Ribbons in the Wind

Did you know that it doesn't take much to make children happy?

A few weeks ago, I started introducing loose parts to my preschoolers.  This has been the best part of my job recently!  Watching them design things that inspire them has been great, because watching kids who are excited about an idea is pretty much the most uplifting experience there is.  I feel creative, they feel creative, we bond, and it's great.

(I think this "emotional high" is a big part of the recent movement to explore loose parts in early childcare.  It's pretty exhilarating watching young minds at work.  See this blog post for more information.) 

One of the things I've also been doing is not regulating the amount of tape or ribbon they've been using.  Some childcare staff may see this as wasting, but I see it as experimentation.  I let the kids take ten feet of ribbon, if they want, and watch to see what they do with it.  Mostly they've been enjoying the pure length of the ribbon, and stretching it to make it reach everywhere (while I make sure they're not in danger of clothes-lining anyone) but they've also been watching it wave and snake in the grass on a windy day. 

When I saw them doing this, I thought "Wow.  An engaging activity that costs about 10 cents."  That was pretty exciting.  What I think I'm going to do next is buy some bells for the ends of the ribbons, so that the ribbons make noise.  I think what the children were most enjoying, however, was the movement of the ribbon and it's interaction with the wind (science, right?  Go me!)

Building on this, I think I am going to find a bunch of objects that wave in the wind (different types of ribbon, fabric, etc.) and let the kids attach some of them to the play structure that we have at the daycare (safety first, of course).

Here are some inspiration pictures for this project.  They show that even adults love playing with ribbons.

Ribbons and chimes installation by artist Tiffany Singh called "Knock on the Sky Listen to the Sound."  Go here for more information on this piece.

Ribbon dancing can be a fun diversion, but it's also an Olympic sport!

Setting up a Maypole, an old European traditional festival game for children.  Each child grabs a ribbon and dances around the pole.