“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” Plato
“Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.” Joseph Chilton Pearce
When I was a small child we went outside and ran through the woods, challenged bridges that are much to scary as an adult for me to cross and was chased by neighbors for pretending we were spies and writing down their license plate numbers. My days of play started out in an apartment complex ventured into living in the woods with box turtles and ending by moving into the city. My play was supported by neighbors and friends. My mother would let us out of the house and was told to come back before it was dark. There was a man in a truck that stopped off at the park in the middle of the day that would give you a sandwich and a juice. You sat in the grass, peeled the plastic off the Styrofoam plate and squeeze mustard from a foil pouch. My play involved my friends, enemies and just the streets. We would wander into the local businesses and get free pieces or learn how to lazer writing on the sides of trophies. Play is different now. It is much more organized and there are more adults in charge. We were free to climb trees, hop fences and now everything is alot safer. We learned to work out problems, make freeze pops from juice and toothpicks in an ice cube tray. Now a days you don't see as much creativity. There are more electronics and there are more things bought. I don't think that I ever stopped playing. This is why I have a job as an after school teacher. I tell my kids the stories of when I was a child and we would sneak into these after school programs and watch these children play basketball, make giant tissue flowers. I thought this must be the most incredible job in the world. So I achieved one of my dreams. I remember what it's like to be a kid; sneaky and misunderstood. I try to incorporate as many social based games in my room as I can as well as letting them play the electronic. I don't think I ever gave up on playing. I just got old.
7 comments:
Thanks for sharing your blog with me, Jennifer! That's fabulous that you're going for your masters in ECE. Working with children is such a rewarding experience. Glad to be connected!
Your blog has some great information and I agree with how you state how play has changed through the years. I also grew up playing in fields and running around with my siblings and friends. I remember laying in the grass and looking at the clouds to see wht I could find and catching fireflies at night. I think we as educators do what we do so we don't really have to grow up (old).
I love your post i agree play has also changed from when I was a child it is really sad kids today can not just go outside alone and play with there friends everything does have to be organzied and watcched very closly its sad what the world is coming to.
I really enjoyed reading your post.you truly had experience of play in its natural and innocent form,those memories are what cherishing.You also made a point about how through these playing around you learn to do new things,I guess when children play and they desire to learn something new,they challenge themselves and never give up,until they achieve their purpose.Play is too structured now that children can just play because they feel the urge to do so
I think that there is such a uniform way of doing things in everything we do in life. I don't think children are given enough opportunity to be different, creative or make mistakes
Great post, I agree that we spent every second of our days playing and that was normal.We were the lucky ones who got to explore and play in the woods and the fields. The playful instinct is still alive in our children we need to nurture it and provide the outlets. I put a large mattress down in my living room fro my grand-babies to sleep and hello, trampoline and jumping
off the ouch to the mattress and away we go.
Playfulness must not be stifled and packaged too tightly, or it will break free, and thank goodness for that. When we do get older we still need let our playful spirits stay alive.
Great post, I agree that we spent every second of our days playing and that was normal.We were the lucky ones who got to explore and play in the woods and the fields. The playful instinct is still alive in our children we need to nurture it and provide the outlets. I put a large mattress down in my living room fro my grand-babies to sleep and hello, trampoline and jumping
off the ouch to the mattress and away we go.
Playfulness must not be stifled and packaged too tightly, or it will break free, and thank goodness for that. When we do get older we still need let our playful spirits stay alive.
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