Pushing Practice Forward: An Introduction to Play Schema

In May of 2016, I was fortunate enough to attend "Reflective Practice and Play as Complex Learning: A Thinking Lens Institute" with Deb Curtis and Associates from Harvest Resources. This two day event was hosted by the Canadian Association for Young Children at the University of Saskatchewan.

These two days were a turning point in my practice for many reasons. For the first time, I had been asked to play for an extended period of time as an adult, without children. Although I had tested out the odd item in my learning environment prior to this conference, I had not really spent time digging in to consider the possibilities that a material may have to offer. I quickly had a new appreciation for the work that children engage in each day as I challenged my own thoughts and beliefs with the natural loose parts that were made available. The realization that I need to play with all materials in my environment for extended periods of time to understand their potential became very apparent. Why had I avoided doing the one thing I hope for children to do each day? Why did taking the time to slow down and play seem like such a new idea? I love to play side by side with children on a daily basis; but just as the children need time to better understand the possibilities that exist without the aid of an adult, I too needed time to find what experiences might live within an array of play experiences without children.



Later on in the day, we were again asked to play, this time with a partner. We were to play in silence with one another while a third party observed and analyzed our play. I was fortunate to play with (at the time) an unfamiliar colleague. Even though we were silent, communication easily flowed between the two of us through out actions and the way we interacted with the intelligent materials. Little did I know, this colleague would become an inspiration within my practices in the years to come.  I feel fortunate to have developed a relationship with Michelle Dizy, an early childhood educator from Saskatchewan that practices play based learning with grades prekindergarten through first.



Playing as an adult and making new early learning friends contributed to my growth; but there was a third item that really pushed my practices forward. For the first time, I was introduced to play schema. This was a brand new term for me and I instantly fell in love with this framework. In our institute packages, we were given a handout written by Michelle Thornhill. "Loose Parts and Intelligent Playthings Categorized by Schema" changed the way I observed play and the way I responded to the children that were engaging in the play.

https://brucecounty.on.ca/sites/default/files/Loose%20Parts%20By%20Schema_0.pdf

I used to look at children that were tossing items into the air repeatedly and cringe. A few children building in the block area and crashing down towers, I wanted to scream. This document helped me to see that they were exploring trajectory and breaking through barriers. All of the things that caused me stress during play fell by the wayside. I believed I could now embrace these desires by offering purposeful play experiences that allowed children to explore such phenomenons as enclosing items and transporting them around the environment.



I shared this document with early learning educators that I collaborated with. Each time this document was shared, a high level of excitement and relief was followed. It was as if a light bulb had been turned on and we were no longer in the dark; but rather privy to the secrets that children were exploring. I cherish this article now and refer to it on a regular basis. This is a document that I can no longer teach without and is the first item I share with student teachers, interns and early learning colleagues.



In the winter of 2018, I had the opportunity to visit several prekindergarten classrooms in The Battlefords, Saskatchewan. While in discussion with Angela Yeaman, a prekindergarten teacher and early learning consultant, play schema was brought up. She shared that she had a document from Diane Kashin on play schema in relation to seasons and loose parts. She quickly sent me this document after my visit and it too has become a beloved item. Living in Saskatchewan, the seasons play a large part in the ways in which we live and play on a daily basis which makes this article so fitting within my practice.

https://tecribresearch.wordpress.com/2018/01/28/emergent-curriculum-across-the-seasons-let-nature-be-the-invitation/

Flow of Day

Following a post on Instagram of our photograph schedule, I had many messages inquiring about what our day looks like. Each year, I make tweaks to the day based on my personal observations as well as the educational associate that I work alongside, student suggestions, family feedback and current best practices. The following post is relevant to my current practices but keep in mind this is forever morphing as I grow within my craft.

As I have morning supervision on the playground at 8:30 each day, the children meet me outside and spend time playing among grades prekindergarten through fifth until the warning bell rings at 8:45. At this time, we head to our boot room to take off our shoes and gather our personal belongings before heading to our learning environment. We encourage independence and therefore ask that the children hang their belongings; which, in the winter, can be somewhat overwhelming for some children. We assist them as necessary but like to take a coaching approach while doing so. As per our program standards, children wash their hands upon entry to our indoor space. 

