Parenting Pick: Loose Parts Play

 Loose Parts

A few months back, I came across a link for Spielgaben: The Worlds Best Educational Toy. http://www.spielgaben.com/ 

Looking closely, it's a marvelous mix of wooden toys and for lack of a better phrase, 'odds & sods'.
When I showed my husband, he commented, "Oh basically a mixture of what we played with as kids."

Essentially, you can create your own collection of 'loose parts', which is a reoccurring activity mentioned in many of the blogs I read. (or spend the $449US on the real deal, which includes activity cards and the lovely wooden storage unit.)

In fact, children collect these 'loose parts' on a regular basis, in their Nature Collections. O's 'Nature Sill' turned 'Nature Box' sits by the back door and hosts a variety of objects that can be used for craft, nature lessons, art or imaginary play.
'An Every Day Story' (Reggio Emilio-inspired education) delves into the theory of loose parts as explained by architect, Sam Nicholson; tinkering tools that can be creatively arranged over and over again.

http://www.aneverydaystory.com/2013/03/05/the-theory-of-loose-parts/

‘Creativity is for the gifted few: the rest of us are compelled to live in environments constructed by the gifted few, listen to the gifted few’s music, use gifted few’s inventions and art, and read the poems, fantasies and plays by the gifted few.’
‘This is what our education and culture conditions us to believe, and this is a culturally induced and perpetuated lie.’ (The Theory of Loose Parts: An important principle for design methodology, 1972)

Kaleidescope

Thankfully, Nicholson's theory suggests that we can all take part in creative activity, rather than be bystanders of others talent. http://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/ojs/index.php/SDEC/article/view/1204/1171