Loose Parts Cart
After beginning my work with the STEAM committee in the 2021-2022 school year, I was enthusiastic to amplify our work on a school-wide level in the '22-23 season. A passionate advocate for loose parts, I was determined to find a convenient way for my colleagues to not only have access to loose parts, but feel inspired to use them in a myriad of new and exciting ways, as well as connect our school community.
That's why I created the Loose Parts Cart for our E76 community. The Loose Parts Cart is in the name— a cart of loose parts! I repurposed an extra shelf on wheels to create a mobile solution for loose parts storage. The cart is stacked with loose parts and organized by type, size, shape and material.
As part of my work with the school community, each day I make sure the cart is restocked, organized, and filled with new materials. I source my own materials as well as reach out to the school community for whatever we're low in stock of.
While the Loose Parts Cart primarily lives in the second floor hallway, it's mobile! This allows me to bring the cart to teachers on other floors, as well as push the cart into classrooms I'm working with to allow students to explore the materials at their leisure as well.
In October 2022, this letter was distributed to all families across our seven classrooms, asking for donations of loose parts. We placed a donation box in our lobby to collect materials, and we were overwhelmed by the positive response!
After receiving so many materials, I enlisted the help of our youngest learners in the 3K classrooms to help me sort materials. Here, five students work together to organize our caps by color.
