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Add a photo or video of your test group using some of the tools or strategies shared in our first session. First, click on the + button at the bottom of your screen (black + inside a colored circle). Add your name to the post. Then use the upload button to choose a photo or video from your photo library, or take a photo or video to upload.

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The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

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From Head to Toe: Eric Carle StoryTime with David Feinstein

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The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

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Little Cloud: Eric Carle Storytime with David Feinstein

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This doc has links to some of our Storytime team's favorite songs and games.

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This playlist of songs and games includes lyrics and demo videos!

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YouTube playlists of our storytime songs organized into thematic lists and featured in alphabetical order.

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YouTube playlists of our storytime songs organized into thematic lists and featured in alphabetical order.

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Explore creative, open-ended, and intergenerational projects from the Art Studio.

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Add a photo or video of your test group implementing the materials shared in our second session (Tap the Magic Tree, Some Bugs, or the original program plan for the book of your choosing). Click on the + button at the bottom of your screen (black + inside a colored circle). Add your name to the post. Then use the upload button to choose a photo or video from your photo library, or take a photo or video to upload.

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Visit the museum through one of our engaging field trips, or come for a self-guided visit.

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Celebrate art and picture books with us as we bring The Carle to you!

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The Carle Community Fund makes The Carle more affordable and accessible to families, schools, and educators.

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Explore creative, open-ended, and intergenerational projects from the Art Studio.

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Join us from home for Storytime with The Carle. These interactive read-aloud presentations encourage movement and play. Each week we will highlight a differe…

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Booklists created by The Carle for exhibitions, programs, or bookshop recommendations.

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Explore creative, open-ended, and intergenerational projects from the Art Studio.

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Toddler Art Activity: Contact Paper & Sparkly Things

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Explore sticky surfaces and shiny materials with young learners.

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As an early years educator, I know how passionate you are about creating engaging and stimulating learning environments for your children. And if you're like many educators, you're also eager to explore the benefits of Loose Parts Play.

Loose Parts play can foster creativity, problem-solving skills, and imagination in young children. However, getting started may seem daunting if you're not familiar with the concept. I'm here to tell you that you're not alone! Many educators have successfully incorporated loose parts into their classrooms and have seen amazing results.

With this in-depth guide on how to get started with Loose Parts play, you'll learn all about what loose parts are, and why they are so crucial to learning and building a strong foundation for children, particularly in today's world.

Let's explore the possibilities of Loose Parts play together and get ready to see your children's creativity and imagination soar!

In this guide we'll cover:

Loose Parts: Where did it all start?

Loose Parts is a concept that was first introduced in the 1970s by architect Simon Nicholson.

When Nicholson was researching how environments shape people's creativity and imagination, he noticed something intriguing. Interactive art installations captivated museum visitors far more than static ones. From this observation, Nicholson drew a significant conclusion: the more variables or elements an environment contains, the more engaging, inventive, and creative it becomes. To refer to these variables, he coined the term "loose parts". Essentially, the more loose parts you have to play with, the more you can unleash your creative potential.

Nicholson's research led him to become involved in early childhood education as he saw loose parts, as a way to inspire future generations of builders, designers, and innovators. He believed that loose parts were crucial for fostering creativity, imagination, and problem-solving skills in children, as they provided an abundance of open-ended materials that could be moved, manipulated, and transformed in countless ways.

Today, loose parts play continues to be an important part of early childhood education, with many educators recognizing the value and benefits of loose parts in supporting children's learning and development.

You can download his article in the Landscape Architecture magazine entitled "How Not to Cheat Children: The Theory of Loose Parts" here.

What Are Loose Parts and Why Are They Important for Play?

Loose parts are any collection of open-ended natural or manmade objects that children can move, combine, transform, take apart, redesign, and line up, in ways that support, extend, and further, their ideas while playing.

They can be anything from natural objects like stones and sticks to recycled materials like cardboard boxes and bottle caps, to household items like spoons and scarves. The key defining factor is that there is no predetermined use or function. Loose parts are open to a child's interpretation and creative thinking. A loose part can become anything!

Recently, a friend of mine asked why there was so much fuss over loose parts. I love it when people ask me this because the answer is so easy to illustrate.

Imagine a child playing with either a train set or a collection of loose parts placed in a provocation.

