My Connections to Play

Quotes

“Play is the exultation of the possible.” Martin Buber

"Play is our brain's favorite way of learning."
        -Diane Ackerman, Contemporary American Author.

"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. "
          --Plato, Greek philosopher
My Essential Play Items



Dirt Pile - My brothers and I would spend hours playing in the dirt with our shovels, dump trucks, tractors, cars, farm animals, etc.. My parents are still finding toys that were buried years ago. Oh, the memories!



Sheets - We used sheets to build forts and tents, for pretend picnics, for superheroes, and so much more. There were endless possibilities for the use sheets.



Brothers - I grew up between two brothers. So needless to say, I was a "tom boy" growing up.  I played with my brothers in the dirt with the typical boy things such as tractors and cars.  I don't remember being a child with an imaginary friend because I always had my brothers and cousins to play with.  Our extended family is quite large so there was never a shortage of fun playing with our cousins.

http://www.kidclipart.net/free_kid_clip_art_pictures/boy_and_girl_or_brother_and_sister_waving_0515-0910-2500-0018_SMU.jpg

Reflections of childhood play

As a child, I was always playing, inside and outside.  Typically I played with my brothers whenever we were at home in the evenings. However, during the week we would stay with our great aunt and uncle at the farm.  We would play in the barn and around the barnyard with our cousins.  Our typical games consisted of "Cops and Robbers" and "Cowboys and Indians." As an adult in the post Columbine School shooting era, I couldn't imagine letting my students play games like these at school. 

Play that involves guns is often looked upon unfavorably at school recess but is very natural for many boys in my observations.  Many times I see the boys more so than girls picking up sticks or using the baseball bats as guns to kill the bad guys.  I used to intervene in these situations because of the zero-tolerance for violence.  However, I can't justify telling them not to pretend play "killing the bad guys" because that's what our soldiers (and superheroes) are doing.  

Also, I remember being a daredevil. I don't know how I made it through childhood without a single broken bone.  I would climb, jump, and/or swing from anything. I can clearly remember jumping from the top of our basement steps to the bottom onto bean bag chairs several times with my brothers. Clearly, we could have easily hurt ourselves but that wasn't even a possibility in my mind. Either my parents didn't know what we were doing or they didn't care that we were pushing our limits. As a child, nothing was impossible.  As an adult, I reflect on the things I did and think about how dangerous some of those things were but at the same time how much fun they were at the time.

As a child, I rarely sat in the house playing games.  We had one channel on our TV during my entire childhood.  We didn't get a computer until I was in high school. And I really didn't have much interest in video games until I was in a teenager.  I think a big difference between my childhood play and that of children today is that I was engaged in play with other people, not things. I was making relationships and building friendships with my friends and family through play.  We were connected and disconnected.

My hope for young children today is that they have the opportunity to experience the joy of feeling invincible! And, that the experiences and relationships that they build through play will last a lifetime!

 

Relationship Reflection

I do not know how I would survive without relationships to enrich and support me through the thick and thin of life.

My husband is my most constant and evolving relationship.  We've only been married for two years but we are constantly changing and adjusting to each other's needs.  We first met through our mutual friends and family. He's the one I come home to at the end of a long day of teaching who listens to the stories about the kids on the great days as well as the challenging days. Likewise, I'm there when he's a long, hard day at work to comfort him and show affection. 

It may seem unusual but a positive relationship that I value is with my dog, Buddy.  He's the greatest listener. He makes me feel loved when I come home and see him looking out the window and then greets me at the door. He knows when how I'm feeling. If I'm sad, he's by my side. If I'm happy, he's wiggling like crazy and begging to play. Likewise, I know if he's not feeling well, tired, lonely, or happy.

My relationship with my parents is one that has changed over the years.  As a child, I looked up to my parents and wanted to be like them. As a teenager, I butted heads with them and didn't understand what the big deal was about hanging out with my friends.  Now, as an adult I value the advice of my parents.  I have grown to love and respect their decisions as parents. 

The relationships I have with my childhood friends continue to grow. As children, we rode on the school bus together and went to the same church from elementary school through high school.  We had sleep overs, movie nights, date nights, etc...As grown adults with families, it's harder to find time to "hang out" but we make it a priority to have a "girls night out" at least four times a year to vent about whatever and laugh about memories.  My relationships with my childhood friends provides a connection/attachment with someone who knows so much about who I am and where I've come from.

My teaching teammates provide me with support and guidance to be successful in my classroom.  They have also become close friends whom I can share my frustrations and concerns.  They understand the demands of our professions and offer invaluable advice.

I suppose from reflecting upon relationships in my life I see a reoccurring theme. I need relationships so I feel connected, supported, and loved.  There are so many other relationships in my personal life that I can't list them all but they are all my support. All of these relationships with a wide range of people help me as an early childhood educator because I can appreciate the differences and benefits from all relationships around me. Understanding the reason why I need relationships will remind me why I need relationships with families I work with in early childhood programs - engaged, supported, welcomed!