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Bev Bos and Roseville Community School
Bev Bos was a nationally respected speaker, teacher, and director of the Roseville Community Preschool in California. Her philosophy centered on a simple, powerful truth: children learn best through play. Not worksheets, not structured instruction—but through mud, music, paint, water, conversation, and wonder.
At the heart of her work was a commitment to environments that are rich, sensory, and open-ended. She believed that early childhood spaces should invite exploration and trust, offering time—not pressure—for children to unfold at their own pace. Her motto, often repeated, was: “If it hasn’t been in the hand, the body, and the heart, it can’t be in the brain.”
Bev advocated for inclusive, child-led spaces that honored risk, choice, and community. Her indoor and outdoor classrooms were filled with real tools, loose parts, and provocations that responded to children’s interests. She resisted trends toward early academics and defended the importance of play with fierce clarity and warmth.
Her work aligns deeply with the Reggio Emilia Approach, even though it emerged independently. Like Reggio, Bev emphasized relationship, process over product, and the role of the environment as teacher. Her legacy continues to inspire teachers who believe in the power of joyful, messy, meaningful play.
Related Reading
- Don’t Move the Muffin Tins: A Hands-Off Guide to Art for the Young Child by Bev Bos
- Before the Basics by Bev Bos
- Roseville Community Preschool
- Bev Bos tribute video and archives via Community Playthings
- Exchange Press articles on Bev Bos
Tumbling Over the Edge: Bev Bos and the Radical Wonder of Childhood
Articles and Resources on This Site
A tribute to Bev Bos and the living legacy of Roseville Preschool—celebrating trust, play, presence, and the radical act of letting children tumble freely into becoming.
Explores how loose parts—natural or found materials—invite open-ended play, creativity, and exploration. Celebrates children's innate capacity to invent, construct, and express meaning through self-directed interaction.
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