IPA USA 2024 RIGHT2PLAY, RIGHT NOW: Full Schedule

Welcome to the IPA USA 2024 Conference, The Right to Play, RIGHT NOW! To ensure ease in registration, here are a few tricks.

Once you have purchased your ticket for the conference, you will be directed to a Registration Form. This form is not just a document; it’s a key part of our planning process, and your participation is highly valued. Please complete it to help us track attendees for each of the special events.

If you wish to enhance your conference experience by adding a T-shirt or the Saturday Evening Celebration, you can do so by visiting this page: https://ipausa2024right2playnow.sched.com/?iframe=no

To add the T-shirt or the Saturday Evening Celebration to your registration, click on the ’Reserve Tickets’ button and select the option/s you want to add on.

If you want to attend the Pre-Conference, please follow the link below to register.

PreConference Session – Wednesday, September 25 – 9:30-2:30 pm
Connecting Children with Nature: A Practical Workshop for Educators
Follow this link to register for the preconference——https://events.humanitix.com/connecting-children-workshop

Looking forward to seeing you in Greenville, SC

Deb, President, IPA USA

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9:15am EDT

The Power of Play: Cultivating Resilience and Joy in ECE Classrooms and PD

Friday September 27, 2024 9:15am - 10:15am EDT

Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

Presenters

Paolo Lopez

Paola Lopez, a business management professional turned education leader, is the visionary founder and executive director of Kinderoo Children’s Academy and the Innovation Center of Ocala, both based in Florida. With over two decades of experience in early childhood education, Paola's... Read More →

Carly Bedard

Early childhood consultant, trainer, coach, and adjunct professor, Strive Early Learning and Biola University

"Carly Bedard, M.A.Ed. has over 25 years experience in the field of early childhood education. She began her journey in early childhood as a preschool teacher, and program director. Now as a trainer, coach and consultant she is committed to providing engaging, fun, and interactive... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 9:15am - 10:15am EDT
Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

Session

10:45am EDT

Unleashing the Power of Play: Building Inclusive Play Ecosystems with Loose Parts

Friday September 27, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am EDT

Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

Discover the key to empowering children of all abilities in this dynamic workshop. Join early childhood educators as we harness the potential of unscripted materials (Loose Parts) to create an environment that celebrates diversity. Learn how to amplify the voices of children with diverse abilities and foster a sense of peace, freedom, equity, and inclusion.

Presenters

Miriam Beloglovsky

CEO, Playful Transformation, LLC

"Miriam Beloglovsky is a professor emerita of early childhood education, public speaker, and co-author of Early Learning Theories Made Visible, the award-winning, internationally published Loose Parts series, Design in Mind, and author of Loose Parts for Children with Diverse Abilities... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am EDT
Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

Session

11:45am EDT

Science from Toys: Playful learning of science concepts

Friday September 27, 2024 11:45am - 12:45pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

This session is a workshop on learning science concepts through play materials. Rotating through learning stations, participants will explore science concepts such as magnetism with magnets on matchbox cars, center of balance with balancing butterflies, angles of reflection with kaleidoscopes, electrical circuits with small LEDs and playdoh, spinning and gravity with paper “helicopters,” and more. These activities will be followed by a discussion on the importance of making science fun in elementary school in order to develop lasting interest in science. Participants will receive a handout with these and additional ideas.

Presenters

Olga Jarrett

Professor Emerita, Georgia State University

Olga S. Jarrett, PhD, Professor Emerita, Georgia State University (GSU). Science education, play research, evaluator. Former president of The Association for the Study of Play (TASP) and the American Association for the Child’s right to play (IPAUSA), Editor of PlayBlast. Co-editor... Read More →

Robert Jarrett

Robert Jarrett: BS Chem. Engr., MS San-Pub. Health Engr., MS Geol., current anthropology studies, and GA Env. Engr. License. Work: Pittsburg Water Dept., WHO Sanitary Engr., US Army (28 yrs.- 12 as Sr. Fellow Army Env. Policy Inst.). Pubs.: Teaching with Toys: Scientific Inquiry through... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 11:45am - 12:45pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

Session

2:00pm EDT

Playing with Puppets to Explore Feelings

Friday September 27, 2024 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

Conversations with young children about feelings can be playful when you bring along a puppet friend. Join us for play time with puppets. Take away ideas for conversation starters and make puppets from inexpensive and recycled materials.

Presenters

Lin Moore

Professor, Early Childhood Education, Texas Woman's University

"Dr. Lin Moore is a Professor of Early Childhood Education at Texas Woman's University. She teaches courses in early childhood curriculum, play, action research, and leadership. Research interests include perceptions of play, parental engagement, English language learners, and mentoring... Read More →

Elaine Zweig

Elaine Zweig is an Early Childhood Specialist with decades of successful experience working with children of all ages and grade levels. As a professor at Collin College, Texas Woman's University, and now, as an Educational Consultant, Dr. Zweig presented over 50 workshops at local... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

Session

3:15pm EDT

POSTER SESSION SET UP

Friday September 27, 2024 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

Friday September 27, 2024 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

Session

4:30pm EDT

Early Childhood Teacher's Perceptions of Heuristic Play

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

Heuristic play is a form of play where children play through exploration of items. (Bilewicz-Kuźnia, 2017). There are two distinctive features in heuristic play: unstructured play and open-ended materials. Unstructured play allows children to explore without following a set of rules or obtaining a specific result (Houser et al., 2016). Open-ended refers to the materials that can be used in multiple ways (Al-Mansour, 2018). This research project explored the perceptions of early child teachers regarding this type of play. Teachers' perceptions have a major role in early childhood curriculum and the use of play as a vehicle to learning. The methodology of this research was of qualitative nature with interviews before and after implementing heuristic play materials (loose parts) into their classrooms. Through this study, it was found that the teachers observed a positive impact on implementing heuristic play into the classroom (i.e. more engaged). Teachers also find that materials are accessible and inexpensive, allowing them to see potential in implementing heuristic play and including it into early childhood curriculum.

