These items the three tools I would bring with me on a beach day out as a 5 year old child. A bucket, shovel, and kite.
Play for me was always supported by my family. I was your typical tom-girl that loved flipping around while wearing dresses. My play was fostered by having friends in the community that I played outdoors with. These play times would consist of walks around the neighborhood, playing in the park, or even riding our bikes together. We would even venture outside and dig holes and pretend that we were making stone soup like the book. Electronics were accessible to me but I wanted to spend more time outside than being indoors. I saved those activities for a rainy day or after the sun had gone down. My parents brought us a tent that we did everything in. When it was to cold to play outside we would bring out tent inside and use it to stay warm in our basement while we played video games. My parents would help foster my imagination by playing out creative goofy games with us. Having a sister that are both younger and older I had the best of both worlds.
As I grew older my inner child never quite grew up even though I matured I still enjoyed having fun as an adult by going to amusement parks, traveling and hiking. With that being said I wanted to embark in a field of education my parents fostered my development in every way possible. Working with young children allowed me to foster their imagination and even sit back and observe various play moments.
A day on the beach would allow me to do so many things I would invite two friends to enjoy the day with me. Some things I would to as a child:
- Play pirates; use the shovel as a telescope and to dig for hidden treasure. Bucket would help carry treasure and kite can help steer the ship.
- Kite flying fun; I would pretend i'm parasailing with friends flying all around the world.
- Sand castle; I would be the princess. Use the bucket to build my throne. Additionally, i'll use the kite as my mode of transportation and the shove as my sword to fight off the "bad guys"
I was the opposite, even with year round summer weather, most of my play time was spent indoors. I didn't venture much outside until I was too old for dolls and could go outside without supervision. My mom fostered and encouraged playtime, but by being the youngest she was also overprotective.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your blog post! I also spent most of my time outdoors. I think it is important for all ages to engage in play. I really feel that one of the benefits of being an early childhood educator is being around children all day. They definitely bring out the child in you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing, I really enjoyed the quote that play is the highest form of learning, it has been my experience that this is true. During my time of teaching in ECH play has always commenced to get results.
ReplyDeleteLW