Play and Playfulness
There is no right way to play with mud, sand, and water. The sheer pleasure of raw materials entices the child to dream, explore, and invent new ways to use them.
~Dorothy Hill (1977)
At play, children are empowered to use language on their own terms, in their own ways and at their own time.
~Pamela Nuttall Nason and Anne Hunt (1999, 1)
Create Imaginary Scenarios
One of our roles as educators is to "play along, and provide ideas, materials and information for children to enrich their imaginary play."
~New Brunswick Curriculum Framework - Play and Playfulness (P. 16)
All aboard the Magic School Bus
This morning while playing outside, some children had lined the milk crates up, sat in them and made a school bus. One child yells "this is our magic school bus!" It wasn't long before all the children wanted to join in. Everyone was laughing, having fun and playing together while using their imagination. The group traveled everywhere; one child took us to the pool and jumping beans, another took us to Bathurst to visit his family, others took us to the Adventure Bays Paw Patrol look out tower, and another took her friend to her daddy's work to build a home with wood.
Watching every child in the class use their imagination, creativity, and play together was absolutely amazing! Together the children communicated and problem solved by adding more milk crates. The children listened and learned from each other. After one child mentioned going to Bathurst, another child said "where's that?" in which the child replied, "a long drive to get there outside of Woodstock." Playing magic school bus allowed them to use their gross motor skills to lift and build the bus. All of this learning happened together while having so much fun traveling within our outdoor classroom.
~Educator: Amiah Wheelan (March 31, 2021)
Properties of Objects
In providing play materials for [infants and toddlers] it is essential to ensure that there is a great variety and richness of experiences offered, giving the infants the opportunity to explore with mouths and hands, a wide range of textures and shapes.
~Elinor Goldshmied and Sonia Jackson (2004, 92)
Chocolate pudding mixed with cookie crumbs makes the best edible dirt and mud to drive trucks thru!!
Is it...?
Wet
Sticky
Smooth
Rough
Soft
Heavy
Cold
Hot
Squishy
Prickly
Bumpy
Slimy
Dry
Playful Explorers...
...make mud pies. ...lay on the grass. ...build snow sculptures. ...catch the wind. ...watch the clouds. ...jump in leaves. ...dig a hole. ...catch rain drops. ...splash in puddles. ...stop and listen.
New Brunswick Curriculum Framework - Play and Playfulness (P.21)
Test Limits
When we ask children not to move we should have excellent reasons for doing so.
It is stillness we have to justify, not movement.
~Susan Issacs (1932)
As children design structures they make decisions that require judgements regarding balance, shape, weight, size...
New Brunswick Curriculum Framework - Play and Playfulness (P.25)
Sharing the Joy of Laughter
A child's laugh could simply be the most wonderful sound in the world
