My Connections to Play

Quotes:

 “Play is the exultation of the possible.” Martin Buber
 "Creative play is like a spring that bubbles up from deep within a child." Joan Almon

Essential Play Items for My Younger Self

  

My Play as a Child

When I was a child play was what I did.  Kindergarten still centered around play, and no one excected anything else of me.  I loved to pretend I was in a group of teenage crime fighters, and I would play outside ever day.  My family provided me with the tools I needed to play out the activities I liked.  I was given a three wheeler on my fourth birthday and allowed to ride it around our 80+ acre farm.   My family all lived on the property, and my sister and I were the only kids in the family. 

Play Today v. Play When I was a Child

When I was a child we lived on a farm and that meant that we played outside a lot.  Now I see a lot of children playing inside watching television.  When I was a child imagination was valued and encourage, and now it seems society spoon feeds props and ideas for imaginative play.  I hope that this generation will take a step back and embrace the things of times past. 

Role of Play

Play helped to make me the person I am today.  I learned to think outside the box, self talk, play nice, and imagine the possibilities.  Play got me through the most difficult things in my childhood, and allowed me to see the way out.  Play has shaped my life!

Relationship Reflection

Surround yourself with people of like mind and different talents and temperaments with the purpose of serving the goals of every member of the group. Associate with these people on a regular basis. Jeff Olson 

It's a great strength to live knowing that if you lost every material possession, you would still have a life worth living. That means living without fear. We live frightened of things being taken away, but we don't need to be afraid. Strong relationships ground us. They complete us. You don't have to worry about losing material things; your life won't collapse without them. You can treat them as gifts and focus on the loving relationships that are really important, for they are the greatest gifts. Meg Meeker

These two quotes bring to light why relationships are important to me.  Life is full of adversity, disappointment, and difficulty, but overcoming these becomes easier when we have people to share the burden with.  The same is true of the good things in life, such as success, achievement, and new beginnings.  These are more enjoyable when shared with people we love and respect.  The people I keep close to me are few in number, but large in presence.   

My Relationships

My Husband- My husband is my best friend, and this relationship is my most important and most difficult.  Time, respect, understanding, and sacrifice are all required in this relationship, and not all of them are easy.  However the pay off is worth the work.  This relationship is also a partnership in that we work together to raise our daughter, and live the life we both want.  We must work cooperatively, using each others strengths to produce the life we desire to live.

My mom- My mother is always there for me, and she is always there to support me in whatever I am doing.  She is there to tell me I can do it, and she is there when I need someone to tell me its time to throw in the towel.  This relationship takes the same as my relationship with my husband though it is a relationship that is founded in unconditional love bore through having a child, raising that child, and allowing that child, me, to leave and find a life of my own.  My mother is always going to be one of my most important relationships.

My Friend, Kristi- This relationship is one that has always been effortless, but vital.  As we have known each other through high school, college, marriage, and children our relationship has changed with each new stage.  When we were young with few responsibilities we were together a lot, but as life has changed we aren't together as much, and don't even speak as much.  However, when we get together we are able to pick up right where we left off.  We are always there when we need each other, and supportive of all of life's challenges.  Friendships take time just like any other relationship, and I have found that at this time in my life it is difficult to give as much time to friendships as I would like to.  That is why this relationship is so important, because the foundation has been laid and we are able to simply build on it rather than lay a new foundation.

Family-  The relationships I have with my family members and my inlaws are all important to my husband and me.  We rely on our families for support and encouragement, and as a young family we rely on them for wisdom and advice.  These relationships are easier that friendships, but still require time and respect.

Work-  As I reenter the workforce after staying home to raise my daughter I am starting new relationships with my staff, and renewing my relationships with my supervisor and administration.  These relationships are certainly not as deep as the previous ones, but they are important just the same.  These relationships are not necessarily based on anything more than our like desire to serve the children in our care to the best of our ability.  We may not have much else in common, but this common link is a strong one.  

Relationships and the Early Childhood Field

The more experience I get in this profession, and the more I dig into the research and theory behind child development and learning I realize the importance of relationships.   I have always believed parents to be their child's first and most important teachers, but I now realize the importance of the relationship between myself and the families I serve.  As a parent myself I am now more able to relate to the struggles and frustrations of the parents in my classroom.  This has created such a wonderful classroom environment this year.  Parents are comfortable and feel empowered to help with their child's education.  Life is about relationships, and helping children to learn to nurture healthy relationships is vital for their success in school and life.

Early Childhood Quotes

“Close observation of children at play suggests that they find out about the world in the same way as scientists find out about new phenonoma and test new ideas…during this exploration, all the senses are used to observe and draw conclusions about objects and events through simple, if crude, scientific investigations.” ~ Judith Roden (lecturer, Canterbury Christ Church University College)

“Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.” ~ O. Fred Donaldson (martial arts master)

I chose these two quotes because I believe play to be the most important aspect of early childhood education.  Children develop who they are through play.  They learn and grow by simple acts of play.  The first quote is a bit dry, but brings up a good point that children are doing just what adults do to discover new ideas and environments they just have more fun!  The second is just so true; children learn how to learn through play.