Childhood Connections to Play

"Every child should have mud pies, grasshoppers, tadpoles, water bugs, tadpoles, frogs, mud, turtles, elderberries, wild strawberries, acorns, chestnuts, trees to climb. Brooks to wade, water lilies, woodchucks, bats, bees, butterflies, various animals to pet, hayfields, pine-cones, rocks to roll, sand, snakes, huckleberries and hornets. And any child who has been deprived of these has been deprived of the best part of education."
     - Luther Burbank


"Play fosters belonging and encourages cooperation."
     - Stuart Brown MD

My memories of play are truly represented in the quotes that I found. I had the privilege of spending all of my summers with my family at our cottage where I spent the majority of my time outside. Our parents encouraged us to think creatively, explore and investigate, solve problems and engage in the inquiry process, and to share our learning with others. The learning that occurred each summer was so valuable....better than anything I could have learned from a worksheet.

                  

                                                                                                                   
When my dad taught us how to build a camp fire, chop wood or fix something it was "learning", but to us it was play. When my mom taught us how make crust for a pie with the berries we picked it was "learning" but to us, it was play. This play was meaningful and relevant to us, and we wanted to embrace each new skill. Even though my brothers and sister were older, they took time to scaffold my learning and help me learn skills that I couldn't do on my own, like how to put a worm on a hook, how to build the best sand castle, or how to catch fireflies. I cherish the play that occurred each summer as it was rich with learning experiences. We swam, caught frogs, picked berries, built forts, roasted the best marshmallows ever, and played!!!

We all have seen play change and evolve, especially since technology has become a significant part of people's lives. Children are spending more time engaged with technology than with nature. Children still play outside, but not as much as when I was a child. When my children were younger, they were always busy building forts and using their imagination and creativity when they played. I always offered them a variety of loose parts to incorporate into their play and you wouldn't believe how long they would be immersed in play. Now that my children are school age, their play has changed as now they crave the technology play. In a few months it will be summer vacation where we will spend our whole summer at our cottage. My children will have the opportunity to transition from the tech world to the world of nature as we don't have internet access. My experiences with play as a child has helped me to understand how valuable play is and the learning that occurs while children play. I ensure that our summers at the cottage are rich with play experiences......similar to what I experienced as a child.....where play is valued! My husband and I make sure that we engage our children with same learning opportunities that I did......meaningful and relevant!

Relationship Reflection

“Some of the biggest challenges in relationships come from the fact that many people enter into a relationship in order to get something: they’re trying to find someone who’s going to make them feel good. In reality, the only way a relationship will last is if you see your relationship as a place that you go to give, and not a place that you go to take.”                               Anthony Robbins

Throughout my life I have experienced some relationships like the type mentioned in the quote above where it was one sided, where the person on the other side of the relationship was there for different reasons than how I intended. It takes experiences like those to make us truly understand the mechanics of how relationships work. I have had to learn and gain the necessary foundation skills needed to lead me to the path towards building healthy relationships. It is challenging to learn how to filter out the unhealthy relationships so we can make space for the healthy ones. The array of relationships that I have experienced have all been amazing learning experiences which has truly guided with helping me to unravel the understanding of what positive relationships are. I know that will still encounter these types of relationships, but now I am more empowered with tools to help me funnel through them.

     

                                                                                   

Relationships have been very important to me as they have made me feel valued and given me a sense of belonging. I have gained and developed so many skills due to the positive relationships that I have made. Over the years, the relationships in my life have helped to develop communication skills, understand how groups work, how to negotiate, solve conflict, give support, have fun and laugh. All of the skills that I have developed and still developing have had a deep impact with my current relationships. They have helped with making me a better daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend and colleague. What else could I ask for! I still have not perfected each relationship as there are bumps along the way, but now I look at these bumps in a more positive way. There will still be conflict, but I have realized that conflicts are a natural part to relationships. It is how we handle the conflicts that arise. Conflicts can be win-win, but it is being open to letting go and coming to a point where we can agree to disagree and move on in  a positive way. 

I cherish the array of relationships that I have and I work hard at maintaining them. Humor is a huge element that I bring to all of my relationships, especially my family. There isn’t one day that we don’t share a belly laugh as these belly laughs help us to stay connected and build positive relationships. My relationships with my husband and children are ever so special and we work hard as we take to time to connect, talk and listen to one another. Relationships evolve and change, but we need to work with the changes. Since I began working on my Masters, my relationships with my friends have changed. My friends know that this is very important to me and there are times when I might forget to call as I am probably busy writing a paper. They understand and support me and we try to make time for one another so we can stay connected. They know not to take it personally as this change will not affect our relationship in a negative way, but just altered while I pursue my studies. 

What I have learned regarding my own personal relationships has definitely been very impactful as my role as an effective early childhood professional. In this field, we strive to build relationships with the families and I have been able to take those skills and apply it to the families who I have worked with.  We need to build trust, be open and listen to parents in order to foster positive relationships. Some parents may address concerns they have and we need to be open, listen and use our communication skills. My diverse experiences with varying relationships helps with knowing how speak with parents and giving them time to talk while I listen. This shows that we value them as a whole. Together we come up solutions or strategies as this helps to be positive while working through conflict and make it a win-win situation. Taking time to work together builds trust and value which in turn results in healthy relationships.

I have been so blessed and lucky to be surrounded by so many people who have made such a positive impact on my life. I cherish each relationship and work hard in maintaining them. Although the array of relationships I have may be different, they have the commonality of trust and respect and  I value each and every one of them!

When I Think of Child Development........

“Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors."   Khaled Hosseini       

This is a great quote as it reminds us of the importance of individuality. Our purpose is to guide and support a child’s development, not mold them with our ideas of who a child should be. We shouldn’t be “painting” children with the same paint brush in the sense they all learn or think the same way. We are reminded that each child does not come with a template, rather with an open canvas in which to learn and develop to their fullest at their own time and pace.    

“Pausing to listen to an airplane in the sky, stooping to watch a ladybug on a plant, sitting on a rock to watch the waves crash over the quayside – children have their own agendas and timescales. As they find out more about their world and place in it, they work hard not let adults hurry them. We need to hear their voices.”    

      Cathy Nutbrown

I love this quote as it reminds us that children are about the “sense of wonder”. To adults a ladybug on a plant is just that; a bug on a plant. For a child this lady bug creates many new wonders. They watch it crawl, notice the colors and try and touch it to see how it feels. Hurrying children denies them the opportunities to explore their wonders of the world. That may be a bug to us, but to that child it is like a new found treasure. We need to give children the time to explore the things around them. Children are naturally curious and learn through their senses, so it is our role to show some elasticity with our rushed routines and transitions and allow them the opportunities to explore. If we took the time to take a child’s lead and sit with that child and explore the lady bug together, we would realize that we are learning alongside with that child.

This video clip links with the lady bug quote. Watch for the child’s sense of wonder and see who is patiently waiting, not rushing the child as he explores his wonders of the world!! Enjoy!!!

This quote caught my attention as we have discussed this throughout this course. We can’t expect children to learn the same way. Each child is individual with different learning styles and needs. It is up to us as professionals to adapt, modify or change our teaching styles to meet the needs of all children so they can learn in way that fits their learning styles so they can be successful.

“If you haven’t time to respond to a tug at your pant leg, your schedule is too crowded.”                 Robert Brault

Just thought that I would end with one more quote that is more reflective than anything!!!