Unusual Materials in Pre and Primary Schools: Presence and Actions

The theme of unusual materials – new or used materials unfinished, unrecognizable, not immediately definable – is of growing interest in the fields of pedagogy and teaching and are more frequently found within educational services and schools. The reason for this is due to sensitivity to environmental education, as well as comparison with adherence to contemporary life, besides being a precise strategy for active learning. Its diffusion still needs to be thematized and systematized, in order to explore the different possibilities inherent in the use of these types of materials. The paper gives some results of a study on unusual materials in pre and primary schools in the Lombardy Region, investigating the presence, types and uses designed and implemented by students enrolled in the Education Faculty of a University in the North of Italy during their internship for use in their thesis projects and at the host schools