Loose Parts
The Reggio Emilia perspective was an approach designed for early childhood education that views a child as capable and full of knowledge and curiosity to explore their environment (Effgen, 2012). The chapter on Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum can be said to build on this as it recognizes that infants and toddlers are similar to scientists, in their quest to explore and comprehend the world around them. Loose parts help infants and toddlers to develop their learning by enabling them to embrace their ideas and at their level of understanding. As with Reggio Emilia’s perspective, loose parts provide for a learning environment that supports child learning. “Loose parts” originally adapted by Simon Nicholson describes materials that can be used for playing with through manipulation. Nicholson, while explaining the term loose parts, believed that they support the possibility of infinite creativity as opposed to a fixed environment. They provide for infinitely play combinations with multiple results.
A provocation is an action done to enhance thinking, creativity, as well as arouse interests (Helm, 2014). Reggio Emilia cited provocations in her approach as a way of developing a child’s cognitive ability without the presence of an instructor. To create a provocation, one has to ensure the provocation is relevant and also be able to connect it to the learning environment. Loose parts raise the curiosity of children, making them experiment and be in charge of how they gather and comprehend information in their environment. The safety guidelines to consider when using loose parts would be ensuring that they are not sharp or small in size to the extent that children would try to mouth them.
References
Effgen, S. K. (2012). Meeting the Physical Therapy Needs of Children. F.A. Davis.
Helm, J. H. (2014). Becoming Young Thinkers: Deep Project Work in the Classroom. Teachers College Press.