#PlayLearning
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exlibrismrhunt.bsky.social
I do this stellar #STEM / #STEAM activity at least once per yr, Gr2 class, force & motion sci…

Friction racecar lab:
Kids get so psyched trying to modify & re-modify matchbox cars with supplied junk to incr friction and go slow as possible down a hot wheels track—feverish #PlayLearning.
So fun!
1/2
A sample worksheet that kids create as we discuss friction and do a few minor friction experiments by rubbing our hands together and rubbing sand paper together against wood. The left side of the page is divided into observations in words and drawings of five things we noticed that occur with friction: it involves things rubbing together, heat is usually eventually created, it generates some amount of sound or noise, it can cause things to wear away, and eventually causes things to slow down and/or stop. The right side of the page shows an approximation drawing of the matchbox car that each kid select, with labels around the edge that say things like sticky tack, pipe cleaner, tape strip, wooden block, elastic, paper clip… as they all get the same supplies to add to their card to create friction. Once they have designed their modified car, they draw those materials in the placement on the vehicle and then have to develop a hypothesis about why they use the materials in the way they did before they’re allowed to race down the track; after the first trial, noting what worked and what didn’t work to slow their car down, they go back and modify the car again, and again, and again, always trying to get the slowest possible vehicle. An example of one match box car modified to hopefully increase friction on the track. It is a red race car adorned with blue sticky tack to hold things on…that has some popsicle sticks sticking off of it, and a paper clip on top, and a big pipe cleaner design sticking up off the roof with an elastic position so that it drags behind on the track. A view from the top of the track looking down the long hill. It’s a matchbox car race, track, shooting off of one of my tall, rolling bookshelves, and travelling over several chairs stacked with books to create braces to hold the track in place with different angles and hills, with all the braces getting shorter as you get towards the bottom. It is ready to test cars that have been modified to increase their friction and will hopefully not even make it to the bottom of the track. A picture of a lineup of kids waiting to test their friction race car on the track with the kid at the front of the line whose car is stopped about 6 cm from the top – so very successfully achieving massive increases in friction. Note: I never put pictures of children’s faces or use their names online, so the pictures have been altered to have smiley face, etc. emojis over top of them. This group is also dressed in PJs because it was a pyjama day spirit day.
January 30, 2026 at 8:34 PM
exlibrismrhunt.bsky.social
#LooseParts learning is the best— #PlayLearning, #StoryStudio, etc…with or without mentor text prompts…so many applications…

#TLsky
#Skybrarians
📚
exlibrismrhunt.bsky.social @ExlibrisMrHunt @exlibrismrhunt.bsky.social · Jan 22
Years ago, I built up a cart full of a collection of funky junk #LooseParts for some #StoryStudio #PlayLearning.
Gist:
Give kids building prompt tied to curricular learning; they make a scene; then, do either/both oral/written reflection/story/pres about what they’ve created to show knowledge.

1/2⬇️
The “loose parts” cart. It has rolling wheels for easy transporting, three tiers of shelves to stack bins on, and is approximately 1 foot wide by 4 feet long. Mostly, the goal is to have non-representational objects (other than the plastic animals and some toy cars, which often aren’t needed/used) to build with imaginative creativity. Bins of paper tubes, various building block items, pipe cleaners, feathers, burlap strips, ribbons, pine cones, various sticks items…etc, etc. A picture of some bear dens that the kindergarten class next-door made when the teacher borrowed the loose parts cart to have them do a little story studio to reinforce the learning they’ve been doing about bear life cycles in hibernation. Sometimes we co-teach a lesson like that and other times when my blocks for team teaching are all filled, people just borrow the cart and wheel it to their class. A second picture of some bear dens that the kindergarten class next-door made with the loose parts cart. If possible, will sometimes leave the kids scenes put together off to the side, somewhere to come back to on another day for further reflection and storytelling. Other times if things need to be cleaned up at the end of a session, we take photos of the scenes so they can be put on screen or print it out later for further work.
December 4, 2025 at 9:27 PM
exlibrismrhunt.bsky.social
Doing team-teaching w/ K teacher…some #OutdoorLearning, #PlayLearning, but copious rain kept us from going outdoors today, so pivoted to indoor version: Shaping found nature #LooseParts, form alphabet letters…practice letter sounds…match plastic animals to their letter/sound…intro story/discussion
Photo of a photography picture book called discovering nature’s alphabet…Krystina Castella and Brian Boyl. Picture of one of the long wooden library tables with a letter C and a letter L picture out over top of two black construction paper pieces, on which is a letter C formed out of acorns, wood, discs, and rocks; a letter L formed out of a long, large pine cone And a stick A letter S shape made out of pinecones on a black construction paper background. Above it is a letter S picture and all around it are plastic creatures that start with the letter S, such as a starfish, a shark… A funky B made from sticks and little rounds cut from a branch surrounded by a parade of bears birds and bugs plastic animals.
November 14, 2025 at 9:23 PM
thejare.bsky.social
Ahhh finally, the secret is out!

www.linkedin.com/posts/lingok...

I rarely post about my job, but I'll break the wall because we've been working for months towards this day, and it's finally here! What an incredible team making it happen.

