by Megan Fraser | Feb 12, 2015 | Inspiration
It’s been a year since our loft was installed. During that time it has been many things and taken us on many adventures… we have snuggled into a house and had sleep-overs, visited a hospital, nested in a birdhouse, decorated a castle, worked and shopped in a...
by Megan Fraser | Nov 27, 2014 | Inspiration
Last week our centre flooded and we needed to relocate. This week the children have returned and are spending some time orienting to their new space. Most of the materials and furniture are familiar, though the space and the set up are new. The flow of this new space...
by Megan Fraser | Oct 30, 2014 | Inspiration
A. has been showing a lot of interest in princesses lately. She talks about them and often says that she is a princess and rather than going by the name A., she will only respond to “Ola,” “Ola Snow White” or “Tinkerbell.” I was not surprised then when the loft was...
by Megan Fraser | Oct 8, 2014 | Inspiration
It has been several months since a new child joined our group and I have been curious about what kind of impact a change like this might have on the children’s play and the way that they interact within and around the loft. Would there be a shift in their play or...
by Megan Fraser | Aug 30, 2014 | Inspiration
L. (almost six years old) stood proudly at the top of the loft stairs, calling to me, “Megan! Megan! I have something to show you! This is my work.” As I moved closer, I asked, “What kind of job do you do?” “I count for people.” L. replied with certainty and...
by Megan Fraser | Jul 25, 2014 | Inspiration
Things have felt, well perhaps a little scattered this month, with some children moving on to kindergarten and several others going on extended summer holidays. With the small group of children remaining there has been the lovely gift of space and time to go a little...
by Megan Fraser | Jun 30, 2014 | Inspiration
When one of the children’s parents had a surgery, which included a short hospital stay and a few doctor’s appointments, it was only natural that this experience made it’s way into the children’s play. They began to play ‘doctor’, acting out and working through some...
by Megan Fraser | Jun 2, 2014 | Inspiration
M. walked towards me with a light blue play silk draped over her head. “Where M.” she stated, “Where M!” I echoed her, “Where’s M? Where is she?” She slid the silk across her face and when it fell and our eyes met, she squealed and laughed. “Again!” she demanded. M....
by Megan Fraser | May 7, 2014 | Inspiration
Megan Fraser shares the third story in her series about the introduction of a Natural Pod Play Loft into her child care space. Enjoy! The advent of Spring and the warmer weather have been beckoning to us to linger outside just a little bit longer (we really only come...
by Megan Fraser | Apr 4, 2014 | Inspiration
Megan Fraser shares her story and photo essay about the arrival of her new Natural Pod Loft and how the children in her centre are enjoying the new addition to their space. We have been listening to and noticing birds a lot on our walks lately, woodpeckers, crows,...
by Megan Fraser | Mar 6, 2014 | Inspiration
Megan Fraser shares her story and photo essay about the arrival of her new Natural Pod Loft and how the children in her centre enjoyed the new addition to their space. Today was the big day, the day when our new loft arrived! I decided not to tell the children that a...
by Megan Fraser | Feb 4, 2014 | Inspiration
I recently decided to add a loft to my small early learning space. A loft is a significant purchase for me, not only financially, but also in the use of space. This is a fairly permanent installment, a major commitment. So what led me here? The children that I teach...
by Megan Fraser | Oct 15, 2012 | Inspiration
Have you ever read the book Not a Box by Antoinette Portis? My students love that book. I think because it is funny, repetitive, and something that they can relate to. I love that book too. I love it because I think it teaches my students that a box (or stick, rock,...
by Megan Fraser | Oct 9, 2012 | Inspiration
When I began to incorporate more natural play into my kindergarten/ grade one classroom a lot of questions arose around curriculum and assessment. For so many reasons I believed that open ended play with natural materials was beneficial to my students and that they...
by Megan Fraser | Sep 19, 2012 | Inspiration
When I began to introduce more natural materials into my classroom, I was curious about how this change would impact the quality, learning potential, and depth of the play that my students engaged in. I began by replacing existing materials (plastic blocks, toys and...
by Megan Fraser | Aug 27, 2012 | Inspiration
When I was growing up we moved around BC a lot, from Nelson to the Sunshine Coast, to Victoria and back to Nelson. Although the location, the houses and the friendships changed, most of my childhood memories hold one thing in common: a connection to the natural world....