So, here I am at 4 years old with no responsibilities. I have packed myself my favorite peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich on whole wheat bread, a fresh crisp red apple and orange baby carrots along with a bottle of my mom's homemade lemonade. I am off on a Dora the Explorer-type adventure all the way across my backyard. Aside my lunch I have also toted along my favorite stuffed bear, Vanilla Bean, a paper bag to put any treasures I might find along the way, my camera and a paper and crayons. I start out down the deck stairs and wind my way around the sandbox, stopping only to pick up a scoop of sand and put it in a bucket. I get a foot further and stop to examine a beautiful purple flower in the grass. I decide it would look nicer in my bedroom so I pick it and put it in my bag. I am sure it will match the polka dotted blanket I got for my birthday. I got a few more feet and stop to look at a stick. Vanilla Bean and I sit in the grass and watch a small bug climb up the stick. I take out my camera and take a picture of the bug...reminding myself to show my brother when he gets home. I look up, just to make sure my mom isn't far away. She smiles with a little wave from the deck and then gets back to playing with my little sister. Vanilla Bean and I have more work to do. My goal is to get to the tree in the far corner before lunch. I'm sure I can make it. We travel on a bit further, stopping at the swing set to take a quick swing. I can pump by myself now, you know. After I drop Vanilla Bean I decide it's time to keep going. We climb up the rock wall and slide down the tube slide before hopping over a couple of rocks and bricks left from my dad's latest project. I decide to stop and draw a picture of what I think our fire pit should look like. Almost there to the tree...I glace back to make sure mom's still nearby, just in case. She's not far, but getting smaller as I continue walking. I stop to pick up a small smooth stone and place it in my bag with my flower. I think I'll paint it later. I also find a leaf and add it to my collection of treasures. Phew, I made it to the tree! Vanilla Bean and I plop down to eat our lunch. I agree to share my carrots only with him, since I don't really like those anyway. I stop a few times to pick up different things I find, take a picture of another bug, and a picture of how tiny the house looks from that tree. Just as I start to pack up the rest of my lunch, I start to feel the, "plop, plop, plop" of raindrops. I can see my mom on the deck waving to make sure I know it is time to come back home from my adventure. This time, I don't stop to take any pictures or pick up any treasures. I do stop to take one trip on the swing on my belly, but not before my mom calls my mom to remind me what I am supposed to be doing. I hurry up the stairs with all of my belongings just as the, "plop, plop, plop" gets faster and faster. We all make it inside and start to examine my treasures, recounting my adventure in my own backyard.
This story is a fantasy of play, similar to what my play experience would have been like when I was four. The only difference was that my mother would not have been that nearby. Twenty years ago, it was safe to explore in our own backyard and even the neighbor's backyard. The only stipulation was that we were home when the street lights went on. These days, most children are not given the opportunity to explore with such simple "tools" as a bag, camera and crayons. As parents, we falsely believe that if we do not spend money on the most extravagant toys, our children won't actually be learning anything. As parents, we have lost sight of the simplicity of everyday objects being used with little to no direction other than our children's imaginations. There is no need to buy expensive computer hardware with learning software so our children can learn how a flower grows. The best way to teach that is simply take the time and plant a seed with them and watch it grow day after day. When it is finished, the child has a concrete example of what it means to grow a plant, and they may have a healthy bean to eat when all is said and done.
My two favorite quotes of play and childhood are:
"Life must be lived as play"
Plato
Greek philosopher
427-347 BCE
Whoever wants to understand much must play much.
Gottfried Benn
German physician
1886-1956
The following pictures dipict what play was when I was a child, and what I strive to have play mean to my children:
In these two pictures, there are little "props" that narrow down how children can play. In the first picture, they are just exploring outside and having a "teachable" moment about pine cones. The second picture is shaving cream on a table with a bucket of odds and ends found in the kitchen drawers. The children were given no direction, only given time to explore and feel the consistencies and textures of the things in front of them.
As an adult, play is still an important part of my life. I spend a lot of time talking with caregivers about spending time with children, sitting on the floor or at the table playing with them. It's not telling them what to do or how to play, but simply experiencing what they experience and being nearby to answer questions they have and ask probing questions about what they are learning. This helps it so I am a constant learner, learning more about myself and the children I work with.
