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play associate training • 2010
table of contents
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1 benefits of play
2 a historical look at imagination playground
3 imagination playground: manipulation, loose parts & play associates
4 facilitating children’s play
what is play?
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• play is intrinsically motivated• it is also child-driven• lastly, it is freely chosen
play environments
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“a rich play environment provides‘affordances’ for many types of play.The landscape and materials given to children, along with children’s social experiences and imagination, create the background for play.”
Roger Hart, Director of the Children’s EnvironmentsResearch Group, City University of New York
benefits of playing with loose & found parts
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1 cognitive development • language & literacy• logical mathematical thinking• symbolic
2 creative development• fantasy • imagination
3 social emotional development• problem solving• peer play• emotional development
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lollard adventure playground http://www.adventureplay.org.uk
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As part of acontinuing commitment
to bringing play to children everywhere, Rockwell Group
and KaBOOM! havepartnered to bring
Imagination Playground everywhere across
the country.
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what is imagination playground?
imagination playground is based on the concept of "free play," the idea that children should initiate and direct their own play and manipulate their environment. Free play enhances creative, open-ended interaction for a child’s cognitive, social, physical and emotional development.
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What can I expect to see children do with imagination playground?
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combined, these elements create a dynamic, active,kid-centered environment.
imagination playground consists of three main components:
manipulable environment loose parts play associates.
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benefits of loose and found parts
theory of loose parts:“in any environment, both the degreeof inventiveness and creativity andthe possibility of discovery are directly proportional to the number and kind of variables in it”
Simon Nicolson
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types of loose and found parts
• blocks and manipulatives• sports equipment• fabric and drapings• sticks, rocks, pinecones• reused and recycled products• the list goes on…
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incorporating found parts
try to include…• diverse materials (sizes, shapes, textures, natural &
manufactured)
• items that can be manipulated in a variety of ways
• real world objects & objects with no clear purpose
• materials based on themes in children’s play
• items that correspond with lesson plans
• culturally relevant items
• materials requested by children
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activities of a play associate
• play facilitation• maintenance• safety• observation and evaluation
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• ensure a play associate is present when Imagination Playground is in use
• keep children from playing inside the box
• when water features are being utilized play associates should provide constant supervision
• be aware of choking hazards when incorporating found parts
• create a zone for loose parts
• if fixed playground equipment is being used loose parts should be removed from high traffic areas (ex. under swings/ slides)
keeping safety a priority
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imagination playground in a box, rugged
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imagination playground in a box, rugged
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setting up imagination playground in a box…
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imagination playground in a box, standard
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activities of a play associate
• animate, facilitate and extend play• build relationships with children and
parents• promote fair and caring behavior and
manage difficult behavior• encourage choice and self confidence• encourage team work• ensure a safe and hygienic environment
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block play takes on many forms
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supporting children’s play
• provide developmental appropriate materials• observe children’s play• engage in parallel play• stage materials• encourage scaffolding• promote opportunities for peer play• closely observe challenging behaviors
incorporating reflective practices
consider developing an observation guide• date, time, any special occurrences, # of children, # of play associates
include questions that answer• what are the children doing with the blocks? how are they being used?• are they using loose or found parts? which ones?• are there themes emerging in the children’s play?• what other found parts could be incorporated?• how are adults interacting with the children?• what type of language do you hear from the children? adults?• are children engaged in solitary, parallel or group play? what are they doing in
these situations?• have there been any changes in the children’s play? how so?
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what is play?
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• play is intrinsically motivated• it is also child-driven• lastly, it is freely chosen
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ground rules?
have as much fun as possiblewithout getting hurt…
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one more thing you need to remember…
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references
• http://www.adventureplay.org.uk/• http://www.allianceforchildhood.net/index.htm• http://www.freeplaynetwork.org.uk/• http://www.imaginationplayground.org• http://www.playassociates.org• http://www.slc.edu/cdi/index.php• http://web.gc.cuny.edu/che/cerg/about_cerg/index.htm
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Danielle Marshall – [email protected], Training and Education
Shunyi Wu– [email protected] Senior Product Designer, Rockwell Group L.L.C
Judy Lem – [email protected], Special Projects