The train set, while wonderful, has a predetermined use. How many different ways can a child manipulate these materials? There isn't much creative flexibility here. It has one purpose: to be a train set.

Now consider how many different ways the materials in the second photo can be manipulated. The possibilities are endless. Any of the parts can be anything the child imagines and provide the opportunity for the child to invent, inquire and test new ideas and theories.

The train set offers a noun: Train set.

The open materials offer verbs: Racing. Rolling. Speeding.

Download our Loose Parts Start Up Guide here.
What is Loose Parts Play and Why Does it Matter for Children

Since loose parts can be used and combined in multiple ways, children can manipulate and adapt them to their curiosities and abilities. This allows us to tailor the play experiences to meet the needs and interests of each individual child.

If you want to know how loose parts help us educators discover what is really capturing children's engagement and what is the true play urge/schema that is driving the children's activity read this other article.

The beauty of loose parts? No matter the age, children can explore the same materials and use them in different ways suitable for their age development.

"The wider the range of possibilities we offer children, the more intense will be their motivations and the richer their experiences."
Loris Malaguzzi

Loose parts also promote a wide variety of play behaviors, including social play, dramatic play, constructive play, symbolic play, and even games with rules, when children make up their own games with the materials.

In addition, math and science are learned as children experiment with sand, water, buckets, and stacking materials along with any other open-ended material. You can read this blog post with 23 Ways to use loose parts play for academic learning.

Perhaps most importantly - loose parts allow children to do the thinking instead of being passive users of manufactured toys that have set directions. This is beneficial because it reaches such a deep cognitive level of thinking, problem-solving, and persisting.

In short, loose parts invite enormous possibilities for children to truly become the critical thinkers they're destined to be.

The Benefits of Loose Parts Play for Children's Development

Loose parts play has been gaining popularity among early childhood educators and parents for its numerous benefits to children's development. Here are some of the ways that loose parts play can positively impact children:

1. Encourages creativity and imagination

Loose parts play offers children an open-ended play experience that stimulates their imagination and creativity.

By manipulating the materials, children are allowed to develop their OWN ideas and, through self-expression, gain confidence and enjoy the learning process because they chose it.

Children can use loose parts in whatever way they choose, creating their own unique play experiences and allowing for endless possibilities.

Think about how electronics have taken away a child's ability to use their imagination. The device does everything for them, and there is a "right" way to use it.

This makes open-ended play even more important. With loose parts, there are no set outcomes, there is no "right" or "wrong." It gives children the opportunity to use their imagination.

2. Develops problem-solving and critical-thinking skills

Loose parts play requires children to problem-solve and use critical thinking skills to figure out how to manipulate the materials to create their desired outcome.

And you know children are using these skills when you observe them:

Comparing and contrasting

Explaining why things happen

Understanding the perspectives of others

Predicting what will happen

Evaluating ideas

Thinking of creative solutions

Critical thinking is the process of using focus and self-control to solve problems and to set and follow through on goals. And children need to learn through trial and error, in order to discover for themselves new ways to use materials and solve problems as they arise. Children will start to look critically at what they know about the material, what the end product should look like, which building technique worked, and which did not.

So, not only this type of play encourages children to think creatively, but it fosters curiosity, risk-taking, independence, concentration, experimentation, decision-making skills, confidence, and perseverance.

3. Supports social and emotional development

Loose parts play allows children to work collaboratively, negotiate, take turns, communicate with their peers, and work out different ideas and theories while they play.

Children are excited to exchange ideas, test theories, and discuss the magic unfolding with their peers.

They take an interest in each other's work, practice listening skills, and explain their own processes and methods.

They can also express their emotions and feelings through their play, developing empathy and understanding for others, and building on their emotional intelligence.

4. Enhances fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination

Manipulating small loose parts, such as beads or buttons, requires children to use their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and grip strength, which are essential for everyday tasks such as writing, drawing, self-feed, and dressing.

Fine motor skills involve the small muscles in the fingers, hands, and wrists, while hand-eye coordination requires the ability to synchronize the movement of the hands with visual information from the eyes.

5. Fosters language and literacy development

Loose parts play provides endless opportunities for children to develop their language, vocabulary, and storytelling skills in a hands-on and engaging way.

