The
Canadian Association for Young Children, New Brunswick
Children Learning Through Play - A display of photographs
taken by teachers in the early grades of New Brunswick's schools.
Play is the young child's natural learning medium. David Hawkins,
educator, science professor, author, said "If education were
defined to include everything that children have learned since birth,
everything that has come to them from living in the natural world
and the human world, then by any sensible measure what has come
before age 5 or 6 would outweigh all the rest. When we narrow the
scope of education to what goes on "in schools, we throw out
the method of that early and spectacular progress at our peril".
Play has been defined by many people in different ways - Mark Twain
said "Work consists of what a body is obliged to do; play consists
of whatever a body is not obliged to do" - and that seems to
be the synthesis of most definitions of play. If, in the classroom,
a child has the option to choose from a variety of activities, and
may pursue that activity to his/her satisfaction, that is play.
It is the element of choice that determines play from work; if you
spend time in your workroom, working, but you chose to be there
and there is no coercion, then its play, however hard you work at
it. Observe a child at play; they really work at it! It is, truly
"serious business". The learning , because of the interest
and desire to be so involved, is far greater, and will be retained,
than learning imposed on children by book or spoken word alone.
Watch your child playing; listen, and you will know the truth of
this.
Take a look at the pictures using
the links below. (Click on Thumbnail to view full size.) |
