It’s been a very busy six months, and I’m finally, getting a chance to share what I’ve been up to. From conducting teacher training within the state of Florida, throughout the nation, Southeast Asia, and the Carribbean it has been a fulfilling and very rewarding past six months. In February I had the opportunity to travel to East St. Louis to provide professional staff development to early childhood educators at Southside Early Childhood Center. What an impressive school, staff, and administrators with a long history of providing quality childcare to children of families with low-income.

During the training, early childhood teachers were introduced to the foundational principles of the Theory of Loose Parts.  The Theory of Loose Parts was developed by Simon Nicholson in 1971. Loose parts are materials that can be moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up, and taken apart and put back together in multiple ways. The idea of ‘loose parts’ uses materials to empower a creative imagination. The more materials and individuals involved, the more ingenuity takes place. The theory of Loose Parts and foundational principles of STEM are a natural blend. Both promote exploration and creativity, are student-centered and encourage building and engineering.

The teachers were immersed in exploring methods of connecting STEM practices and content with Loose Parts throughout the day-long training. Teachers were introduced to inquiry-based STEM explorations,  journaling, the engineering design process, as well as having the opportunity to review a wide array of children’s literature that make great connections to STEM and loose parts.

As always the teachers truly enjoyed themselves as they became students for the day exploring, investigating, and discovering the powerful impact STEM has on developing and strengthing 21st-century learning skills, as well as empowering and engaging the learner. Check out the following photos of the STEM and Loose Parts training.