Innovation at Knowlton Academy
Loose Parts Play: Kids doing kids stuf!
Knowlton Academy has a history of innovative projects: the Ski Program, the Bistro Initiative, the Engine Room, the Community Garden, to name a few. This school year, another innovation was put into place. Since mid-march, students at Knowlton Academy have had the opportunity of Loose Parts Play during recess. Loose Parts Play is about providing children with various lowcost, recycled materials that can be moved, manipulated, redesigned, and combined in countless ways. A few examples of loose parts are tires, wooden planks, ropes, hoses, large wooden spools, palettes, and milk crates. These “loose parts” are simple, open-ended items that can be used alone or combined with others. The power of loose parts lies in their versatility and the endless possibilities they offer for play, learning and creative thinking in a fun way.
This innovative approach originated with Simon Nicholson in the 1970s; he believed this would boost creativity and discovery in children and adults. Recent research done with Loose Parts Play in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Eastern Canada, and the Netherlands has shown its potential for fostering children’s creativity, collaboration, and increased physical activity. Children learn to experiment, negotiate, and collaborate with their peers, building essential problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skills.
Knowlton Academy is the site for a research project by Caroline Hui under the direction of Dana Anaby (ASPIRE Lab, Mcgill University). This year, Caroline collaborated with school stakeholders and Site Champions (teachers in PEH Nicolas Lemaître and Simon Lamontagne) to implement Loose Parts Play for children in grades 3 to Secondary 1. Another focus of the study is the participation of all children, regardless of the challenges they experience.
The project received funding from the Town of Brome Lake, Lions Club, Yamaska Valley Optimist Club, and Club Optimiste; funds were used to purchase storage for the loose parts. In addition, numerous community organizations and individuals donated parts for the project. A complete list of donors is posted at school and at the bottom of this article.
Recess is a regularly scheduled time in children’s days for socialization, free play, physical activity, and downtime, and the addition of Loose Parts Play at Knowlton Academy offers more choices for participating. Children are busy exploring, working together, and creating: building of forts, multi-aged tug-of-war, pop-up restaurant stands, tire rolling races, etc… The results of the study are not final at this time but children are saying how “fun it is to have all this stuff to play with”. The staff has noticed that when children are busy, they are less likely to get into conflicts! The idea is for adults to do minimal supervision to make sure equipment is used safely and stored away effciently; for the activity to sustain itself by the users, that is used by children and put away by children… an eternal challenge!
Approaches like Loose Parts Play demonstrate the importance of fostering environments that nurture creativity and provide different options for physical activity.
During recess at Knowlton Academy, children are free to explore, adapt, and invent with the loose parts. They are developing new ideas and playing differently. Looking ahead, children and staff hope Loose Parts Play will continue to be part of their recess experience at Knowlton Academy. If you are interested in learning more about this project or wish to contribute, please feel to contact Nicolas Lemaître and Simon Lamontagne, the dedicated Site Champions for Loose Parts Play at Knowlton Academy: 450-243-6187.