Presenters

LaDonna Atkins

LaDonna Atkins has taught in the Child Development program at The University of Central Oklahoma for over 25 years. Her favorite course to teach is Play and Early Childhood Curriculum. She has served on the IPA/USA Board for over 15 years. Her roles include: past-president, president... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

Poster Session

4:30pm EDT

Frolicking in the Forest with Little Friends: Nature-based, Year-Round, Playful Learning Outdoors

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

This session features on farm school parent-turned-primary-educator's experience with an all-outdoor play-based preschool in the Inland Northwest (Spokane, WA). The program's history/mission, sample daily rhythm, the value of play, Waldorf-inspired oral storytelling, Reggio-style emergent, nature-based/seasonal curriculum, and program expansion will be discussed.

Presenters

Brittany Fitzgerald

Graduate student, University of Central Oklahoma

Brittany is a U.S. Air Force veteran, military spouse, mother of 3. She graduated from The University of Central Oklahoma in 2018 with a B.S. Family Life Education, Child Development where she discovered a passion for teaching children and families, fell in love with the Reggio-Emilia... Read More →

LaDonna Atkins

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

Poster Session

4:30pm EDT

Literacy, Play, and Advocacy: A Commitment for Change

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

This session will help participants to better understand the feeders into the Cradle to Prison Pipeline and ways to interrupt that pipeline through free family literacy festivals that engage families in early literacy and story-based play.

Presenters

Debra Jo Hailey

Assistant Professor of Child and Family Studies, Northwestern State University

Dr. Hailey has worked in early childhood education for over 30 years. Her early childhood teaching experiences include public schools, Head Start, privately-owned child care centers, and faith-based programs. Parent education and community involvement have always been important components... Read More →

Michelle Fazio-Brunson

Director, Graduate Programs in Early Childhood Education, Northwestern State University of Louisiana

Dr. Brunson has worked in early childhood for over 20 years. Her Cradle to Prison Pipeline Intervention Service Learning Project provides literacy materials and school supplies to families living in poverty so they’ll have access to resources to strengthen social-emotional, physical... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

Poster Session

4:30pm EDT

Loose Parts Play and Approaches to Learning

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

This session will help participants learn strategies for designing open-ended play provocations using loose parts / Beautiful Stuff that help young children develop individual approaches to learning.

Presenters

Debra Jo Hailey

Assistant Professor of Child and Family Studies, Northwestern State University

Michelle Fazio-Brunson

Director, Graduate Programs in Early Childhood Education, Northwestern State University of Louisiana

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

Poster Session

4:30pm EDT

Nature is Full of Surprises: Emergent Curriculum Embraces Curiosity and Promotes Joyful Learning

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

As all things in nature move in a cyclical process, so does PLAY. The “life cycle” of play has several key components that provide children the opportunity to explore and investigate topics of interest in meaningful ways and to co-create the learning experience. Happening upon a Cicada emerging from its shell while on a nature walk, kindergarteners embarked upon a multidisciplinary study of these fascinating insects through a variety of play-based activities structured around creating larger-than-life collaborative projects to showcase their lush engagement across multiple domains of learning.

Presenters

Cornelia McKeehan

Kindergarten Teacher, Vanderbilt University: The Acorn School/Kindergarten

Master Degree in Educational Psychology, University of Colorado, Denver. Teacher in play based preschool and kindergarten in Denver, Colorado for 12 years. Currently serve as lead teacher for Owls Kindergarten Program at Vanderbilt University. We follow a Reggio inspired emergent... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

Poster Session

4:30pm EDT

The Impact of Parent and Caregiver Perceptions of Inclusivity Regarding the Concepts of Inclusive Playgrounds

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

I will present my Capstone Project findings, which are focused on parent/caregiver perceptions of inclusive play in the Middle Tennessee area. I partnered with 3 different inclusive playgrounds throughout Middle TN to collect data pertaining to demographic information, satisfaction of amenities and play structures, and testimonials of how inclusive play has impacted their child. Components of my Capstone poster include a literature review, goals for my project, and the major findings of my survey.

Presenters

Cydnee Long

Director of Inclusive Planning and Design, Recreational Concepts, LLC

I am a recent graduate from Belmont University, and I obtained my Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. I will be presenting my Capstone Project, titled "The Impact of Parent and Caregiver Perceptions of Inclusivity Regarding the Concepts of Inclusive Playgrounds". I am currently the... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

Poster Session

4:30pm EDT

University Students’ Insights about Developmental Appropriateness and Threats to Preschool and Kindergarten Education

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

In this session, we will share our findings from a survey study exploring undergraduate and graduate students’ perceptions of preschool and kindergarten schooling. Participants were asked to rank educational experiences by their perceptions of instructional appropriateness by developmental stage and to share their beliefs about threats to childhood development. Survey data was analyzed using quantitative and qualitative approaches. We will connect our findings to the extant literature and share implications for higher education programs.

Presenters

Karyn Allee

Assitant Professor of Elementary Education, Mercer University

Karyn Allee is an Assistant Professor of Elementary Education at Mercer University. Her research focuses on how poverty affects cognitive development, social justice work in education, and instructional strategies (including play and physical activity) to reduce academic achievement... Read More →

Taylor Mule'

Taylor Mule’ is a fourth-year graduate student in the doctoral program at the University of Memphis. She is currently a research assistant for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s STEMM Education and Outreach department, conducting ethnographic work in kindergarten classrooms... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Be Anything Place -- LOWER LEVEL

Poster Session