My Connections tp Play!

Play is the beginning of knowledge.” ~ Anonymous

“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” Kay Redfield Jamison (professor of psychiatry)

I had a lot of fun as a child and my life was full of play experiences. I remember playing army men with my brothers, or house using my dog as the baby, or playing ballet instructor at our family friends house in their pool. I played barbies at my friend Teresa's house well into junior high however that was our secret. I loved playing at the creek on my grandparents property, too. It was a blast. My parents allowed us to explore and encouraged play. We were not huge television watchers and we were encouraged to stay active. My grandma would play "ballet" with me and I would put on recitals. I would always want her to come out of the kitchen and I would come out of the bedroom and down the hall to make my entrance. My mom and dad would play in different ways. My mom would play house with me and my dad and I were dance partners often dancing to Elvis Presley.

The ways in which play is different today is a lot of "play" is not about exploration but about mastering a video game. There seems to be less places for children to freely roam, to run, scream, jump, and explore. Play (large motor) is less frequent in public schools and in some school nearly nonexistent. A few years back my daughter Sophia was given a planning time (detention) for running on the playground. Ridiculous but a true story. When I was young I could not wait to get outside to run on the playground but now it is apparently unsafe. I can only hope that through new research about the importance of play educators will demand that children have time set aside everyday for
large motor play as well as free choice play. Our children gain a wealth of knowledge in every domain through creative play and we must advocate for children and their right to play.

Josie Zbaeren 


 

Angie's Early childhood studies blog: Relationship Reflection

Angie's Early childhood studies blog: Relationship Reflection: "Human relationships, and the effects of relationships on relationships, are the building blocks of healthy development" (Shonkoff & Phill...

Thank you for sharing. You have beautiful daughters and it sounds like a wonderful husband. I have 5 daughter's and a wonderful husband as well. I am excited to get to know you through your Blog.

Josie

Relationship Reflection:

I have a lot of relationships that are important to me for example my relationship with my husband, daughters, parents, siblings, church family, close friends and co-workers. I value them all but in different ways.

My relationships with friends, church family, extended family and co-workers are important to me because they are a form of support. I appreciate the people in my life that care for me, respect me, and value my opinion.

The relationship with my husband will be the focus of this Blog. This relationship is so very important to me because Bill (my husband) is my partner in life. He loves me unconditionally. He is my biggest fan and strongest support. He is a fabulous spouse; father, brother, provider, worker, and role model. He is my best friend. I love him!

I have a positive relationship with Bill as well as our daughters Madeline, Emileigh, Olivia, Sophia, and Kiera. I also have positive relationships with extended family and friends. Our family is our priority and because we have committed ourselves to family first we have great relationships with our girls.

My husband and I have a positive relationship because we are supportive of each other, we are respectful of each other, and we share our hopes, dreams, and goals. We are effective communicators; problem solvers and we are responsible. We share the same faith and values. We are connected through our marriage but we are still individuals. We have positive relationships with our children because we are consistent, caring, and responsive, we listen, set boundaries, follow through, and love them always. We have modeled respectful behavior and our girls are respectful.

We have learned over time (Bill and I) to make time for us. We have learned to talk about the good and bad stuff in order to work through it. We have learned that we will fail at times and to ask for help from each other as we need it. We have learned that surprises keep things lively. We have learned to laugh! We have learned to let go of things not in our control. We have learned in order to grow we will face challenges. We have learned life is short so we need to grab opportunities that come our way.

The special characteristics of my relationship with Bill are the love, trust, companionship, support, sense of belonging and the list goes on...

Understanding that relationships are based on trust, listening, problem solving, compassion and hard work will help me be an effective early childhood professional because I will pass these attributes onto the children I serve as well as their families. I will treat them with respect, honor their individuality, listen to their concerns, support their progress and collaborate with them to meet their needs and help them reach their goals.