Loose Pieces 3 – Fostering Culturally Sustainable Environments (15€)

Loose parts are natural or synthetic materials that are found, purchased, or recycled—acorns, hardware, rocks, aluminum foil, fabric scraps—that children can move, manipulate, control, and alter while playing. Loose parts are attractive and beautiful; they capture children’s curiosity, spark their imagination, and encourage creativity.

The third volume of the Loose Parts series offers inspiration and guidance for creating culturally sensitive and culturally sustainable early childhood environments. With the help of more than 400 color photos, this book guides readers in using their environment to foster a sense of wonder, curiosity, and joy and to allow children to explore their identity.

This third volume of *Loose Parts* examines environmental design through six key terms:

Aesthetics – the nature of art and beauty.
Authenticity – helps us avoid stereotypical and biased assumptions.
Equity – it is about achieving equal outcomes through individualized support for each child.
Dynamic – always changing and supporting children’s critical thinking.
Praxis – grounded in theory.
Critical reflection – the ongoing process of consideration, analysis, and informed decision-making applied to daily work.

280 full-color pages

Miriam Beloglovsky, MA, is a professor of early childhood education at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento, California, where she has been teaching for over 25 years. She is a strong advocate for children, youth, and families, and provides consultation and support to a variety of family, child, and youth programs. She has served as a keynote speaker, presenter, and board member for various organizations and conferences, and is the co-author of the award-winning series *Loose Parts*, *Early Learning Theories Made Visible*, and *Design in Mind*.

Lisa Daly is passionate about transforming early learning to foster meaningful learning experiences, innovation, creativity, and reflection. Her professional work focuses on collaborating with educators to change their pedagogical approaches and transform learning environments to support children’s identity, inquiry, and engagement. Lisa is a professor emerita of early childhood education at Folsom Lake College, a child and family advocate, an author, a consultant, and a presenter. Lisa has more than 40 years of experience as an educator in kindergartens, as an administrator of school centers, parent associations, and university laboratories. She is the co-author of *Early Learning Theories Made Visible* and the award-winning *Loose Parts* series.

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