Saturday, August 29, 2015

Celebrating Imagination


              I celebrate each Saturday with Ruth Ayres at Discover Play Build - Week number 97! There are many others who celebrate, too. Come join us!          Tweet at #CelebrateLu



         The week filled up with those nice things one savors, good connections, good meetings, good times with friends. But today I celebrate the amazing power of imagination. You know how much I love my grandchildren, also think they're very cute, just as you all think of your own children, family, including dogs. It was National Dog Day on Thursday, did you notice? The wonderful pictures on FB made me wish for a dog again.
          In watching the grand-girls yesterday, I had the chance to contemplate the power of play, am celebrating only one thing today, the power of imagination. There have been a number of articles recently about the importance of play, that too much is being taken away and replaced by worksheets/seatwork, in pre-school too!  I kept Imogene yesterday, and she played. We read, we went to the park and met a worm on the way, imagined what it might be like to live in the grass, all alone. What did it eat? Where did it go at night? At the park, Imi started some game in which she paused, said a nonsense rhyme, a shout, then ran up and down the play space again. I'm not sure what she was doing, but she was smiling all the time. 


          After school, we picked up Ingrid, had snacks, and then they ended up in the back yard for about an hour waiting for Mom to pick them up. They had sticks. Oh, the power of sticks and a garden just high enough to be in another world. For a long time, they pretended an elaborate tale of hardship, being in trouble, calling for help from each other, breaking free, then starting all over again. They would come to the table to grab a few Cheezits, then off again through the plants, calling to each other. "Oh no," they yelled. "I'm in trouble." "Get me out." To us adults, it is fun to watch, and funny, but to children playing out scenes, I do wonder if pretending to "save" each other gives strength for the next challenge little ones face and don't even know they are? So I celebrate that they pretend, get their sticks and take off into the unknown, creating stories.




16 comments:

  1. One of the joys of teaching a small group of gifted kids is that I can allow for creative play time. My students have built tents out of blankets and quilts for silent reading time. They have made a diaper out of a plastic bag for our class lemur, Jack. One student who celebrated her birthday with us on Friday created a scavenger hunt game that included book titles. Play is important. Play grows community. Play leads to learning. Thanks for celebrating the power of play.

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    1. I love hearing about all the creativity going on with you, Margaret. Being open to play means being open to so much joy, I think. Thanks!

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  2. Love reading about the play and stories happening at your house. So delightful! And the last pic - I love it!

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    1. Hilarious, I think. It was terrific watching them play, Ramona. Thanks.

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  3. Play is so important! Kids today don't get enough time to do it!

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  4. Celebrating with you and the joy of grandchildren.

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  5. Children discover so much in the freedom to create and play. In their stories, they work out so many issues, weave so many dreams. Your pictures and post really speak to that magic, Linda.

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    1. They were totally engrossed in this drama, in and out the flowers, up and down the path. I haven't had the chance of really concentrating on such play for a while, usually am in the midst. Thanks, Tara.

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  6. This is really a lovely celebration Linda - but you raise some important points about not racing our little ones through childhood.

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    1. Thanks, Carrie, I wish we could all slow down, saw it in my middle school students too, always needing to do more, be more.

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  7. I whole heatedly agree with you on the importance of imagination and play. There is this borderline when the kids grow and suddenly feel like they are too old for play. I wish it didn't happen. Thank you for letting us glimpse into the lives of your grandkids.

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    1. You're welcome, Terje, it was just so delightful to see such play that I wanted to write about it. They were hilarious in their seriousness of the story.

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  8. Special, irreplaceable and totally necessary time for children. And what a blessing for you Linda.

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    1. Thanks, Lisa. I just read another article about the need for play in The Atlantic. I'm glad I wrote.

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