Play!

This isn't the first post I've written about play. Allowing children time to play is something I feel very strongly about. In this day and age of rigor (I really dislike that word) & testing many higher-ups have pushed play out of the school day. I am fortunate to work in a corporation that supports Kinders' need for play. More & more research is being presented on the importance of play. Which, when you think about it, it's crazy that play is even a topic of discussion. They are LITTLE KIDS for crying out! Why is their need for play even something that is up for discussion?? Anyway, today I was reading the current issue of Reader's Digest & found a quote by a psychiatrist named Stuart Brown about play. That quote plus the fact that my students are always asking me to take pictures of their block structures they build during playtime prompted this post.

If you follow me on Facebook you may have read some of the many articles I've shared on play. Click HERE to check out my page. Type "play" to search for some really good articles. 

These are our 100th Day cups. I left them out & they have been played with every day since last Wednesday. Today a little boy brought a stuffed dog named Roy to school for his reward. (We use tickets to help with behavior ~ ten tickets earn a reward coupon for things like bring a stuffed animal to school.) These cuties all worked together to create this home for Roy. 

I'm not really sure what this is supposed to be, and yes they aren't using these math manipulatives in the "correct" way, but what they created was pretty cool. I like the symmetry & the collaboration that went into making this. 

Block builders. These boys can be seen in the block area almost daily building all sorts of structures. This is the first year I've had kids combine Lego & other smaller building toys with the big blocks. They make different types of ships or rockets, etc. and then build cities for their ships.

My classroom also has a kitchen area, puppets, stuffed animals, puzzles, games, play doh, coloring books, and things like lacing cards & beads to string. During play time there is no technology ~ all play is kid powered. We play every day for about 20 - 25 minutes. It's a time that is as valuable as the time we spend on literacy & math. What about you? Do your students get to play at school?