"Play is not only our creative drive; it's a fundamental mode of learning."--David Elkind
I was fortunate enough to grow up in the country. My play area consisted of the yard around my house. I can remember playing for hours with my dog Sandy. My sisters and I would play hopscotch in the sand or play hide and seek. We loved being outside in the fresh air. When we did go inside to play, we played with our dolls. We also loved to play school. My Mom would be outside hanging clothes up on the clothesline and sometimes she would join our game of hide and seek. When my cousins came over it was like a super big party! Sometimes we would have big tea parties in my room, but most of the time we played right in my yard.
Today my family is very close. I believe this has come from years and years of being together and watching each other grow up. We always have family functions and now we encourage our children to play with one another without technology. The world of television and video games has seemed to destroy the creative minds of our children. Children and parents are always so busy now going from one sports event or practice to another. When I think back to growing up in the 70's life seemed so much easier and simple. I think Albert Einstein said it best...."Play is the highest form of research." Maybe we need to get back to that old school way of playing when we used nature to inspire our imagination.