#Lingokid #Playlearning
#disney #lingokids #playlearning #kidsentertainment #learningthroughplay #edtech #innovation #familymedia | Lingokids | 14 comments
It’s official! For the first time ever, The Walt Disney Company’s timeless storytelling joins our award-winning interactive platform for kids. Families can now play brand-new Disney Mickey & Friends,...
www.linkedin.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:42 PM
cskdesigncrafts.bsky.social
Connect-the-dots number practice that builds skills through play! Perfect activity for developing counting abilities while having fun. #numberpractice #skillsbuilding #playlearning

https://cskdesigncrafts. com/
August 7, 2025 at 6:04 PM
autismsupportbc.bsky.social
June Newsletter: tinyurl.com/4ce3f7bx

#autism #Disability #DisabilityRights #ProfoundAutism #SevereAutism #ParentsHelpingParents #Caregiver #CaregiverSupport #inclusion #UnlockPotential #ScienceMatters #therapy #specialeducation #teacher #aba #appliedbehavioranalysis #slp #sensory #PlayLearning
Autism Support Network June Newsletter
tinyurl.com
June 5, 2025 at 8:29 PM
exlibrismrhunt.bsky.social
Mon:
Supposed to go w/ Gr 1 class on walking field trip to local park—goal: sit quietly, do close observation drawings of nature—but, rainstorm coming in.
Pivoted.
Got out nature stuff from the #LooseParts #PlayLearning cart, outdoor kit resources, non-fic…then did guided/free draws in the library.
Some little bins from the cart mentioned in the post: a bin of pine cones and sticks, one with slices of a thicker branch so that you can see the rings of tree growth, a bin of various rocks, polished and raw, plus, a bin of seashells. Also visible is a laminated pamphlet called British Columbia birds, plus some books from our non-fiction section about ladybugs, mushrooms, beavers… Table top: A book made by former student teachers called a walk in Sardis Park that is all about the plant and wildlife of our local park being used as reference material. Also visible is a large 11 x 17 page that we folded into various size boxes and you can see a child’s drawing of a dandelion flower and sea puff , pinecone, design, etc. Tabletop: Visible is part of an 11 x 17 page with several boxes of nature observation drawings; next to it is a fan out reference booklet of tree types that feature the leaves at the top of a long bookmark style entry about the trees. It also shows their bark. Another tabletop picture showing a student who is in the midst of adding another drawing to one of their boxes on their 11 x 17 paper – already visible is a fantastic picture of an orca whale swimming in the ocean as well as some pine cone art… Also visible are several nonfiction books about ants and other critters that could be seen at the park displayed open as neighbouring kids do drawings with them.
May 27, 2025 at 7:40 PM
exlibrismrhunt.bsky.social
Reviving this annual #SimpleMachines project w/ a Gr5 class…

(Lots of extra details about project in ALT for images)

#HandsOn #PlayLearning
#Makerspace #TLsky #Skybrarians
A PicCollage app amalgamation of pictures shown separately in the next few pictures in this post…re: simple machines for model building project. A photo of a past students model of their ultimate fort design. It is built from cardboard boxes and various recycle junk. It has things like a couch with tables and chairs and other doll house type furniture all handmade from recycled junk. It also has simple machines like an inclined plane slide, a foosball tableas levers, etc. to incorporate the simple machines by also using recycle junk to build examples. Another cardboard and recycled junk for model this one’s showing quite a stellar set of stairs up to a landing, and then 90° turning up another flight of stairs – made with cardboard, bent in the shape of the stairs. An example of the first stage of the project where the kids brainstorm out ideas for a fort model and draw a blueprint of their fort. This one shows a tree with a great big cut away fort built up in it, and a ladder coming down to the ground. The fort has two main floors and a steep inclined roof. On the ground below the tree, and in the fort are various objects labelled as simple machines, for example, a seesaw/lever. After the blueprint phase, the kids then attempt to build a representation of the actual fort. The main goal of course is to be able to explain what why and how the simple machines are/work.
May 26, 2025 at 9:54 PM
autismsupportbc.bsky.social
May Newsletter! tinyurl.com/36fanfyz

#UnlockPotential #ScienceMatters #autism #autistic #AutismAwareness #neurodivergent #mentalhealth #Disability #therapy #specialeducation #teacher #aba #appliedbehavioranalysis #ot #slp #sensory #PlayLearning #InclusiveEducation #SpecialEducation #SpecialEd
Autism Support Network May Newsletter
tinyurl.com
May 6, 2025 at 10:18 PM
exlibrismrhunt.bsky.social
#TLskyChat
A1: Small Moments:

I do this Gr 2 friction racecar lab (posted about it); just before the break; the kids get so psyched trying to modify and re- modify matchbox cars with supplied junk to incr friction and go slow as possible down the hot wheels track—feverish #PlayLearning. So fun.
March 20, 2025 at 12:18 AM
exlibrismrhunt.bsky.social
See also,

My handle with these hashtags:
#woodworking
#MakeryBakery
#ADST
#LooseParts
#PlayLearning
for some more #Makerspace or
#STEM / #STEAM ideas

