The Inspired EC Blog — play
4 Ways to Support Problem Solving Through Loose Parts Play
Posted by Nicole Halton on
This post was lost in the archives. Originally published by us in 2020 This week I visited a local service. While I spoke with the approved provider, I noticed some play unfolding in the mud pit nearby. A group of children were using a plank and some buckets to create what looked to be a bridge. As I began to listen to the conversation, it became apparent that they were in fact building a bridge - to get across the puddle without gum boots of course! I watched as the educational leader gave them space and time to work...
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- Tags: environments, loose parts, outdoors, play, reflection
How to Embrace Rainy Day Play
Posted by Nicole Halton on
Yesterday morning I sat at my desk watching the kookaburras and the magpies forage in the grass - the incessant rain having bought worms to the surface. And then I spotted her. A child of about three stepped across the soggy grass, her gumboots squelching, toward the birds.
5 Practical Ways to Support Mud Play
Posted by Nicole Halton on
Sometimes I hear from educators that mud play is too much work, that the inevitable clean-up is too hard, that the time spent is too long. But I have to ask the question - what else are we doing that is more important?
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- Tags: environments, joy, mud, nature, outdoors, pedagogy, play, reflection
Return, and Return Again: How Revisiting Natural Spaces Benefits Children
Posted by Nicole Halton on
What does it mean to return to the same natural spaces again and again with children? How does it benefit them, and the big question - won't they get bored?
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- Tags: nature, play
Should we put a stop to end of year gifting?
Posted by Nicole Halton on
Well, it's that time of year again. Things are winding down, and the end of year gifts are ramping up. This is the time of year where see some variant on these questions being asked regularly: What should we give the children as an end of year gift? What should we get the children to make for families as a gift? What should I get my child's educator as a gift? Let's be clear - I like the idea of gifting. In fact, our Inspired EC team decided to do a secret santa this year, and given that...
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- Tags: connection, parenting, play, reflection