Loose parts are natural or synthetic found, bought, or upcycled materials-acorns, hardware, stones, aluminium foil, fabric scraps, for example-that children can move, manipulate, control, and change within their play. Loose parts are alluring and beautiful. They capture children's curiosity, give free reign to their imagination, and encourage creativity. With more than 550 color photographs of many kinds of loose parts in real early childhood settings, classroom stories, and a dynamic overview, this book provides inspiration and information about the ways loose parts support open-ended learning, enhance play, and empower children. With loose parts, the possibilities are endless.

Transforming Your Outdoor Early Learning Environments invites center and home based educators to reimagine and reconstruct their image of conventional children's play yards as they know them and to create beautiful outdoor learning spaces on a limited budget with natural elements and loose parts that offer children opportunity for irresistible engaging explorations. Ideas, inspiration, and benefits for changing outdoor environments are provided along with the basics for designing, transforming, and maintaining 11 specific outdoor play zones. Transforming Your Outdoor Early Learning Environment offers an approach that: Requires minimal financial resources Features loose parts and upcycled materials Integrates nature Includes inspiring photos of before and after transformations Offers design tips and material lists Describes how play in each area fosters children's competencies, development, and learning in the areas of social and emotional, language and communication, cognitive, physical, and expressive arts

The follow-up to the successful Loose Parts and your guide to infants and toddlers safely exploring through play. Loose parts capture children's curiosity, give free reign to their imagination, and encourage creativity. A variety of new and innovative loose parts ideas are paired with beautiful photography to inspire safe loose parts play in your infant and toddler environments. Captivating classroom stories and proven science provide the context for how this style of play supports children's development and learning.

Loose Parts cross the boundaries of gender, age, abilities, and socioeconomic challenges. Loose Parts 3, the newest addition to the wildly popular Loose Parts series, helps teachers make a conscious effort to create culturally sustainable environments that allow children to grow and to conquer a dynamic world. Over 400 full-colour photographs beautifully illustrate the ongoing need for educational pedagogy that: creates a sense of belonging supports children's identities is culturally responsive and sustainable Loose Parts 3 contains inspiration and guidance on how to create culturally sensitive and culturally sustainable early childhood environments through six key terms: aesthetic, authenticity, equity, dynamic, praxis, and critical reflection. Use your environment to promote a sense of wonder, curiosity and joy, and allow children to explore their identities. *2018 Foreword Reviews Indies Finalist in the Education category.

In the newest installment of the popular, award-winning Loose Parts series, Lisa Daly and Miriam Beloglovsky focus on family engagement and competency building. With inspiring full-color photographs Loose Parts 4 is organized around competencies and life skills children need for success in the future: knowingness engagement risk connections leadership innovative thinking creativity Lisa and Miriam explain the value of loose parts, detail how to integrate loose parts into the environment and children's play, and specifically focus on loose parts for children in family environments-helping educators engage families and extend learning beyond the classroom.

Go beyond reading about early learning theories and see what they look like in action in modern programs and teacher practices. With classroom vignettes and colourful photographs, this book makes the works of Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, Lev Vygotsky, Abraham Maslow, John Dewey, Howard Gardner, and Louise Derman-Sparks visible, accessible, and easier to understand. Each theory is defined-through text and visuals-in relation to cognitive, social-emotional, and physical developmental domains. Use this book to build a true comprehension of the foundations of early learning theories.

Christmas O'Clock is a collection of holiday-themed stories including magic, space travel, and Rudolph. With two complete chapter books, lots of stories, and plenty of spirit, this anthology is great for kids of all ages. All proceeds go to Water Is Life to help children and families in an international effort.