I came upon an article online titled "Leave No Child Inside" published by the Sierra Club, which talked about how our children may be coming into an age of "Nature Deficit Disorder". It was quite thought provoking and made a lot of good points. One quote that was so painful for me was this, "A fifth-grader in San Diego described his world succinctly: 'I like to play indoors better 'cause that's where all the electrical outlets are.'
This article lead me to the book I am reading now, "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv. I will definitely buy a copy for both of my daughters and their husbands for Christmas. While they do so many wonderful, natural things with their sons, it is just excellent and informative reading. It would be a great book study for a group of young parents.
While I had Satchel this weekend, I was mesmerized, watching his play. He wanted to go outside where I have trimmed the lavender plants. He calls them "the sticks" and likes to hide his little animals in the stick jungle. I find it interesting that he chooses the lavender, perhaps a self-regulating technique of aromatherapy? Anyway, he squats on the walkway and plays there indefinitely. On Saturday, after about half an hour, he began to expand to new horizons. I just watched from the sidelines of my opened office door.
He found the old boards from the fence and the leftover new ones and brought them to the porch. I spoke up then and asked him to notice that there were a couple of nails in the old ones. He studied them very quietly, seriously and carefully, then put those away. Then he began to carry very heavy stones from the garden. I like to call children the "Water Carriers", because I believe that children take up this kind of task, because they like the feel the weight, holding them to the earth. After all, they are spiritual beings trying to become human beings. Little angels trying to figure out this earth. Then he saw the vibrant color of the gourds that were on my porch; he added those. There was the Buddha statue who he joined in on the scene....this went on for two hours.
All the while, Satchel was speaking to himself from that inner voice of play:
(With bear in hand)
"OK, now you go up this big hill."
(The bear comes to a gourd on the fence board)
"OH NO! It's a trap! Quick! Go down! No! Over here!"
(The bear scrambles all over the board, Satchel's strength and fury knocks the board off the stones. He puts the bear up on the porch railing)
"It's ok honey. Now Remy won't eat you."
(He begins to build again)
"Papa can build good things."
(Looks up at the bear)
"My papa too."
"Just lift this up here, like this."
(He lifts, then the board falls again. He adds another stone)
"Like this. OK?"
And on and on...the voice that teaches him how to think creatively! And by developing this habit of thinking creatively and logically toward a solution, he is developing a rich soil for the garden of academic learning, where he can "plant" the greater facts that will come when he reaches school age. This is what I believe and see time and again in my profession. Play is the most important pre-academic skill. Not workbooks, or hooked on phonics, or reading/math computer programs, but good old-fashioned play!.
In my living room, the bottom shelf of the coffee table houses all of the grandchildren's toys. I update regularly, to be sure they are exciting, educational, media free, and age appropriate. But funny thing is, this is how they usually sit...untouched.
Notice the middle game here. It is a bowling game, consisting of beautiful little painted wooden monkey pins, that you bowl down with a little, rainbow-striped, wooden ball. Sweet game. But this was Satchel's game of bowling:
He threw (kicked) the bowling ball (pumpkin) toward the pins (his creation) and watched it tumble down (strike!), making a thrilling sound of accomplishment. (Yeeeeesssss, of course kicking is always monitored.) But, since this was his creation, he hurt no one, got a lesson in cause and effect, and let me know he was done. He began his game and he ended it. The learning resonated, as he sat in the quiet moment of his own chosen completion...
...that traveled from the lavender garden, to the Panda's home, to the bowling alley...
...and stared. Rich with new knowledge...
