Loose Parts Adventure Playground
Over the past few years, we noticed that students at Meadowlands PS have limited access to wild spaces where they can engage in free, unstructured play. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that open-ended, unstructured play has a significant effect on the socio-emotional (e.g., ability to work cooperatively) and cognitive (e.g., problem-solvinng) well-being of children.
By adding the element of working with large loose parts outside, we are addressing another need, physical well-being. Inviting students to lift and manipulate large loose parts in the Adventure Playground will encourage students to be more active, developing both gross and motor skills. Educating the whole child (heart, mind and body), has had a positive impact on student achievement. (See OCDSB Framework for Student Well-Being http://www.ocdsb.ca/med/pub/Publications%20%20Updated/Framework_For_Student_Well-Being.pdf)
To address this issue, this year at Meadowlands PS, we have been piloting a Pop-Up Loose Parts Adventure Playground. at regular intervals throughout the year, we set out loose parts (e.g., planks, pvc piping, burlap, stumps, etc.) and allow students to engage in active, freely chosen play. This type of play offers students an opportunity to explore, experiment and be creative. Students learn to take risks and work collaboratively with peers while solving problems and developing resilience. By observing their play, teachers at Meadowlands PS then link their experiences with the Big Ideas and expectations of the Ontario Curriculum.
We are currently developing a template for Loose Part Adventure Play which would involve the planning (e.g., purchasing OCDSB approved loose parts), implementing (e.g., managing risks), delivering (e.g., setting up age-appropriate pedagogical provocations) and assessing outdoor experiences with everyday objects (e.g., making links back to the Ontario Curriculum). As students regularly and repeatedly visit the Adventure Playground and experiment with loose parts, we expect to observe a significant impact on student achievement and well-being (e.g., socio-emotional, cognitive and physical). We are documenting these stories and sharing our experiences within our school community, our school district and beyond. This model would be cost-effective and scalable within the OCDSB and other publicly funded school boards in Canada.
Thinking Outside the Classroom 