My Connections to Play

Quotes that I feel summarize what play represented for me in childhood:

In our play we reveal what kind of people we are. -Ovid (Roman poet)

"The Rules {For Toddlers}: Be cute. Stand on the table. Play with your food. Splash in the tub.  Climb on everything. Eat the playdough. Jump on the bed. Give hugs. Splash in puddles. Dump out all the toys. Scream at the top of your lungs. Everything is mine. Giggle til your belly hurts."

"How to really love a child. Be there. Say YES as often as you can. Let them bang on pots and pans. If they're crabby, put them in water. Read books out loud with joy. Go find elephants and kiss them. Encourage silly. Giggle alot. Remember how really small they are. Search out the positive. Keep the gleam in your eye. Go see a movie in your pajamas. Teach feelings. Realize how important it is to be a child. Plan to build a rocketship. Stop yelling. Invent pleasures together. Surprise them. Express your love. A lot. Children are miraculous. " - Sark

{click on the picture above to go to the source where I downloaded it from}

Essential play items for my younger self:

This was my absolute favorite thing to play with as child!!! I loved this doll house!!! I wish I still had it! hehe

My sisters and I LOVED collecting all the girl kids meal toys form McDonald's....

I remember playing with these a lot too!

How people supported play when I was younger:
Growing up with 2 younger sisters and an older brother, made for some fun in my childhood. We always had a playmate or someone to blame "They did it!!!" on. My mom had a whole room in the house dedicated to our "toy room". This wonderful room had all our stuffed animals, toys, kitchen set, dress up clothes, and games in it. We were encouraged to use our imaginations as I have many fond memories of playing the following with my sisters and brother: house, school, office (we'd set up our bedrooms as offices and pretend we were working), pool (we'd set up a snack stand outside, blow up an inflatable pool and pretend to pay for snacks)... Mom set up plastic on the ground and put a hose on it for a slip n' slide, and I remember taking the hose back to the swingset and letting it run down our slide to pretend it was a water slide. Dad set up blankets to make a tent in the living room and we'd turn out all the lights and pretend we were camping and tell ghost stories. Dad also would play with us outside after he came home from work and teach us how to play any sports we desired (basketball, softball, soccer... the list could go on). My parents gave us every opportunity to explore our world and find out what we enjoy doing.

My grandma would let us wear her fancy hats, heels and dresses, set up a table on the screened porch and we'd play tea party. Grandpa would be the butler and serve us our tea and crumpets. She also, had several dolls and barbies, as well as arts and crafts and games for us to play. She loved spending time with us and encouraging our imaginations. I still cry when I think about how much I miss having her in my life, 11 years later. (She passed away when I was a junior in high school- Oct. 1, 2001).

I also remember taking side walk chalk, drawing "roads" on the driveway and riding my bike around, like it was my car. One of my favorite things to do as a child was go to the library. The library where I grew up looked like a huge castle. And in the basement, was the children's section. On the walls, they had painted trees and other murals to make it look like and outdoor park. They even had a little reading nook with comfy chairs for us to sit and read. I used to get so excited to go and pick out books and take them home to read for fun.

How I feel play today is similar or different from the play in which I engaged as a child and what I hope for young is now with regard to play.

As a child, learning never felt like a "chore." It was enjoyable! With technology advancing with the video games, ipods, iphones, ipads, nintendo DS, and more... I feel like kids are using their imaginations less, not getting enough social time and spending too much time with their faces glued to a screen. When I was little, we only played video games and watched TV when it was a rainy day and we couldn't go outside. We were ALWAYS playing... and didn't spend too much time indoors. I also get frustrated when I see people together, with their faces glued to their iphones texting or playing a game. I hate this because I believe you should be focusing on the people you are WITH and spending time with them. This is where I see the social skills lacking. If children are spending too much time with technology and less time with actual people- how will that affect their social skills?

It is my hope that parents will provide experiences for their children, like my own parents did. I hope that they also are keeping in mind the amount of time their children are spending using the imaginations vs. with technology.

My thoughts regarding the role of play throughout my life:
Looking back at my childhood, I remember role playing a lot. Whether it be with my siblings, with dolls in the doll house or my favorite stuffed animals- I was always pretending and using my imagination. I feel that my experiences as a young child helped develop the curiousity and love of learning in me. (Hence, why I became a teacher!) I'm also told that I am "so creative" by many- including my school's administrators! I love thinking of new ways and researching how to improve my teaching and ways to assess my students. I also believe that play has had a huge role in the way I can cooperate/ work a team player. I'm currently job searching closer to my family and after reading my administrators' and academic coach's letter of recommendations, they all noted that I am a "team player." Growing up with 3 siblings, I had to learn how to share, work together to complete a common goal and take turns. I feel that is one of my strengths as an older sibling due to my childhood experiences.