When I visited The Village School for the first time, I was surprised to see such a bare playground. I expected to see the classic jungle gym with multiple slides, large steps, climbing walls, and monkey bars, or even a blacktop with four-square or basketball. All I saw were monkey bars and a climbing wall. Little did I know the magic that could happen on this “empty” playground.
You see, at TVS, we value the power of “loose parts” – open-ended and interactive materials that children can manipulate to use in many different ways. The value of loose parts is based on the belief that children are creative and resourceful. Instead of classic playground equipment like slides, swings, or balance beams, our learners have boards, milk crates, tires, and PVC pipes. Some might look at the playground and think about all the dangers and “what could go wrong.” But our learners look at the playground with endless possibilities.
One day they might play a game of kickball, using boards as bases. Another day, they might create an incredible obstacle course using buckets, planks, boards, blocks, tires, and crates. No swing? No problem! Spark learners decided to put an old leaky hose to use. They tied it to the ends of the monkey bars so that one learner could swing while other learners worked to keep it safe and secure.
These loose parts on the playground are not just an opportunity for creative play but for learning. During a very cold January, and after some heavy snow, our playground was essentially an ice rink. Some learners discovered that water would freeze if left out long enough in cold temperatures. This inspired these learners to pour water into a muffin tin and freeze it overnight. The next day, they had some incredible “hockey pucks” made of ice! Using some PVC pipe as “hockey sticks,” some learners had a fun game of hockey, all created from loose parts found on the playground. I could share so many stories like this from the seven-short months I have been at TVS. From this time, my eyes have been opened, and I have found a new value of time spent outside.
Prior to working at The Village School, I taught second-grade in a traditional school setting. Each day my students got 25 minutes of recess, but it was never enough time. While my school had a large jungle gym to play on and lots of grass to run on, the 20 minutes served simply as a break, not as a vessel for creativity, imagination, building resiliency, or problem-solving that loose parts play brings. Here at TVS, our learners get about 5x the average amount of play in schools across the country.
I’m not saying the traditional playground equipment is bad–our learners have big hopes for our playground, like having a swing set or slide. But children are innovative. They are resourceful. They are resilient. We must give them the opportunity and time to do so.
Each day, a new idea emerges from learners looking at the loose parts in a different way. Each day, I leave The Village School feeling inspired by what I watch these four-, five-, six-, and seven-year-olds do with simple, random objects. My hope is that one day all children have access to this type of playful learning in schools. It is what they deserve.
villageschoolnova.blog 