Jenny

Let the Children Play has branched off to form Let the Babies Play, a Facebook page with a mission to: Shine the light on infants and toddlers as the phenomenal learners, scientists, communicators, relationship builders, intrepid explorers of the world and uniquely individual human beings that we now know them to be. None They are the most critical years in shaping the brain's architecture. None They are the foundation that shapes children's future health, happiness, growth, development and learning achievement at school, in the family and community, and in life in general. None Children learn more quickly during their early years than at any other time in life.

It is one you see in backyards all over the place, and I always felt that being plastic and a bit naff it was out of place in our natural setting. While rarely used for what it was intended by us adult sized people, it was perfect for jumping off, flinging things down, holding things up or blocking things off. The potential and possibility of this, and of any, loose part be it natural, found or man made lies in the permission the children have to use them and in the time for uninterrupted play and exploration When we give children this permission, we are respecting their own play choices and empowering them to follow through on all the glorious plans and imaginings they have swimming around in their heads.

What is it that continues to excite me, inspire me and wish to the gods that I had my own centre where I could put everything that swims around in my head into practice? All of the big ideas in early childhood education that I hold dear - as diverse as they are - take children seriously. Playing outdoors, in natural spaces, opens up a world of possibility and opportunity for children that simply aren't available indoors, and gives them the opportunity to develop connections to their natural world. All of these big ideas place teachers in the role of facilitator, keen observer, life long learner and collaborator who sets the scene for play and learning to flourish.

Loose parts go hand in hand with children's play schemas - those repeated urges we see in their play that children seem to be irresistibly drawn to time and time again. They may look deceptively simple, yet open-ended objects are the resources that are most likely to be used over and over, and stimulate the imagination, creative thinking and problem solving of children regardless of the age. They nest inside each other, and are perfect for the gathering, carrying, emptying and mixing that toddlers love to do: When children play with passive play objects like these, they begin to manipulate them in increasingly complex ways. Whatever you choose to call them - loose parts, open ended toys, passive play objects, once you embrace them in your classroom it can change the way you purchase resources and intentionally set up your infant and toddler learning environment.