Instead of filling out worksheets, children can use loose parts to create their own stories, characters, and settings. They can describe their creations using descriptive language, building their vocabulary and language skills as they play.

Loose parts are an amazing tool to promote literacy in a more playful and enjoyable way.

6. Encourages exploration and discovery

Loose parts play provides children with the opportunity to explore and discover the properties and characteristics of the materials they are using, promoting scientific thinking skills and experimentation. Children can observe cause-and-effect relationships as they manipulate materials, learning about concepts such as texture, smell, sound, gravity, balance, and motion.

This type of play also encourages children to ask questions and seek answers, which is an important aspect of scientific inquiry, while they build on their ideas and those of their friends and begin to ponder What if...

What if I added a block?

What if I used this as a car?

What would happen if I...?

It's important that we have the ability to explain to parents, colleagues and administrators the powerhouse capacity of loose parts.

Download this poster with a visual summary of the Benefits of Loose Parts. Have it on hand, or print it and attach it to a wall inside or outside your classroom.

Loose Parts Play and Its Role in Play-Based Learning

Loose parts are the raw materials that facilitate open-ended learning systems. This is essential to understand.

Open-ended play refers to a play that allows for multiple possibilities and outcomes and loose parts offer just that - endless possibilities for learning through play - versus a closed learning system, where the learning is very black and white with a specific end goal or predetermined outcome to the play.

In a play-based classroom that incorporates loose parts, the focus is on child-led exploration and creativity. With a variety of open-ended materials available, children are free to create, explore and discover at their own pace, making their own choices and decisions. The teacher's role is to facilitate, observe, and support the children's learning, rather than dictate it.

Open-ended materials by definition do not have a predetermined use. A simple block can become a car, a cell phone, a doll's bed, a cookie, or any number of other things.

Let's quickly identify the markers of open-ended versus closed learning systems.

We need both learning systems to be whole learners. Unfortunately, the current educational landscape offers almost exclusively closed systems that are based on the outdated Assembly Line Model of education.

It's our imperative as play-based educators to offer more open-ended learning and bring that wholeness to children.

How to Choose the Best Loose Parts for Your Classroom

When it comes to selecting loose parts for open-ended play, it's important to provide a diverse range of materials that can be used in a variety of ways.

Here are some tips to help you select loose parts that are safe, engaging, and appropriate for your child or classroom:

1. Consider the age of the children

Younger children may need larger, simpler loose parts, while older children may be able to handle smaller, more intricate items.

2. Think about the purpose of the play

Do you want to encourage construction and building, or would you prefer to focus on sensory exploration? Choose loose parts that align with your goals.

3. Look for variety

Offer loose parts in a range of sizes, shapes, colors, and textures to keep things interesting and stimulate creativity.

4. Consider the sensory experiences that different materials can provide

For example, some materials might be rough or smooth, heavy or light, or have a distinctive scent or sound. By offering a range of materials that stimulate different senses, children are more likely to engage in exploratory play and discover new possibilities for creative expression.

5. Consider the materials

Loose parts can be made from a variety of materials, including wood, metal, plastic, fabric, and natural materials like stones, shells, and pine cones. Make sure the materials you choose are safe and age-appropriate.

6. Consider durability

Choose items that can withstand rough play and won't break easily.

7. Consider the storage

Make sure you have a system in place for storing loose parts when they're not in use. Consider using clear containers or labeling items to make it easier for children to find what they need.

8. Get creative

Don't be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to loose parts. You can repurpose household items like cardboard tubes and plastic lids, or create your own loose parts from materials like felt and yarn.

By keeping these tips in mind, you can choose loose parts that will inspire creativity, encourage learning, and provide hours of fun for children of all ages.

Where to Find Loose Parts and How to Make Your Own

We've covered a lot of ground about loose parts here. After understanding what loose parts are, why they are so crucial to learning, and the enormous benefits loose parts play offer children of all ages - many people ask, "Where do I begin?"

Loose parts play is all about using everyday objects and materials, so you begin by looking around at your current collection of materials and sorting them by textures, size, color, or type. All these types of materials provide rich opportunities for children as all of them can be infused within every area of the classroom. So, it's not about spending money on more things but having eyes for recyclable materials.

