My Connections to Play

What play represented for me in childhood - Quotes
I am often accused of being childish. I prefer to interpret that as child-like. I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things. I tend to exaggerate and fantasize and embellish. I still listen to instinctual urges. I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind. I never water my garden without soaking myself. It has been after such times of joy that I have achieved my greatest creativity and produced my best work. ~Leo F. Buscaglia, Bus 9 to Paradise


Children's free play eludes precise definition, but it typically is pleasurable, self-motivated, imaginative, non-goal directed, spontaneous, active, free of imposed tasks or adult-imposed rules, and requires active participation. Randy White

http://www.whitehutchinson.com/leisure/articles/84.shtml


Essential Play items



Mud, pots, pans, spoons, cups, and more mud.


  Playing with dolls and playing house.





When I was little I remember my mom giving me the tools that I needed to play.  I remember the endless time I played outside with my cousins making mud pies and creating a drive through restaurant. We learned to negotiate the price of the mud food that we created and roadways for the bikes to go around to the "window".  All my play was reenacting things that I had seen in day to day life or things that I had experienced.

I feel that play is different today for children because they are not able to play uninterrupted.  Children are rushed to produce something.  Children are not out playing in neighborhoods because parents are more cautious and worry about the safety of their children so they are not allowed outside as much.  I hope that young children will be able to experience play outside for endless hours of exploration and dramatic play.  Outside play can be done in a simple back yard that is set up with the proper tools, sandbox, sand toys, climbing trees, water features etc.  

I think that the role of play in childhood is important to prepare us for play as adults.  We remember the fun we had climbing hills and rocks so as we get older we want to climb bigger hills and rocks.  We need to have play in our lives so that we can remember to stop and enjoy where we are in life.    

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me because I believe that they help us to grow.  We learn from the people in our lives and they help us become who we are. The people we have close relationships with help us to go through the good and hard times in our lives.  Without relationships we would be alone and lost without a sense of purpose in our lives.

    My husband and I have a close relationship that spans 20 plus years.  We support each other in our education and encourage each other to do our best.  We keep each other balanced and make each other look at the others perspective. As parents we work together and our sons know that we are a team. Our sons remind me to stop and play and to not be so serious.  They keep me on my toes.

My mother-in-law, Claudia, and I have a common interest and that is helping children to be successful.  She was my 7th and 8th grade teacher as well.  She was frustrated with seeing her students struggle with the basics so she decided to teach Kindergarten so she could help children get a solid foundation that would help them later in their academic career.  She and I share ideas and have lengthy conversations about how we can help young children.  She is a true believer that you do whatever it takes to help a child succeed.  She has retired from teaching at a school but she runs her own Kumon math and reading center because she still has a passion for helping children and helping them realize that learning is fun.  She has helped me grow as a teacher and has always given me advise about children and about life in general.  Seeing her passion for young children inspires me to keep that same passion in my own life.

My best friend Myrna is always pushing me to do my best and pursue my dreams even if I think they are a lot of work to achieve.  She is a Social Worker who works with foster families and helps to place the foster children into good homes.  She and I also talk at length about the importance of helping young children who need to have the security of knowing that they will be taken care of and they will be able to have somewhat of a "normal" childhood.  She advocates for children and will fight to make sure they are getting the services they need.  She keeps me grounded and reminds me that children come from all different kinds of backgrounds and they all deserve to have a good start in life.

I have learned that time can become a factor in trying to maintain a relationship.  We have to remember to take the time to stop the day to day routines and listen and talk with each other.  Talking  on the phone, sending an e-mail, making time to go out to lunch or dinner once in a while to catch up are all important.  If you do not make time then your relationship suffers and you may grow apart.

My relationships have impacted me professionally in the early childhood field by giving me the tools to grow those relationships.  The tools I have gained throughout my relationships has helped me to be able to work with families and children better by having compassion for the different situations that families are in and  to be able to understand how important it is for children to have a strong support system.  I pray that I am making a positive impact in their lives and  I just let God lead in how best to do that.