ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

"Boys as well as girls should be able to play with the same Legos^®," claims Lego^®.  However, The Optimist (Winter 2015) reported that most Lego^® characters are still men, and when Lego^® shows a profession, it's most often with a male figure.  Women, on the other hand, are represented by princesses and mermaids.

A Dutch scientist, Ellen Kooijman, decided to do something about this.  "I missed the female Lego^® figures at work.  It would make the Lego^® community much more diverse," she contended.  Kooijman responded to a call to design your own Lego^® figures and submitted a paleontologist, an astronomer, and a chemist.  Her figures were so popular that Lego^® decided to make this set a reality.  Coming to a store near you this summer.

Kooijman was satisfied with how Lego^® executed her designs, but did have one criticism:  "I highly discourage wearing makeup in the laboratory.  It can contaminate the materials you work with."

Loose Parts

Loose parts are natural or synthetic, found, bought, or upcycled materials — acorns, hardware, stones, aluminum foil, fabric scraps, for example — that children can move, manipulate, control, and change within their play.  Loose parts are alluring and beautiful.  They capture children's curiosity, give free reign to their imagination, and encourage creativity.

With more than 550 color photographs of many kinds of loose parts in real early childhood settings, classroom stories, and a dynamic overview, this book provides inspiration and information about the ways loose parts support open-ended learning, enhance play, and empower children.  With loose parts, the possibilities are endless.

View and Purchase

ExchangeEveryDay

Delivered five days a week containing news, success stories, solutions, trend reports, and much more.