early years
Training
REGISTERCurious Collections - Loose Parts with Purpose - Glasgow
Thursday 24th April 2025
9:30 am
EVENT DESCRIPTION
The Loose Parts concept is often used in educational settings particularly in child led play learning environments, where children engage with these materials to develop creativity, problem solving, critical thinking and collaboration.
This type of play focuses on the process of discovery and learning, rather than just the final product.
What we are going to explore is how we, the educators, use this concept in a more structured, purposeful way. We will highlight opportunities to use loose parts to ‘teach’, directly influence the thinking and doing of our children.
This training session will explore a variety of play activities with ‘plans’ to ensure learning, teaching and development happens. These will include
- Using blocks, sticks, chips and random pieces to create a structure or solve engineering challenges.
- Exploring natural materials such as leaves, stones and twigs to create a piece of art or to investigate scientific concepts.
- Using various textures and fabrics for sensory exploration in developing language strategies.
- Selecting materials to promote mathematical conversations and concepts.
- The key principle behind loose parts with purpose is that the items are open ended, BUT the use of these parts should be intentional, supporting specific developmental, educational or creative responses.
conference
Training
REGISTEREarly Years Conference Belfast - Fabulous Fascinations
Wednesday 19th February 2025
9:30 am
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Play for Today, Tomorrow and the Future
Our vision should consider every aspect of a child’s life, it’s a story we share, a journey we embark on together. During our conference day you will become actively involved, exploring our various Fascinations. You will be invited to investigate an immersive room of materials by three presenters throughout the day.
Agape Centre, Belfast
17th May 2025, 9.30 until 3.30pm
Fascination One – Paper as the Architecture of Simplicity
Imagine having just a blank piece of white paper. What is curious about that? How on earth can we be creative with just that? We can fold it, join it, score it, rip it, crease it, layer it, twist it. The list is endless.
Fascination Two – Dots and Lines, Making a Mark, Wonders of the World
Doctors might save lives, scientists might change the world, architects might design the space we live in, and artists might make it beautiful. but it all begins with a small child being encouraged and nurtured by You!! A dot is such a simple mark, the beginning of a small idea.
Fascination Three – Light as a Realm of Childhood
Every new day dawns with the rising light of the sun and its friend the moon lights the night for each of us. Light has a significant role to play in our everyday. Why not make every day magical? This play with light, can be something quite simple and accessible, like making shadows with a torch or creating dramatic, immersive, large scale, illuminated environments, that often feel as thou they light us from the inside!
Fascination Four – Yarns, Tales and Stories as a Domain of Discovery
Storytelling originated with visual stories, such as cave drawings, and then shifted to oral traditions, in which stories were passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. While sharing ideas, thoughts and theories you will be invited to weave together a yarn or create a tale about your creative journey! Creating your own third Fascination.
Early Bird Prices £120+vat (full price £150+vat per person)
