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!