" Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain." Henry David Thoreau  This is a picture that makes most parents cringe...the muddy feet, sticky legs, and dirt stained clothes of a child at play. Our instincts tell us, "No, stop, those clothes cost money!!" or "Ack, wait, no, we have places to go!!" or how about "This is why we can't have anything nice!"
I can empathize with all these statements and have heard them, and yes, said them myself at times. Then, with a pang of guilt, confliction and conviction, I give in...always...and simply make certain I take an extra set of clothes no matter where I go. Skin, you see, is washable. Furniture, will wear out regardless of the dirt, mud, sand, and stains. Floors can be scrubbed. But, what they are learning in these experiences with nature, full on, no holds barred, cannot be taught any other way. They must be allowed to play, uninterrupted, unashamed or even unaware of any outcome. With this type of play comes confidence that the world around them is MEANT to be explored, experienced and conquered. Rocks should be overturned, bugs caught, leaves inspected, dissected and transformed into little bug boats. They learn creativity when they climb a tree and transform it into a pirate ship, or stack blocks and limbs and blankets to make a shelter. The explorer inside of them is born, challenged, and encouraged to grow and thrive. In the our current clinical world of astro-turf playgrounds, and well controlled sensory boxes a child does not get the privilege of developing this sense of curiosity and confidence. They, are taught, in essence, to keep dirty things out, or contained. Exploration should only be done in a box, creativity on a piece of paper, and free thinking in a well designed lesson plan. A child that is not allowed to explore the world outside of a neatly contained box cannot become an adult that thinks outside of one either. The only way to build free-thinking, creative adults is to allow for it in childhood. This happens each day beyond the sandbox, past the sensory tables, and away from the desk....this is play. My hope is that all the countless hours of sweeping sand from my floors, wiping dirt from my walls, changing mud soaked clothes, and doing yet one more load of laundry so that everyone will have something clean to go home in, produces adults that are boldly aware of their abilities, confident in exploration, and are not willing to settle for "the box." So, jump in the puddles, make mud pies, catch fireflies...you are opening the door of amazing adventures with every "why." I wish you well, and I hope you get to play today... -L
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 I love watching children play, interact, communicate, in good times and challenging times, there is much to learn with our eyes and our hearts wide open. So much of our adult"ness" can be seen in children. Jealousy, anger, harsh words, generosity, caring, cooperation...it's all present and all noteworthy. Often, as I give the children time to play creatively, uninterrupted, I get a glimpse of what they will become. It makes me love them all the more. I have many little natural leaders in my group, some followers when they believe the cause is worthy, like the photo above. This started out as one of my little girlies just dragging the board, by herself, across the yard. She had an idea in mind, though I am uncertain if she ever accomplished it or not... Once she realized how much more fun there was to be had with the help of her friends, and how much more she could practice her leadership skills with these little helpers, she was totally focused on this "game" lasting just as long as possible. In fact, it lasted all morning long, up until it was time to us to come inside and make some lunch.
Pictured above you can see all the little hands and the various ages of participants and the object of their current affection...a simple 1x4 board. This board first entered our outdoor play space last summer as a make shift balance beam for the new walkers. It was so fun for them to try to stay "on board." They used it as a boat, airplane, rocket ship, paddle, balance beam, train, and car so many times I have lost count. But, what made this activity so special was it was the first time that the simple act of moving the board was the focus of the play. At first, the cute little blondie at the end was dragging it all around behind her. Then, insert the second cute blonde newbie 2 year old at the middle. This presented a challenge. The first child couldn't quite communicate to the second child exactly how she wanted the board to travel and was becoming quite frustrated. I waited...and waited...to see what the result would be. There were many possibilities...trantrum, teamwork, abandonment, bossiness, communication..I just waited. Then the last little fella' hearing the issue between and the two and becoming concerned that it might turn into an all out brawl inserted himself with a simple question that changed the tone of the event, "Can I help?" He was genuine...unassuming, and didn't suggest a fix...simply asked a question and waited for a reply... "SURE!" announced the excited little blonde 3 year old which was quickly followed up with the 2 year old repeating her enthusiasm, "SURE!" The open door of communication...so precious and so endearing. So...they traveled the yard, the oldest at the tail, the youngest at the middle and the middle child at the helm, all proudly working together, communicating, stopping for a rest together, then picking up and moving forward again. So much can be learned from watching children at play. All they really need is time, space, and caring adults surrounding them to help if/when they are invited to do so. Sometimes, of course, it is necessary to step in and navigate a situation for a little one that doesn't yet understand that they need it. But, it's magical moments like these where learning becomes a part of who we are and what we are becoming. In these moments we see that the world around us is just waiting to be discovered and that there are so many willing to walk with us and help us along the way. I wish you well and I hope you get to play today... -L |
Life is made of moments..."There isn't anything more full of hope, joy and peace than a child's smile... It captures the mundane and makes it extraordinary." - LaDonna Woolsey I am a Mother Goose Time Blogger. I decided to become one after trying their products because I they are comprehensive and serve my mixed age group well. I do receive products to review from Mother Goose Time and do so with my own honest and thorough opinions. For more information, please contact me at [email protected]
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