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- explore and play with classroom materials (dice, counting teddies, counters, pebbles etc.) and come up with a game.
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- play with supermarket products
- how to make popcorn with corn on the cob??? Let children think about what needs to happen to the fresh corn before making popcorn.

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- Teachers create an environment of the past in the classroom .eg. no electricity for day.

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You are currently reading our archived blog.
While these older posts may not reflect our current vision and direction, we encourage you to visit our new website at to explore our latest, updated content. There, you'll find a wealth of valuable articles, resources, and insights that align with our current focus and over 60+ Free Play Invitations.
You might particularly be interested in reading this article: How to Create Highly Effective Invitations to Play: A Step-by-Step Guide
Thank you for joining us in this exciting new phase!

.........................................................

For a long time I struggled with understanding the place and power of provocations. A few years ago I had a huge ah-ha moment. I am in an inquiry. I am a researcher. With each provocation - new understandings emerge. I love that it is a process of learning for both myself and the children. We are in it together.

So what follows is my experience with provocation. Is it everything there is to know? I hope not!

Provocations are experiences I set-up in response to children's interests and ideas. When I set up a provocation I am providing hands-on exploration for children to practice, test, construct and deconstruct their ideas and theories.

I set up a provocation and listen. I engage in the children's thinking. It is my thread to lead us onward.

A provocation will PROVOKE thinking! I have witnessed if children are not engaging in the provocation as a support to their ideas and concepts - I have to check with my own agenda or perspectives. Am I really honing in on their thinking or mine?

In the public school arena, where I incorporated Reggio Inspired practices - two distinct types of provocations arose:

Child Interest Based Provocations - These provocations built upon and expanded student ideas, interests, and wonderings.

Standards Based Provocations - These provocations built upon and expanded state mandated objectives and standards. The materials and tasks set out to achieve the standards and goals that are mandated.

Why Provocation?

One of the most interesting things to me as a researcher-teacher is understanding the learning process. We have all heard - - and know - - the importance of the child's emotional connection and safety in the classroom as the foundation of the learning environment. I would be so bold to say a quality education equals quality relationships in the classroom.

It is inside this value system I have found the sleeping giant. If safety, trust, and respect provide the foundation - then the next level of support is being invested in children's interests and curiosities.

When we pay attention to the interests of children, children get serious about learning. When I listen keenly to a child or group of child negotiating an idea - something magical happens.

Children come into the world wired to make sense of life. When we pay attention to the things that children are interested in, learning becomes incredibly important. Deep inside the thinking of children - lies the fairy dust of education - - meaningful engagement!
Think about it.
Clearly - a curious mind is one that is primed for learning.

I know when I am interested - hold on! - I am highly invested! What defines my state of engaged learning is a high level of focus and attention.

Focus and attention are the keys to developing strong pathways in the brain. Powerful provocations give children opportunities to attend to the world of ideas and concepts with incredible focus and attention.

Provocations, then, can be support systems in response to children's interests through meaningfully curated loose parts and materials.

The magic lies in the fact these parts and materials curate new languages or ways of interacting with children's ideas or wonderings. I listen keenly to children to uncover the unique perspectives of what they see and think.

A well-crafted provocation engineers play that is, in actuality, provoked by the children!

Provocations support the unfoldment of ideas and theories of the children. Not my ideas. Not my interests. The children's. And when I really invest myself in this process - new and expanded possibilities for children's exploration and inquiry arise. And this . . . is teaching fairy dust!
Want to learn more about Provocations? Click here to download our eBook, Provocations: A Start Up Guide. In it you will learn what is a provocation, what is an invitation and the breakdown of 13 provocations! I would love to hear your ideas and experience with provocations. Please share in the comments!

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What is a provocation? - Fairy Dust Teaching

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You are currently reading our archived blog. While these older posts may not reflect our current vision and direction, we encourage you to visit our new website at wunderled.com to explore our latest, updated content. There, you'll find a wealth of valuable articles, resources, and insights that align with our current focus and over 60+ Free [...]

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- observe students playing objects and making up games and rules.
- ask questions about their games and rules.

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- exploring playground games and board games
- creating and making up games with a partner
- designing games
- using egg boxes to create games
- acting out rules and solving conflicts
- Game day with parents introducing games from other cultures.

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- playing playground games and circle games.
- games in PE

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- board games (from different cultures)
- toys, equipment, classroom objects.
- construction materials (egg box, cartons, kitchen roll etc.)

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- Game Expo: students presenting and playing their created games with students from other classes.

