Let’s promote children’s artistry across the curriculum by selecting materials that inspire hands-on learning. I work with a concept-based, competency curriculum in my home province of British Columbia, Canada.  Our K-Grade 12 students are guided to acquire mastery in content and skills, develop conceptual understandings of Big Ideas within each subject area, and gain proficiency […]

Let’s deep dive into the term, “affordance.” When designing hands-on, tactile learning experiences for our students, we want to reach for materials that are affordance-rich! But what does this term mean? Affordances are the possibilities for actions between an individual and an object or material. Where does the term “affordance” come from? This term was […]

What are Loose Parts? Loose Parts are open-ended materials that can be used in multiple ways. Think buttons, screws, corks, rocks, glass gems, leaves, sticks, etc.  A quick Google search will bring up many resources that both define and justify using Loose Parts in learning encounters. As a middle school teacher and adult learning facilitator, […]