My Connections to Play

Being asked to share “essential play items for my younger self” in this blog assignment, this is what I remember and consider THE most important.—nature.  It’s not that I didn’t have toys growing up, however, as an adult looking back, I have far fewer memories of those popular, plastic toys than I do the time spent outside both alone and with friends and the creative energy I spent making toys from rocks, leaves, sticks and everyday household items like a scrap of material, a hammer and nails, a clothes pin, or spool of twine or string, which I then used to help transform objects in nature into instruments of my imagination.  I still remember the pure joy and sense of wonder I found exploring, experiencing and playing in my own backyard.  We don’t need more ‘things’ to teach our children; we need more time, space, and freedom to just let them be in the world and allow their own brains to start to make sense of it through play.  Too many children today are involved in too many activities, trapped in cars running countless adult errands, or are encouraged to sit inside using technology as a substitute for imagination.  To these children, we owe countless apologies—as they are being robbed of their ability to cultivate a sense of wonder, awe and marvel that will serve their spirits and bring joy and happiness to their souls for a lifetime.