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- create a market, kitchen, factory of their choice, research required materials.
- food processing, cooking, preserve, (smoothie station)

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- growing, herbs, veggies
- playing with soil and water and tools

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- gardening tools, food products

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- acting out the process of change and the distribution system

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- create a museum with old and new objects and allow children to explore and play throughout the unit.
- designing an invention and building it.

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- playing and exploring with artefacts, old objects, machines etc. Teacher to observe.
- act out how your grandparents went to school.

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- playing old games from the past
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- Books: Violet the Pilot book,

Rosie Revere Engineer, Iggy Peck, Architect, Most Magnificent Thing

- old household objects and machines

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Violet the pilot (for invention process)

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Story: Steve Breen Narrator: Dustin Steichmann Music: Adventures - A Himitsu We are a non-profit school encouraging students to learn English through reading high quality books.

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© 2018 Marla McLean

A careful considerate gaze or I am because you are

This entry was written by , posted on November 13, 2018 at 11:37 am, filed under 3 year old children, art, Atelier, Atelierista, Autumn, awe, beauty, bottle-caps, Citizens, climate change, community, Consructing, conversation, creativity, curiosity, early childhood, earth, explore, garden, global, Global Children, global competence, grow, Happiness, heart, imagination, Innovation, inspired, Joy, Kindergarten, leaves, Light, love, Maker Spaces, Marla McLean, materials, meaning, metaphor, moments, monarchs, NAREA, objects, observation, painting, PreK, preK children, process, project work, Rainbow, recycle, reflect, Reggio, Reggio Emilia, seasons, Sketching, social action, Studio, studio learning, Ubuntu, Uncategorized, vulnerable, winter, Wisdom, wonder. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. or leave a trackback: Trackback URL. View EXIF Data

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© 2018 Marla McLean This entry was written by , posted on November 13, 2018 at 11:37 am, filed under 3 year old children, art, Atelier, Atelierista, Autumn, awe, beauty, bottle-caps, Citizens, climate change, community, Consructing, conversation, creativity, curiosity, early childhood, earth, explore, garden, global, Global Children, global competence, grow, Happiness, heart, imagination, Innovation, inspired, Joy, Kindergarten, leaves, Light, love, Maker Spaces, Marla McLean, materials, meaning, metaphor, moments, monarchs, NAREA, objects, observation, painting, PreK, preK children, process, project work, Rainbow, recycle, reflect, Reggio, Reggio Emilia, seasons, Sketching, social action, Studio, studio learning, Ubuntu, Uncategorized, vulnerable, winter, Wisdom, wonder.

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A Living Systems Curriculum for Early Education, Sonoma State Children’s School

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Early Years Project Sri Lanka and Cascade Canyon

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Science breaks down the types of play

Dr. Stuart Brown, the founder of the National Institute for Play, has classified several different types of play and determined that each type of play accomplishes different benefits.

Attunement Play

Attunement play is the early building blocks for all forms of play. Through activities like peek-a-boo and baby talk, parents begin to establish an

emotional connection with their infant. It not only helps develop object permanence, it helps build awareness and fosters happiness. When you smile and coo happily at your baby, he or she learns to mimic your expressions and eventually smiles back and begins to vocalize as well.

Body Play & Movement

Body play and movement is largely a way for children to develop a spatial understanding of themselves and world around them. Leaping in the air teaches us the effects of gravity. Dance teaches us the various ways that our bodies can move.

Object Play

Playing with toys and objects develops problem-solving skills. Animal researchers developed a test to determine intelligence among ravens. They put food on a string and suspended it from a branch. The ravens began to gather the string using their claws and beaks until the food was in their grasps. Object play is similar in that it allows children to explore the functions of objects and develop tools.

Social Play

One of the most complex forms of play, social play helps children establish social norms. As our children engage in group play, they develop the interpersonal skills that will help them have successful friendships and relationships as adults.

Imaginative & Pretend Play

Whether it's done in a group or on one's own, imaginative and pretend play is the birthplace of creativity. Whether a child is playing house or hosting a tea party, he or she is developing their own inner story and an understanding of his or her place in the world.

Storytelling-Narrative Play

Children love it when you read them a story, in the same way that adults enjoy binge watching on Netflix. And while both of these activities have an element of fantasy, it also helps both children and adults gain an understanding of both ourselves and of others.

Creative Play

Creating music, brainstorming...these playful situations tap into our creative juices that are developed during pretend play and extract finished ideas that add function and progress to our lives.

To learn more about the different types of play, check out this TED talk video featuring Dr. Brown: " Play is more than just fun."

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Dr. Stuart Brown, the founder of the National Institute for Play, has classified several different types of play and determined that each type of play accomplishes different benefits. Attunement play is the early building blocks for all forms of play. Through activities like peek-a-boo and baby talk, parents begin to establish an emotional connection with their infant.

