In this episode, we sit down with Laura Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Carla Gull, Ph.D., the authors of Loose Parts Alive, to dive into the limitless potential of living loose parts. From the flutter of a butterfly’s wings to the sway of trees in the breeze, discover how integrating nature into your learning space can spark creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking in young children. Learn practical tips for incorporating plants, animals, and even the human body into open-ended play, and hear real-life examples of this magical approach in action. Loose Parts Alive: Nature's Role in Early Learning - Show Notes Join us for a thought-provoking conversation about the philosophy behind loose parts play, which encourages children to interact with open-ended materials in ways that promote creativity, exploration, and environmental awareness. Dr. Gull and Dr. Wilhelm share insights on the benefits of loose parts, specifically living loose parts in nature, for fine motor skill development, sensory experiences, and social-emotional learning. They emphasize the importance of using natural and varied materials, from pine cones to acorns, to engage children’s curiosity and help them connect with nature. The discussion also highlights the accessibility of loose parts play for all children, regardless of abilities, and provides tips for implementing loose parts safely in classrooms or homes. Key Topics Discussed: The Philosophy of Loose Parts Play: Why loose parts aren’t prescriptive and how they foster a mindset of exploration and curiosity.Nature as Loose Parts: How to use natural elements like sticks, leaves, rocks, and even living creatures to engage children.Loose Parts and Fine Motor Skills: The unique benefits of physical interaction with diverse materials over screen-based learning for children’s development.Safety Tips for Loose Parts Play: Guidelines for using loose parts with young children, including ideas for mitigating choking hazards and using tools safely.Accessible Play for All Abilities: How loose parts create inclusive learning environments that meet children’s diverse needs and sensory preferences. Quotes: "Loose parts are more than just stuff; they’re an invitation to wonder, discover, and invent." — Dr. Carla Gull"The natural world is accessible to everyone. There’s nature even in a crack in the sidewalk." — Dr. Laura Wilhelm Additional Resources: Loose Parts Alive by Dr. Carla Gull and Dr. Laura WilhelmLoose Parts Nature Play Podcast hosted by Dr. Carla GullFree download: Developing a Loose Parts Mindset Guide (provided by Kaplan)Related Titles from Gryphon House Books: Loose Parts Learning in K-5 Classrooms, Naturally Inclusive by Ruth Wilson, and more. Connect with Us: Listen to more episodes of Early Childhood Chapters by subscribing on your favorite podcast platform.Follow Gryphon House Books (@ghbooks on major channels) for the latest on early childhood education resources and new releases. Episode Transcript Emily Garman: Carla Gull and Laura Wilhelm, welcome to early childhood chapters. I'm excited to talk to you today about your new book, Loose Parts Alive, published by Gryphon House. So let's just get right into it. One of the things I thought about when I was reading your book, what I kind of expecting to read, was, here are what loose parts are, and here's how to use them. But it's not that kind of book, and it isn't really even talking about HOW you should use loose parts with children, because that is the nature of loose parts at all. It's not prescriptive in any way. It's more illustrative of a whole philosophy of just thinking about the way we interact with children and present materials to them, and even just thinking about education. So I'm wondering if we could start out with you talking about that a little bit, what you hope to accomplish with the book, why you wrote the book. Carla Gull, Ph.D.: Yeah, thanks. So just loose parts. That's a big topic, oftentimes misunderstood. I have a large Facebook group, over 140,000 people from around the world. And lots of times, you know, people come in not as used to these loose parts kind of mindset. They're like a loose parts of small things on top of a table, like no loose parts can be so much more than that. And so this concept of loose parts alive, that kind of came out, both Laura and I have done a lot of work in the national context with children, and, I've also done some research on other classrooms and loose parts, with preschoolers. And with that, in our research, we found, interesting things coming up as part of the research like, a person's body could become another variable in the environment. The environment itself became some of the loose parts, invitations that were there as well. And things that were alive, like roly poly and such were part of that. And so, as Laura and I started chatting about possibilities for this, that concept of loose parts of life in that, living aspect of it. There is a quote that we ...
