The 28^th January 2023 workshop at the A+ iZinto materials centre in Cape Town was attended by 14 staff members from Fish Hoek Pre-primary. The focus of the three hour workshop was on repurposing loose parts (discarded, found, everyday  and recyclable materials) for joyful teaching and early learning. The participants learned about Simon Nicholson’s  theory of loose parts before working in small groups to create the following loose parts activities:

• An obstacle course for toddlers on space and direction
• A creative problem-solving activity for Grade R learners
• Sorting, matching and counting mathematics activities
• A ‘My Body’ themed creative activity

All four activities related to the aims of the 0 – 4 year National Curriculum Framework or to the CAPS critical outcomes.

The Fish Hoek Pre-primary staff written reflections noted:

• I thought your presentation was absolutely wonderful! Fun, creative, thoughtful and very informative.
• I like the way you make us think.
• I enjoyed the team work, experiencing being creative, and learned a lot about art for different age groups.
• A reminder to be creative and to challenge children …. the children we teach now are going to live in a world where they need to be critical thinkers.

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