Nursery World - In abundance

What can be deduced from watching a child build an igloo? Philip Waters looks at the 'theory of loose parts' and how its application - the availability of resources and relationships - will enrich a child's development on a very cold day during the winter of 1978-79 a young boy trudged through the snow in his back garden. He scooped handfuls of snow and packed it tightly into a square washing-up bowl. This produced 'snow bricks' which he turned out in a semicircle on the ground. By late afternoon his garden was yet again green except for a small igloo standing proud in the middle of the lawn. For the rest of the evening the igloo offered shelter to the boy and his brother and sisters. By the following morning all that remained was something resembling an enormous, white cow pat.

on a very cold day during the winter of 1978-79 a young boy trudged through the snow in his back garden. He scooped handfuls of snow and packed it tightly into a square washing-up bowl. This produced 'snow bricks' which he turned out in a semicircle on the ground. By late afternoon his garden was yet again green except for a small igloo standing proud in the middle of the lawn. For the rest of the evening the igloo offered shelter to the boy and his brother and sisters. By the following morning all that remained was something resembling an enormous, white cow pat.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included