My Connections to Play
“For ourselves, and for our planet, we must be both strong and
strongly connected with each other, with the earth. As children, we need time
to wander, to be outside, to nibble on icicles, watch ants, to build with dirt
and sticks in the hallow of the earth, to lie back and contemplate clouds…”
(Gary Paul Nabhan & Stephen Trimble, The Geography of Childhood, 2004).
“Children
need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is necessity.”
(Katy Redfield Jamison: Professor of Psychiatry)
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| Myself with my friends. I am the one with black dress with hat infront...during my childhood in Lo-Manthang, Mustang, Nepal |
Both quotes are very close to my heart
and apply to my personal childhood experience too. I used to get sad or feel
poor that I didn’t owe a proper toy to play with when I was kid but NOW I feel
privilege and happy to say that I was a child, who had time to wander, to be
outside, to nibble on icicles, watch ants, to build with dirt and sticks in the
hallow of the mountain, to lie back and contemplate clouds…I surely did all
these things and even more I guess…I grew up in a mountain region of Nepal,
where nature is closest to people. I don’t remember having a single artificial
toy as a kid; all I had was my friends, and the Mother Nature to play with from
dawn to dusk, while my parents were busy working in the farm. Life was simple,
easy and blissful.
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| Children playing "catch" in an open air. |
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| While playing, they practiced their gross motor skill...natural gym class |
I wish every child has those beautiful
moments just to be around nature and be free…It is very sad that these days a
child even 8 years old has no freedom as well as right to just to wander around
and just be him/herself like I did every since I was a baby. Things changes
along with time…but our opinions should never change what is good for a child.
Giving time for the child to play and understanding the reasons behind every
play is crucial for healthy child development. Through play, child develop
flexible thinking; learn to create beyond the here and now; stretch their
imagination; use new words and word combinations in a risk-free environment;
and use numbers and words to express ideas, concepts, dreams, and histories
(Wardle, n.d).
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| Being closer to the nature...up in the Himalays... |
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| Play with snow along with taking care of sibling is a common practice in my country... |
References
Wardle, F. (n.d.). Play as curriculum.
Google images.
I really enjoyed your first quote! I, too, experienced a great deal of free play and exploration time in the natural world. As an adult, I can plainly see the benefits of growing up making discoveries and drawing conclusions based on natural play experiences. I try to implement as many of these experiences as I can for my own children and love to see the wonder in the eyes of young children as they investigate the worm in the garden, the bird in the sky, and the eerie way the trees bend in the wind. I love when a connection can be made among people from across the world, and I hope you don't mind, but my children have become quite interested in the pictures you post and we have begun to learn a little more about Nepal. Thank you so much for sharing these pieces of your life.
ReplyDeleteYou very welcome Dana. I would not mind at all...Infact I am so happy that your kids are interested in learning about my country, Nepal and you are giving them the opportunity to learn. Thank you very much Dana. I hope to share more and more pictures
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