Bio: Dr. Carla Gull has over 20 years experience in the education field at the preschool, elementary, and college levels. Carla enjoys helping educators incorporate more nature in the everyday early childhood setting and in nature preschools. She hosts a podcast, Loose Parts Nature Play; facilitates an international group, Loose Parts Play; and presents workshops, keynotes, and academic research around loose parts, tree climbing, STEM, outdoor classrooms, and nature education. She is coauthor of the books, Loose Parts Learning in K-3 Classrooms and Loose Parts Alive: Inspiring Child-led Nature Explorations. She is the state coordinator for Indiana Children and Nature Network.
Contact Info: insideoutsidemichiana@gmail.com 317-750-5645 loosepartsnatureplay.org
Feel free to reach out for availability and a quote. These options are available online or in person.
Deconstructive Play
Explore why tearing, ripping, and crumbling can allow for sensory input, build understanding of materials, work on flexible thinking, and promote STEM connections. We’ll discuss logistics and tips, associated literature, and have time to participate in deconstructive play!
Death, Decay, and Decomposition
Death, decay, and decomposition are normal parts of life cycles in the natural world, such as when leaves wither and drop, flower petals wilt, or we find a dead insect on a walk. What lessons are to be learned about, in, with, and for nature when we learn into death, decay, and decomposition in a natural context? Understanding death in a natural context can help build social and emotional skills and resilience as we get to know the natural rhythms of life in our settings. Participants will explore stories of how nature based early childhood settings have encountered death through pictures and words, brainstorm ways to meet children’s social and emotional needs while creatively honoring and respecting the cycle of death and decay, and build a book list to help support young children in this process. Ultimately, we hope to build community, empathy, and connection through discovering life and renewal within death, decay, and decomposition.
Loose Parts Alive: Connecting with Nature
From bugs and plants to pets and friends, low-cost and no-cost loose parts alive enhance the quality of childhood through play. Noticing the living things in and around our environments leads to innovative ways to incorporate them into children’s playful explorations. Expand the loose parts mindset beyond static objects to respectfully and responsibly embrace more interactive play and social-emotional development with living things.
Embracing Fire as a Loose Part
Fire as a loose part? “Yes” according to Nicholson’s theory on loose parts. Explore the properties of fire and answer the question for yourself. Four things are needed for fire: oxygen, heat, fuel, and the chemical reaction of fire. A few ways fire can be explored through dramatic play, candles, charcoal mark making and art, mini fires, magnifying glass fires, a fire pit, and cooking over a fire.
In this session, participants will learn about safety parameters needed to engage in fire exploration—let’s keep children safe while also given them an outlet to experiment with their natural curiosity with fire. Additionally, learn practical tips and tricks to manage a fire making experiences with children ages 3-10. *Best in-person
7 Loose Parts Myths Busted
Are you confused around loose parts? Explore definitions of loose parts and debunk 7 loose parts myths in this research-based interactive workshop with practical examples and suggestions for expanding your loose parts offerings.
Nurturing Nature: The Educators Role in Nature Play
Interested in including nature in your early childhood environment, but not quite sure how? Already including nature, yet want to make it more meaningful? Nature is an essential part of developing wonder in early childhood. Learn how to cultivate your own sense of wonder as we look at the foundational practices of including nature play in your space. As educators, we are the gatekeepers for children getting outside and experiencing nature. Learn how to make daily nature play an enjoyable learning experience for all.
30+ Approaches to Loose Parts
The term “loose parts” has grown in popularity recently as educators and parents have rediscovered this timeless approach to play. Loose parts play can be as simple as finding a stick and using it in play or it can take a more complex approach to open ended landscapes. The term “loose parts” became popular with the Theory of Loose Parts by Simon Nicholson. He advocated for movable items in outdoor play settings in his work as a landscape architecture. Today, the term is fairly ambiguous with some guiding principles: open ended materials and lots of options. Explore thirty plus approaches to loose parts as we define loose parts as a group.
