Innovative Natural Materials in the Classroom

Sandra Duncan, Jessica DeViney and Sara Harris, in their article “Nature Swap: Art Tools Go Green,” (which also forms the basis of an Out of the Box Training Kit), make the case that children do not always need to use commercially produced materials in early childhood classrooms. They explain: “It has been asserted that young children are not only growing up in a world of cement, but on the smell of plastic. The classroom, for example, is perfumed with plastic toys, plates and cups, silverware, floor mats, climbing apparatus, containers and baskets, games, manipulative materials, furniture, and a plethora of other plastic-type materials that children encounter each and every day.” They urge early educators to consider using natural materials in innovative ways within classrooms, such as encouraging children to use small pine branches as paint brushes.

And in their book Bringing the Outside In, Sandra Duncan and her co-author Jody Martin, provide even more inspiration for replacing some of the plastic in children’s lives with natural materials. Here’s one example of an idea they offer: “Add driftwood to the block area to use while building, stacking and connecting other blocks.”

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.

© 2005 Child Care Information Exchange - All Rights Reserved | Contact Us | Return to Site