Following our morning routine, the children engage in a soft landing. They may go to the sign-in table to add a sticker, write their first letter or write their entire name to our sign-in board. A second choice is to read books; yes read! Young children are more than capable to read images and familiar marks. If a child has not yet had breakfast, we will provide them with a morning snack as we know the importance of fueling the body. We are fortunate to be housed in a prekindergarten to grade twelve school that has a breakfast program. Throughout these experiences, the children engage in conversation with one another, as well as with educators, because this helps to strengthen their oral language skills and their relationships.

Once the children seem settled, I gently ask them to put their books away and join us at the meeting area. I begin to sing a song which I change each week. I find music to aid in transitions as this engages children that have completed their clean up and allows the remaining children to complete their task.I warmly greet the children and either share something exciting that I have done the evening before or over the weekend. I then invite children to share a personal story if they so desire. We go through our picture schedule which often creates discussion if a card is out of order, a special item has been added in or a child requests that we count forwards or backwards the number of photos that have been presented for the day.

 























Following this, the morning meeting can go in many directions based on the interests and needs of the class. I may read aloud a book, model the use of a new language, share documentation from a previous day to continue on with the work we have begun, or create a meaningful discussion. The possibilities during this time are really endless. At the end of our meeting I remind students to use "green actions" which is part of our school wide goal of using Zones of Regulation, I tell them to think about where they might play today and always end with "have fun".

 I did not realize the impact of saying "have fun" until last year when a student mentioned that that is always their favourite thing to hear from me. 

As the children engage in their play block, I may work with a small group in a guided learning experience, document play that is occurring, confer with a single child or engage in play myself. This decision is always made in the moment based on the play that is occurring. I love to act as a prop manager of children's play when the opportunity presents itself. Our play block lasts sixty to ninety minutes depending on the day and the play that is happening. I like to be flexible to best support the learning that is occurring and to honour the ideas that the children are engaged with.

I dim the lights and let children know that it is time to clean. We add mini cones next to any play that is to be left alone and also announce to the class any areas that can be left as they are still works in progress. As children begin to finish cleaning, I put on music and place specific dance or music materials out for use. We begin to dance and sing until all children are able to join us. Once everyone has had an opportunity to engage with the dance/music materials, we clean them up and move into the second part of our three part body break. This involves heavy work which typically involves using our body weight in a variety of poses. The third part of our body break involves deep breathing but we often change our method. 

Sharing time follows our play block; which could be in the form of picture/video share, First Nations Sharing Circle, artifact share or open share. This is a time to reflect on our play and gather more information on what was occurring throughout the environment. We learn a great deal from one another during sharing time which often propels our play for the following day. 

Each week, we learn a new finger play to build on oral language skills, mathematical concepts and fine motor skills. We repeat the same finger play for an entire week to build fluency in language and actions. This also assists in building comprehension. 

Throughout this time, our educational associate is busy preparing our healthy snack which is either provided by our program or through a family donation. The children move to their tables where they use a hand wipe for cleansing and then self-select from a small platter the items they would like. They must cleanse their hands and face again as well as place their dirty dishes in the dish bin following snack. 

As children eat at different rates, another transition is required. They have the choice of drawing in their journals, playing with puzzles or retrieving a small play container which may have an item like Play Doh or cube links. When I notice that all children are done eating, I tell them that if they are ready, they can put away their materials. Because we have an educational associate, those that are not feeling done can complete the work that they have begun.

We then have three choices depending upon the day. We share spaces with our entire school so we are often dictated by schedules. We may have library time where we have a read aloud and book exchange, physical education in the gymnasium or outdoor education. 

Our day then comes to an end at 11:45 and families or childcare providers have a pick up window until 11:55. Our program runs Monday through Thursday mornings with Friday mornings rotating between preparation time and family engagement days. We begin the second week of September once we have completed all of our home visits and run until the end of June.