"When children are given a chance to engage freely in adventurous play they quickly learn to assess their own skills and match them to the demands of the environment. Such children ask themselves—consciously or unconsciously—“how high can I climb”, or “is this log across the creek strong enough to support me?” They become savvy about themselves and their environment. Children who are confident about taking chances rebound well when things don't work out at first. They are resilient and will try again and again until they master a situation that challenges them—or wisely avoid it, if that seems best." Joan Alman, co-founder, Alliance for Early Childhood and advocate for play.
We love our muddy boots time! The children are already comfortable and enjoying the outdoors, and we, as teachers, watch in wonder as they cross bridges independently, move rocks and branches, and play. Today the games were "catching fish" which ended up being an exercise in picking up large sticks (whales and sharks) and piling them on a "fire pit," "billy goats gruff" with practice at being the ogre and the goats trip trapping, and "a huge dinosaur (I can't remember the exact name) is coming," and dinosaur quarters (rocks) being gathered. The bridge was crossed repeatedly and safely, as teachers made sure that traffic was one way and turns were taken. Roots and creek beds were climbed, rocks were stacked and knocked down, and there were a few falls and dusty knees, but also many smiles and laughs. We are happy to allow the children the chance to engage freely in this type of adventurous play, and thankful for the beautiful weather!
Until Next Time,
Michele
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