"Nature is imperfectly perfect, filled with loose parts and possibilities, with mud and dust, nettles and sky, transcendent hands-on moments and skinned knees."
Richard Louv

Below are my tips to help you gather, collect, and organize your Loose Parts collection. You will choose your materials based on what works best in your learning environment, based on play phases, and any other criteria that are important to you (such as space or budget considerations).

1. Nature-Based Loose Parts

Nature provides an abundance of loose parts, such as rocks, sticks, leaves, tree cookies, glass stones, wine corks, and animal vestiges like shells, snakeskin, or shark teeth.

I love sending children home with bags to collect nature's loose parts in their own yards and neighborhoods. Every geographical area is going to have its own special treasures of nature's loose parts! For more inspiration on Nature Loose Parts read this blog post.

2. Metal Loose Parts

There are so many different kinds of metal loose parts. Thrift stores and your household may have something to add to your collection like bowls, utensils, keys, and muffin tins. Thrift stores can be a treasure trove of loose parts. I love my local ReStore by Habitat for Humanity. Metals also are great to investigate reflection and sound, consider this when looking for them. For more inspiration on Metal Loose Parts read this blog post.

3. Plastic Loose Parts

Many households already have a variety of these types of loose parts: buttons, colored bowls, cups, lids, and ice cube trays. You can even skip the recycling bin and bring many of these items straight to the classroom! Scrap stores are also a great resource. These stores collect industrial and manufacturing waste that can be used for play. Look for plastics with different affordances like transparency, opacity, and translucency. Many colored translucent shampoo bottles will be amazing additions for light exploration. For more inspiration on Plastic Loose Parts read this blog post.

4. Glass & Ceramic Loose Parts

There are not as many choices out there in this category, but those that are - are amazing. Ceramic tiles are one of my favorites, along with glass pebbles and beach glass! Ask for discontinued samples of tiles and mosaics at your local hardware store. For more inspiration on Glass & Ceramic Loose Parts read this blog post.

5. Fabric, Fiber & Paper Loose Parts

A particular favorite of mine is dabbing old photo slides, magazines, photos, old fabric catalogs, and books for creative projects. You'll also want to save up toilet paper or paper towel rolls as they will have a million uses. Go to the grocery store and ask if they can keep the cardboard tube (sometimes plastic) that holds the cash register paper roll. Board games like Scrabble and puzzles with missing pieces are always circulating through my classroom, one day they are soup, and on the other, they are part of a construction. For more inspiration on Fabric Loose Parts read this blog post.

6. Wood Reuse Loose Parts

A staple on any classroom - wood reuse loose parts like wood scraps (that you can sand down). Children value these types of loose parts because they are versatile and can be used in a variety of ways. Wood scraps can be different shapes, sizes, and textures, which makes them interesting to explore and manipulate. They can be stacked, balanced, and arranged to create structures, patterns, and designs. Children can use wood scraps to build structures, make ramps and bridges, create art, and engage in imaginary play. Just be sure to check wood reuse loose parts for splinters and other hazards. For more inspiration on Wood Reuse Loose Parts read this blog post.

7. Packaging Loose Parts

Finally, this one is in a class all of its own. Packaging materials! Collect boxes, envelopes, egg cartons, bubble wrap, packaging filler paper or cardboard, tissue paper, ribbons and bows, and mesh bags. What a wonderful way to reuse materials that are in such wide circulation in our "order it online" world. For more inspiration on Packaging Loose Parts read this blog post.

Making your own loose parts

If you can't find the exact loose parts you're looking for, consider making your own. Here are some ideas for making your own loose parts:

Fabric scraps: Cut up old clothes or fabric scraps into various shapes and sizes.

Tubes: Electricity companies, interior design, and hardware stores usually have long cardboard tubes that you can cut into varied sizes.

Plastic bottles: you can cut plastic bottles into rounded shapes, avoiding sharp edges, if you need inexpensive color pieces to create patterns, to use with your light table, as a construction detail, or for pretend play. Children for sure will give them a use!

Cardboard: Cut up cardboard boxes into various shapes and sizes. You can also turn cereal boxes inside out and use hot glue to put them back together. They make wonderful bricks!

Natural materials: Collect and dry out natural materials such as flowers, and leaves. You can laminate them so they last longer. Gather some twigs and cut them into different lengths.

