Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Play


Frances, the librarian at Scott Montgomery Elementary, had lunch with us yesterday. She shared with us an amazing list of projects: Veggie gardens for each grade, community compost and us getting to spend Fridays with the preschoolers in the Pumpkin Patch…

After we finished business, Martin Lane and Frances began discussing BOOKS! The Invention of Hugo Cabaret, Everything by Roald Dahl and Coraline … Martin Lane has never read Coraline and was not interested in the Movie when it came out. Frances thought ML would Love it…

This morning after a run and watering the pumpkins I came back to a copy of Coraline waiting for ML on our front stoop. What a kind gesture from a librarian taking time on her second day of school…

We spent the morning taking turns reading chapters from Coraline. We had plans but they got pushed back. This morning was a morning of play and what that meant was reading to each other.

Studies declare that what is missing from children’s lives is free play. The concern is that all play is scripted either by a computer or rules of a game or even adult supervision. My concern is that as soon is there is language involved or even a scheduled time then the so-called Free Play becomes part of the arrangement… So we look to play as part of the arrangement, a sort of slackening of rigidity and in this we find the ability to get done what we need to and enjoy the play that spontaneously shows up on our front door step…

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