each afternoon the children have about 20-25 minutes to choose one quiet centre and play with a friend. They choose a centre that they know how to use and stay at that centre. I am not available to them. During the time I have a clipboard and an activity. I have already selected two children to assess one at a time, and what the focus of my assessment. If I am curious about counting strategies I would have about 3 counting jars on the tabLE. I explain why we are working with counting (what I am looking for) and then the child chooses a jar, organizes the tokens and then counts for me. I may be looking for counting strategies, one to one correspondence or how high the child can count. Is the child counting a large collection by 1's, 2's, 5's 10s? By planning ahead who I am assessing and what I am assessing my assessment is always up to date and enables me to make program decisions. Let's say that the child needs practice counting by 2's . the next day I would change our counting game to counting by 2's, we could count orally by 2's to ten, watch a counting video or read some books which focus on pairs. After I asses the child I provide specific feedback and we may set a goal together. Other types of assessment may be writing, alphabet names or sounds, blending.... I often conference with 2 children while they are eating lunch (1 at a time), usually doing an OSCL or adding to the e-portfolio. During our exploration time I am either working on a new skill or game with a small group, observing students or engaging students in their play to scaffold play skills. Let me know if you still have questions. I think that the key is to be organized, intentional and explicit. I also think it is really important to know you curriculum and developmental levels. Thanks for asking, Liz

@@reggiokinder4561 Wow! Thanks, Liz. This is very helpful. I'm thinking about how to build this time in my classroom. Previously, I observe and assess during Story Workshop and Explore/Free Play time. During Story Workshop I joyfully record children for documentation. Then I record the student of the day's "story." When workshop is over we all clean up and join at the carpet and perform their story as a play. During Explore time, later in the day, I work with/assess children one-on-one, mostly on ELA skills. However, this time always seems like I am interrupting their flow. I am going to try a new way similar to your quiet center play. My goal is to be more intentional with introducing materials, learning games, and observation/assessment. Your ideas and examples surely do help!! Thank you very much.

@@jodisimpson7109 why don't you have a peak at my daily flow It is in the linktree in my instagram account. It may be helpful.

Hi Eileen, I have been working with a learning co-hort grades k, 2, 3 and 7 on a smll shift in practice to process learning..The first year they used math and the second year art to begin to develop the class culture of trust, exploration and value of process learning for both students and teachers. If your learners are vulnerable or/and have low literacy then this will give them a bump. Top three reasons will be -establishes a culture of risk and acceptance, builds trusting relationships and community which contribute to students feeling safe (SEL). Once these three tenants are achieved then a focus on literacy through process learning can be achieved. I would say that if skills are low and students are vulnerable then process learning is so important. If you have a 1/2 then you are so lucky because you can hang onto students for 2 years and really benefit from the culture you have nurtured. I am excited for you!!!

would you be interested in a pdf for my Daily Five from my workshop?

@@reggiokinder4561 I think I would

file:///Users/lizmccaw/Downloads/Daily%20Five%20Framework.pdf

@@fsjsamsam file:///Users/lizmccaw/Downloads/Daily%20Five%20Framework.pdf

myclassroomtransformation.blogspot.com/ you can follow the links on her blog to Joanne's instagram account

yes ReggioKinder

That is a great questions. I wouldn't however I would have a Yurt which would be the Atelier. A colleague of mine has a few rubber totes to hold different materials. When I teach offsite I almost aways use nature found loose parts for math and literacy.