Remember to always consider safety when selecting or making loose parts. Avoid using objects with sharp edges or small parts that could be a choking hazard. It's also important to regularly inspect loose parts for wear and tear and to replace them when necessary.

Avoid overwhelm when starting with loose parts

This is often an underestimated tip, but when you are starting your loose parts collection you have to implement a strategy to avoid overwhelm and be confident with what you are bringing to your children.

Loose Parts Safety Considerations

While loose parts play can offer numerous benefits, it's important to ensure that children are safe at all times. Here are some safety considerations to keep in mind:

Age-appropriate: Ensure that the loose parts have a size and shape suitable for the age and developmental stage of the children. Small objects are not safe for children under three as they can be a choking hazard or cause injury to the eyes or skin

Condition: All loose parts must be intact and have no sharp edges that could cut. And they all should be clean after collection

Cleaning: As with any other toy, you can have regular cleaning and sanitization of your loose parts. The ones that are hard to clean without breaking apart, as some natural elements, you can either spray with your cleaning product and let it dry, or replace them from time to time

Conclusion

Incorporating loose parts play into your classroom can be a game-changer for both you and your students. It allows for a child-led, creative, and exploratory learning experience that supports all areas of development. Remember to start small, source materials from a variety of places, and always prioritize safety. Most importantly, have fun with it and allow yourself to learn and grow alongside your children. With patience, perseverance, and a commitment to the benefits of loose parts play you can create a truly magical learning environment that will inspire and engage your children for years to come.

Have you started your loose parts collection yet?
What is holding you back?

References

Athey, Chris (2007) Extending Thought in Young Children: A Parent-Teacher Partnership. PCP: London.

Beaty, Janice (2014) Preschool Appropriate Practices: Environment, Curriculum, and Development, Fifth Edition, Cengage.

Beloglovsky, Miriam (2022) Loose Parts for Children with Diverse Abilities, Redleaf Press.

Rubin, Dr. Kenneth, Fein, Greta and Vandenberg, Brian (2018) Play in Human Development. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Lifespan Human Development (pp.1671-1672)Chapter: PlayPublisher: Sage

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Loose Parts Play: A Guide for Early Childhood Educators - Wunderled

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Do you want to foster creativity, problem-solving, and imagination in young children? Learn how and why to get started with Loose Parts Play.

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To close out playgroup last week we read Little Cloud by Eric Carle. This week we read It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles Green Shaw. The children delighted in reading along with me by calling out the new shapes with each page just like with Little Cloud, and shaking their heads at the repetitive "But it wasn't..." text.

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We'll review and consider edits to this at our second session.

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Thinking about what we did in the art studio, I've been trying to create new textiles for kids to use for process art. I cut these into random shapes and brought them to playgroups this week with glue and large sheets of paper, inspired by the collage-style animals in the book From Head to Toe. After reading the book (a hit, by the way--our little friends loved doing all of the animal movements and even making the animals' sounds), I put these at the art table alongside the book and let people use them however they wanted. A few kids just chose pieces and made abstract art. My co-worker reported that at one of the playgroups she facilitated this week, one of our parents wrote her child's name in large letters on the paper and then the child filled in those letters with some of our collage pieces here. I thought that was a great idea! 

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At Playgroup recently we set out the Little Cloud book along with some puffy paint. The kids had so much fun with the paint and the older kiddos enjoyed making their clouds change into different things just like little cloud in the book. At the end of playgroup we read the book altogether and I used David’s idea from his video read aloud and we blew the pages to turn them- the children loved it!

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Natali & I are piloting with 2 providers each. Natali's group used glue & cotton balls; my groups used paint & cotton balls. Some of my kiddos did not like the paint texture so we used clothespins. The side benefit was fine motor strengthening as they had to squeeze the clothespin. It was so much fun to be back in a program! We will go back out and model again and then another time to observe the providers. They are all so excited!

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“Snip, cut, rip, and pull…what can you create? Or just experiment with the tools!”

Scissors, pre-cut paper strips, and colored masking tape. Adults and children created side-by-side. Little instructions, no samples to replicate. All very unique outcomes and approaches.