#TLsky
#Skybrarians
#SchoolLibrarians
📚 +
March 19, 2025 at 11:29 PM
exlibrismrhunt.bsky.social
This PM, we had our school’s “Ready, Set, Explore!” event in the library for kids aged 3 & 4 & their caregivers.
Had dinosaur themed #playlearning stations.
I did an opening & closing Storytime.
…I took zero pictures.
(I rocked #ReadAlouds w/ kids; tried to avoid awkward socializing w/ the adults)
An event notice with Dino footprints and a cartoonish triceratops archaeological excavation in the title banner. It says… READY. SET Explore! Your local school is hosting an open house for preschoolers and their parents! Ready, Set, Explore is a series of fun and informative events focusing on early childhood learning. Ready, Set, Explore is a great opportunity to connect with your preschooler's future neighborhood school. Ready, Set, Explore events can include school tours, visits to the school library, interactive play activities for children and their parents, information sessions for parents and caregivers, presentations by community agencies and other activities that support preschool aged children's learning.
February 7, 2025 at 10:35 PM
exlibrismrhunt.bsky.social
Years ago, I built up a cart full of a collection of funky junk #LooseParts for some #StoryStudio #PlayLearning.
Gist:
Give kids building prompt tied to curricular learning; they make a scene; then, do either/both oral/written reflection/story/pres about what they’ve created to show knowledge.

1/2⬇️
The “loose parts” cart. It has rolling wheels for easy transporting, three tiers of shelves to stack bins on, and is approximately 1 foot wide by 4 feet long. Mostly, the goal is to have non-representational objects (other than the plastic animals and some toy cars, which often aren’t needed/used) to build with imaginative creativity. Bins of paper tubes, various building block items, pipe cleaners, feathers, burlap strips, ribbons, pine cones, various sticks items…etc, etc. A picture of some bear dens that the kindergarten class next-door made when the teacher borrowed the loose parts cart to have them do a little story studio to reinforce the learning they’ve been doing about bear life cycles in hibernation. Sometimes we co-teach a lesson like that and other times when my blocks for team teaching are all filled, people just borrow the cart and wheel it to their class. A second picture of some bear dens that the kindergarten class next-door made with the loose parts cart. If possible, will sometimes leave the kids scenes put together off to the side, somewhere to come back to on another day for further reflection and storytelling. Other times if things need to be cleaned up at the end of a session, we take photos of the scenes so they can be put on screen or print it out later for further work.
January 22, 2025 at 4:18 PM
exlibrismrhunt.bsky.social
Me, an hour ago,
all dressed up and ready to…

hammer, saw, sand, use screwdrivers & wire cutters!!

This is a regular #ForceAndMotion learning station with common hand tools.

Today w/ Gr 2s; also do a K unit. Putting push/pull force into motion/action—concrete learning…sorta #PlayLearning.

More…
A picture of me ready for exploration stations with tools. In the background is the graphic normal section with books on display on the top of shelves and various promo posters on the whiteboard above. In the foreground, there’s a tarp splattered with many different colours of paint from various projects over the years laid out on the floor and on top of it is a mini workbench– the kids size workbench. On the workbench I have a great big toolbox and in front of it are several different saws propped against the toolbox. Behind the workbench I’m standing looking towards the camera holding a hammer in my hand. I’m dressed in my #LibrarianFashion which today includes fancy black shoes, polkadotted socks, although we can’t really see those and denim shirt with indigo polkadots, black jeans, a silver tie with black umbrellas on it because it’s been raining so much lately, and gray hand knit cardigan over top. Same photo, just a moment later and a slightly different pose. See alt-text on previous picture.
November 18, 2024 at 7:47 PM
exlibrismrhunt.bsky.social
With Gr1s this afternoon, I revisited a fairly common #LooseParts #PlayLearning lesson I’ve done before: Build & explain a scene, based on inspiration from My Dream Playground, of what your playground would include if you got to design it.

(Got interrupted by a fire drill, but still went decently.)
March 14, 2024 at 11:50 PM
exlibrismrhunt.bsky.social

1/2
Fri:
Ready, Set, Learn event in the library in the afternoon.
For parents* & 3, 4, (5) year olds: little intro to school, to #playlearning strategies, meet K Ts, Storytime w/ T-L (me!).

[Took no pics but these station ones afterward + me being spiffy…]

*My bane = mingling w/ unknown adults…
February 10, 2024 at 5:37 PM
exlibrismrhunt.bsky.social
Doing some light & sound science team-teaching with a Gr1 teacher.
Last week, I introduced basic sound concepts; today, she introduced basic light concepts.

Then we had #PlayLearning stations.

Here are the light ones…

And…
February 9, 2024 at 12:07 AM
exlibrismrhunt.bsky.social
Afternoon:
Gr 1s, meant to show “community” via #LooseParts #PlayLearning…usually an awesome type of lesson for all.
But this group is a bit feral: prefer to bicker,grab,ignore. Some almost got there.
Generally, T-L-ing is the best gig ever, but some groups you’re so glad to see head out the door!
December 7, 2023 at 10:31 PM