ABSTRACT
A carefully crafted city of cereal bricks was flattened within minutes by the pounding fists of the young children. Once a desert of crumbs, adults had a choice about if and how to proceed. In fact, there's an argument for reducing time spent preparing provocations and investing this in preparing the wider physical and emotional environment instead, so that we can shape the quality of children's material encounters and respond more flexibly to children's interests and needs. The provocation sparked a wealth of posting, problem-solving and schemas but took just minutes to assemble, thanks to the fortuitous gift of some cardboard tubes. Busy environments and backgrounds compete with children's attention, making it difficult to focus. Visual busyness often stems from too many resources or a plethora of colour and displays; however, a neglected environment can be just as challenging, as it's hard to discern areas of focus and flow.