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After reading Head to Toe with a group of students, we brainstormed a list of activities we can do with our bodies. I recorded their ideas on chart paper, and the students acted out each motion. The words in parentheses were provided by the students to help explain the actions. -Amy Roque

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We read Little Cloud together, and then the students created their own cloud shapes. They could choose from a variety of materials, including white paint, glue, and white foam from shipping and packaging materials. Some students used brushes to paint their clouds, while others layered the foam to create a more three-dimensional effect. The open-ended art activity was highly engaging and encouraged creativity and exploration. -Amy Roque

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Students created tissue paper collages using water, glue, and a variety of tissue paper pieces. They were encouraged to use their creativity and design anything they imagined. This particular student shared that their artwork represented a caterpillar. -Amy Roque

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Reading, Movement, and Sensory Exploration in Family Child Care

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Reading, Movement, and Sensory Exploration in Family Child Care

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Today in our family child care space, we created a joyful and interactive literacy experience inspired by our visit with the Eric Carle Museum resources. The children gathered together for story time, listening, looking closely at the pictures, clapping, moving, and participating with excitement. The story quickly became more than just a book—it became a shared experience filled with language, connection, and joy.

To extend the story, the children explored play dough as a sensory activity. They used their hands to squeeze, roll, press, and create while continuing to engage with the ideas from the book. This hands-on experience supported fine motor development, creativity, and language as children talked, asked questions, and shared their ideas.

One of the most meaningful moments was hearing the children ask for “more.” Their curiosity and enthusiasm reminded us that young children learn best when literacy is playful, active, and connected to their senses. This experience brought together reading, movement, sensory play, and relationship-building in a beautiful way.

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The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

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Storytime with The Carle | Some Bugs by Angela DiTerlizzi and illustrated by Brendan Wenzel

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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Explore creative, open-ended, and intergenerational projects from the Art Studio.

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Lewtemi 12 Pack Kids Science Learning Toys Kids Magnifying Glass with Stand Easy Grasp Jumbo Magnifiers 3X Magnification Exploration Preschool Learning Toys for Reading Book Map Insect (Multicolor)

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Buy Lewtemi 12 Pack Kids Science Learning Toys Kids Magnifying Glass with Stand Easy Grasp Jumbo Magnifiers 3X Magnification Exploration Preschool Learning Toys for Reading Book Map Insect (Multicolor): Science Kits & Toys - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

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Enjoy the lowest prices and best selection of Shakers & Rattles at Guitar Center. Most orders are eligible for free shipping.

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I took the book Lines That Wiggle from our Session 2 free-planning activity and used it at my test playgroup today! The book is about how there are lines of all kinds (straight, curly, wavy, long, etc.) in our world. I sat on the floor with a tray of assorted line-y materials (ribbon, yarn, pipe cleaners, streamers) and invited the children to choose one and try to make it into different shapes as we read the story. One wrapped yarn around his wrist like a bracelet. Another curled a pipe cleaner around her finger with help from her mom. I led them in movement during the story, making our lines wave like the ocean, swish like a horse's tail swatting a fly, and stand straight like a tall tree. I don't usually use fine motor materials during story, but they all participated to some degree and it wasn't chaotic at all!

Afterwards, I put the yarn, pipe cleaners, ribbon, and streamers at the art table with cardstock, glue, and scissors. I had two kids who spent a ton of time working on their projects! The younger toddler spent probably 15-20 minutes just cutting short pieces of yarn and gluing them onto the paper. Super fun! (Photos shared with permission!) -Brandi

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Last week at one of our playgroups, we read the book If You’re a Monster and You Know It. We warmed up by singing if you’re happy and you know it and talking about how monsters have different parts of their body and how we were going to be silly like the monsters in the book. The kids got really into this one and loved acting out the song. For an art project to go along with it, I set out a bunch of scrap paper in different colors and shapes and sizes along with some card stock and glue sticks to glue it on so that kiddos could make their own monsters. Here are some examples of what they came up with!

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Following David's suggestion, I brought a magnifying glass to playgroup for the book Some Bugs. My kids loved this experience! I explained that I would need their help finding the ladybug on each page and demonstrated how we could use the magnifying glass to make everything bigger and easier to see. I did this with two different groups of children, and both did a great job passing the magnifying glass to one another so that they could take turns. Ages spanned from 1-4 and every child was able to do this in some way, with the youngest getting help from their parent. Everyone was engaged the whole time, and I think this task made them even more interested in the other aspects of the story, like the ants carrying the picnic food away (this became a whole conversation about favorite foods) and the bugs hiding from the raccoon and the robin! On the last page, which shows all of the bugs in the book, kids were invited to come up and use the magnifying glass to point out their favorite bug of all.

