My Connections to Play

Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.  - Diane Ackerman

Children at play are not playing about. Their games should be seen as their most serious minded activity.  - Michel de Montaigne

My essential play items as a child included playdough, a water baby, wooden blocks, and Barbies.  I loved playing with things that allowed the use of imagination.  Creativity was always encouraged in my home.  I was also a little on the bossy side, so things that allowed me to be in charge of the way we played were a plus.

When I was younger, my play was supported by my parents.  My Mom would save large boxes at work and bring them home to let me create and imagine.  My Dad would always encourage me to get outside and play with friends.

In my mind, play has changed as technology has increased.  Instead of getting outside and running around, children are watching YouTube videos and playing on iPads.  I think that play has also become more solo and less collaborative.  If you think about it, this is our society as well.  People prefer to text as opposed to dial a phone and if they are forced to make a call, many relish in being able to leave a voicemail.  We do as little face-to-face interaction as possible.  Think fast food drive thru, Redbox video kiosks, and self-scan checkouts.  My hope is that young children will get back to real.  I wish that they would have the opportunity and be encouraged to explore open-ended materials and play collaboratively with other children.

Play allowed me to learn without learning.  I was tricked into learning about measurements when I baked with my mom.  Catching frogs in a pond was a science lesson full of inquiry and hands-on fun.  I think that adults need to play just as much as children.  When I do things that are playful, I find myself feeling free and having fun.  We need to get back to that!

Relationship Reflection

Forming close bonds and relationships with others is so important.  If you think back on the amazing things you've done in your life, you inevitably think about the people you did them with or the people who helped you get there.  As humans, we strive for connection.  There are many people in my life with which I have a strong connection.

My mother is an incredible woman.  She is so caring, open, strong, and helpful.  When I was little I asked her for an easy bake oven.  She laughed and told me I didn't need to cook with a light bulb because we had a real oven.  I was given a box of brownie mix and told to try.  Making mistakes is learning in my mother’s eyes.  I have always admired her ability to stand back and watch instead of constantly direct me where to go.  When I moved out, our relationship was a bit off for a while.  One challenge for us was that I was no longer there to help out around the house.  I had a hard time freeing myself from feeling guilty for living my own life.  Talking things over with her, even with the conversation was difficult, was the only way we were able to move past it and become close again.

I am much older than my 3 younger siblings.  This has always made for such a cool dynamic.  I was 11 when my brother was born and 14 when my twin sisters came along.  We have always had a close bond, but it has been more like a parental bond than a sibling bond.  I love taking them places and spending time with them.  My biggest challenge with my sibling relationship is not being able to be there all the time.  It is so hard to be away and miss band concerts and sporting events.  They are so young that they don’t always understand why I can’t come home all the time.  It has been hard to be away, but I have been able to bring some positive changes about when I return.  I have recently picked up running as a hobby.  My brother loves to run with me, now, and my sister called me today to tell me she joined cross country!

Another positive set of relationships in my life are with a few important friends.  I have found that friends come and go, but there are some that stick around because the friendships are worth the effort to maintain.  My friends Kyle & Melissa have taught me that you don’t have to be blood relatives to be family.  They have opened their homes to me and I love spending time with them.  They have also taught me that it is okay to ask for help, which is something I struggle with.  My friend Meg is a fellow teacher and my running partner.  She and I have been training for a half marathon for the last 9 weeks.  I love that she pushes herself to try new things.  She inspires me to set new challenges for myself.  Christy is another friend who I have a close relationship with.  We often get after each other about little things, but she is so honest and I love that about her.  She keeps me in check and I do the same for her.   

The biggest challenge with friendships is growing with them.  People change, so relationships change.  When Meg had a baby, our friendship changed quite a bit.  We were at different places in our lives and the way we spent time together and the things we did had to evolve with this change.  People moving, changing jobs, getting married…all of these lead to challenges with relationships.  I think that being open and reflective is so helpful to relationships.  If you can admit that you’re wrong or be willing to talk through a problem that is key.  The ability to adapt to a situation and be open to new things helps me to make connections with the families in my classroom as well.