Loose Parts Nature Play Kits
Explore using “kits” in a nature play, loose parts rich environment. Create your own kits that can be used as take home kits, grab and go options, student selected resources, etc., often from materials you already have! Have a hands-on opportunity to evaluate connected books and “starts” to build outdoor skills in your setting. Be ready to discuss challenges and applications with fellow educators!
The Educator’s Role in Loose Parts: Collecting, Organizing, Implementing, Evaluating, and More!
You understand the concept of loose parts and are ready to take it to the next level! In this how-to workshop, we will examine the practical side of implementing loose parts in a variety of settings. Participants will brainstorm resources for building our own loose parts collections. We will also consider how to store and rotate loose parts. Additionally, participants will look at the evaluation of loose parts for effectiveness and safety.
Math, Loose Parts, and Nature
Nature is full of patterns, cycles, shapes, and numeric opportunities. Take a walk outside with a mathematical lens to discover possibilities. Observe how children naturally experiment with mathematical concepts as part of outdoor play. Notice counting (as children gathered 1, 2, 3, 4 sticks), matching of elements (leaves that were the same), application of geometric shapes (creating rectangles for a house), sequencing (working through the order of the tasks they planned out), symmetry, and understanding perimeter. Nature provides many non-standard examples to deal with complexities. Explore related tools and books to connect nature, loose parts, and mathematics.
Nature Play for Preschoolers
Learn about the five types of nature play, benefits of outdoor play, options for teaching in nature, and the supportive role of the educator in nature play. Bring the inside out and the outside in. Gain fresh ideas and practical takeaways around loose parts nature play.
Outdoor Loose Parts
The outdoors is a great space to explore loose parts! Natural and manufactured materials pair naturally for outdoor play. Define loose parts, the educator’s role in loose parts, and gain great tips to implement loose parts in your space this next week.
Rethinking Nicholson’s Intent
Have you ever wondered why children are drawn to sticks and cardboard boxes? Using hands-on and reflective approaches, explore how the theory of loose parts can enhance creativity and imagination in your setting. During the workshop, we will explore loose parts, look at benefits and opportunities, find many approaches to loose parts, rethink Nicholson’s intent, search through connected books, create environmental art, and more!
Rolling into Physics: Early Childhood Ramp Investigations
Explore ramps, motion, inclines, and all things that roll in this playful experimentation and workshop. Understand how and why children are drawn toward ramp play and how to support it with inexpensive items you probably already have.
Simple Machines in Outdoor Classrooms
Outdoor Classrooms are a perfect space to explore STEM concepts, such as simple machines. Investigate ways to use the pulley, inclined plane, wheel and axle, wedge, screw, and lever, examine safety considerations, and set up STEM challenges with simple machines in available outdoor spaces.
STREAMing with Loose Parts in K-3 Classrooms
Explore the Theory of Loose Parts and how to integrate this theory into what you are already doing in your early childhood and early primary classrooms, both inside and out. Practical examples and ideas will be shared through a STREAM lens as we develop a Loose Parts Mindset. Soon you will see the possibilities in just about everything as students build, construct, experiment, invent, explore, discover, evaluate, modify, study, think, consider, measure, draw, make, calculate, destruct, slide and fold!
Tree Climbing and Risky Play in Early Childhood Settings
Due to fears around injury, liability, and judgment, some childhood activities are being limited, such as tree climbing. Explore the benefits, as well as the risks, of risky play tree climbing in this nostalgic and informative session allowing children the freedom to explore the great outdoors.
Turkey, Salamanders, and Frogs, Oh My! Hands-on and Playful Animal Experiences
Investigate the logistics of why we might connect children to animals, addressing concerns around connecting to animals, safety issues, and legal considerations. Learn the basics of creating and enhancing the habitat for animals, adding tools to study animals, consider policies, seasonal considerations, and developing nature table collections. Explore how to find evidence of animals in the wild, bringing animals to the classroom, taking field trips including animals, and embracing animal play as part of the classroom through tools, technology, and resources.
Loose Parts Nature Play 