This downloadable PDF invites educators and teams to pause and reconsider what we place in children’s hands and how we might curate our learning environments — and what those choices say about our image of the child, learning, and teaching.
Includes five sections of reflective prompts, aligned with the EYLF V2.0 and NQS, alongside quotes from Carla Rinaldi, Deb Curtis, and Simon Nicholson.
Perfect for team meetings, planning days, or personal reflection.
Section 1 – First Noticings: The Story Our Spaces Tell
Prompts to observe, question, and analyse the materials currently present in your learning environments
Section 2 – Reclaiming Pedagogy from the Catalogue
Reflections on the assumptions embedded in commercial toys and catalogue offerings, and their impact on pedagogy
Section 3 – Reimagining Loose Parts
Questions to guide a shift toward intelligent, open-ended materials that hold complexity, wonder, and possibility
Section 4 – Materials as Pedagogical Partners
Explores how materials can support agency, identity, sustained thinking, and collaboration
Section 5 – Educator Influence and Invitations
Prompts to unpack how adult choices, language, and setup shape children’s relationships with materials
PDF Download | 3 pages | Immediate access
This downloadable PDF invites educators and teams to pause and reconsider what we place in children’s hands and how we might curate our learning environments — and what those choices say about our image of the child, learning, and teaching.
Includes five sections of reflective prompts, aligned with the EYLF V2.0 and NQS, alongside quotes from Carla Rinaldi, Deb Curtis, and Simon Nicholson.
Perfect for team meetings, planning days, or personal reflection.
Section 1 – First Noticings: The Story Our Spaces Tell
Prompts to observe, question, and analyse the materials currently present in your learning environments
Section 2 – Reclaiming Pedagogy from the Catalogue
Reflections on the assumptions embedded in commercial toys and catalogue offerings, and their impact on pedagogy
Section 3 – Reimagining Loose Parts
Questions to guide a shift toward intelligent, open-ended materials that hold complexity, wonder, and possibility
Section 4 – Materials as Pedagogical Partners
Explores how materials can support agency, identity, sustained thinking, and collaboration
Section 5 – Educator Influence and Invitations
Prompts to unpack how adult choices, language, and setup shape children’s relationships with materials
PDF Download | 3 pages | Immediate access