For playtime, I brought (among other things) materials for a ladybug craft (Do-A-Dot markers, construction paper, googly eyes), a soft bouncy bumblebee toy, and a set of 10 stuffed ladybugs that are used for counting. Each bug has a number and the child's job is to place that number of velcro spots on it. Some children counted with me while others worked alone. One friend fully loaded hers up, even though her ladybug was number 5. We counted together and got all the way to 41! :) Even after storytime was over, kids took turns looking through the book with the magnifying glass. Huge hit! (photos shared with permission!) -Brandi

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Thank you Jackeline for welcoming me into your amazing home daycare center! It was inspiring to see how thoughtfully and intentionally Jackeline has arranged spaces and materials, complete with book nooks and multisensory tools; laptop stations; and a clear curriculum for the week! I had a wonderful time reading and playing with your group of kids. We read Tap the Magic Tree and did some ripping, shredding, and attaching of papers - interesting to see the range of ages interacting with the book and materials in such different ways: some (the littlest ones) were engaged by touching the book while others enjoyed naming colors and answering questions.

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The children ran to the carpet the minute they saw my book. They knew what I was there for! They were so happy and participated. Provider Melva joined in and guided the youngest child so she could participate as well.

We began with stretching and some movement. (thanks for the video David!). Then we read the story “From Head to Toe” and followed up with animal large movement activity. When we looked at the end papers, the children talked about how the colors looked the rainbows they see from the crystals hanging int he program window when the sun shines through them. Sang and acted out “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”. During the story, the children guessed what animal would come next and what motion they would do. Then they were challenged to act it out as well. After the story and songs, the provider, Melva, surprised the children with a new flannel board story of the book and the children gathered on the floor. They identified the story characters, found them in the book and acted out the story with the movable felt pieces. They were so excited and enjoyed themselves the whole time.

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Thank you Cindy and Cheryl for sharing these wonderful photos from your program with one of your Bethel providers. It's clear you engaged children by inviting them to get close and help tell the story by moving and touching the book. The use of rocks for "Bring Me a Rock" is a cool idea - curious how they were used during the reading. Excited to hear more at our third CoP session this week!

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Fun Readings and Activities w/FCC Square One Providers.

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I read "Tap the magic tree" with egg shakers during page turning, the provider had the children make their own egg shakers prior to my visit, so that we may use them during this story. I used one of the activities provided to us on the facilitators Guide (Tear, Rip, Shred and Create). I precut the papers so that children had different shapes to work with. I thought this activity would be great since this provider has younger children in her program and they would benefit out of participating in this group window collage.

Tickle Monster was the story i had picked during our last meeting, The children in this program are older and love to do hands on creations. I precut the different shapes for the children so they could create their own version of the tickle monster from the book.

These two stories were wonderful to read and the children and the providers really enjoyed participating as well.

It has been wonderful to visit these programs more often, the children are excited for Ms.Nat to walk in and read to them.

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Facilitator Guide Julian is a Mermaid (2)

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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Inspired by rain, experiment with droppers and liquid paint with toddlers.

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Explore paper sculpting to create our own wearable art.

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Explore bookmaking with lift flaps, pop-ups, and die cuts!

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Explore stickers and masking tape with young learners.

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a few activities for the older littles

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melting the ice to release the flowers

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I shared "Some Bugs" with our provider Melva's group. They were so excited and engaged. At first, Melva worried the magnify glasses would be a distraction. But they loved them and loved looking for the ladybug and then giving a thumbs up when they found her. We made bug noises and movements and used the sensory bottles I made. One of the older children was scared at first but I told her she did not have to touch anything. But when she saw the others shaking them and finding the lady bug and other bugs, she joined in. She conquered her fear! Then, Melva surprised them with butterfly pop its. I think this is my new favorite book! Melva carried out the theme thru the week, rereading Some Bugs and sharing other titles like Eric Carle's Grouchy Ladybug.