Loose Parts

The term ‘Loose Parts’ sounds like something you would find in an engineering text book and not something connected to play! The term was first introduced in the 1970s by architect Simon Nicholson who suggested that it is the loose parts in our environment that fuel our imaginations and empower our creativity.

Nicholson believed that all children are born creative beings, curious about the world and keen to explore experiment and discover. Therefore an environment which is rich in open ended resources and real materials invokes this creativity and helps to develop the creative geniuses of the future!

Children often enjoy bringing objects into nursery that they have found such as pine cones and shells and we encourage this, we can then link this to the children’s learning, and the possibilities are endless, think recycling!

Bright indoor play area designed for young children with natural wooden toys, cozy rugs, and greenery, creating a safe and stimulating environment for early childhood development at Thrive Childcare.

A young boy and girl engaging in outdoor nature play and crafting with natural materials at Thrive Childcare, promoting creativity, nature exploration, and early childhood development.

It is important to us here at Thrive to ensure that materials that can be recycled are done so at an appropriate recycling point.

Some ways that we can reduce, reuse and recycle are:

Collecting and utilising loose parts for play wherever possible
Ensuring we turn lights off when they are not needed
Ensuring we do not leave taps running unnecessarily
Ensuring that children are given appropriate portions of food to reduce unnecessary food waste
Not suing food for play unless absolutely necessary
Buying locally wherever possible to reduce our carbon footprint
Not wasting paper – for example, reusing scrap paper, not overusing hand towels
Utilising rainwater to water plants
Thinking twice about buying non-recyclable products such as water bottles, items with unnecessary packaging, and plastic toys
Having a clothes swap drop-off point for parents to share clothes that children have grown out of
Having a book swap drop-off point for both staff and parents to share books that they have read

By teaching children to do all of the above, we are instilling in them life lessons that will ensure they grow up to become environmentally conscious citizens.