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Great Thinkers of Early Childhood Education

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These great thinkers have made an impact on modern day ECE approaches.  These are my favorites.  Who's yours?

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Inside: Definition of 16 play types from Bob Hughes and ideas for play materials to encourage variety in the way children play. This post contains affiliate links, learn more
Play means doing something for fun, rather than for practical reasons. The beauty of this definition is that there's no one way to play. Play doesn't mean just building with blocks or playing with cars. Play is versatile and can be different things to different people. For some people, it's climbing rocks. For others still, it's writing. For some, it's reading a good book.

For example, I love playing board games, making crafts and completing puzzles. My daughter loves to create art. My son loves rough and tumble play.

In my research for Encourage Play, I came across a great resource from Bob Hughes that explains different types of play. Here's a rundown of the 16 play types:

Symbolic Play

Using objects, actions or ideas to represent other objects, actions, or ideas, e.g., using a cardboard tube as a telescope.

Rough and Tumble Play

Close encounter play which is less to do with fighting and more to do with gauging relative strength. Discovering physical flexibility and the exhilaration of display and it's friendly and positive. This type of play can burn up a lot of energy.

Socio-Dramatic Play

When children act out experiences, e.g., playing house, going to the shops or going to a restaurant.

Social Play

Any social or interactive situation where the expectation is that everyone will follow the set rules - like during a game or while making something together.

Creative Play

Allows children to explore, try out new ideas and use their imagination. They can use lots of different items, altering something and making something new.

Communication Play

Play using words, gestures, e.g., charades, telling jokes, play acting, etc.

Dramatic Play

Play where children figure out roles to play, assign them and then act them out.

Locomotor Play

Movement for movement's sake, just because it's fun. Things like chase, tag, hide and seek and tree climbing fall into this category.

Deep Play

Play which allows the child to encounter risky experiences and conquer fears, like heights, snakes, and creepy crawlies. Some find strength they never knew they had to climb obstacles, lift large objects, etc.

Exploratory Play

Using senses of smell, touch and even taste to explore and discover the texture and function of things around them. An example of this would be a baby mouthing an object.

Fantasy Play

This is the make-believe world of children. This type of play is where the child's imagination gets to run wild, and they get to play out things that are that are unlikely to occur, like being a pilot or driving a car.

Imaginative Play

Play where the conventional rules, which govern the physical world, do not apply, like imagining you are a bee or pretending you have wings.

Mastery Play

Control of the physical and affective ingredients of the environments, like digging holes or constructing shelters.

Object Play

Play which uses sequences of hand-eye manipulations and movements, like using a paintbrush.

Role Play

Play exploring ways of being, although not normally of an intensely personal, social, domestic or interpersonal nature. For example brushing with a broom, dialing with a telephone.

Recapitulative Play

Play that allows the child to explore ancestry, history, rituals, stories, rhymes, fire and darkness.

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16 Different Types of Play - Encourage Play

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Inside: Definition of 16 play types from Bob Hughes and ideas for play materials to encourage variety in the way children play. Definition of play: "Engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose."

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Opal School Children on Play and Learning

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The Role of Play in the Overly-Academic Classroom

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How to get into Play-Based Learning: Part 1 - What is Play?

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How to get into Play-Based Learning: Part 3 - A Playful Classroom Environment

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Children urged to play outdoors to cut risk of shortsightedness

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Research reveals link between environmental factors and rising cases of myopia

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Bluehost - Top rated web hosting provider - Free 1 click installs For blogs, shopping carts, and more. Get a free domain name, real NON-outsourced 24/7 support, and superior speed. web hosting provider php hosting cheap web hosting, Web hosting, domain names, front page hosting, email hosting.

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The best kindergarten you’ve ever seen | Takaharu Tezuka

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Help support our efforts towards scientific research related to human play. Your investment in the National Institute for Play will move us closer to the day that the field of Human Play is a credentialed discipline in the scientific community. We envision a future in which the science of Human play enables individuals, parents, teachers, leaders, and organizations to harness the power of play to create transformational differences in their individual, family, school and organizational lives. A future in which school systems have used the knowledge of play to topple the current morass in K-12 education and a future in which public and private sector leaders have used play practices to reform organizational policies and create organizations capable of producing innovative products and services.

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Help support our efforts towards scientific research related to human play. Your investment in the National Institute for Play will move us closer to the day that the field of Human Play is a credentialed discipline in the scientific community.

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To play is to learn. Time to step back and let kids be kids

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To be a superhero is to lead, to host a teddy for tea is to organise. Four leaders explain why they're launching a coalition to protect play.