Hurrah for Play
Play is vital for us all, so let's give kids more of it.
PEOPLE AND RELATIONSHIPS
Joan
9/19/20235 min read
As a one time teacher of young children I know exactly how essential play is to child development. Every time I read of new educational policies in the U.K., with their ever increasing emphasis on rote learning and examinations, I despair. It would seem that all the wisdom that was dispensed by Piaget, Montessori and their ilk about the nature of learning has been chucked out of the window by ignorant politicians. Children need space and freedom to experiment without fear of failure. They also need to play outdoors, but there again the trend is negative. Sports are neglected in British schools , playing fields sold off to developers, and some cash strapped councils are even unable to maintain existing children's play parks. That is why my heart soared when I saw the recent developments in our village. Where once we had a large flat area of earth with a couple of rickety football posts, trees have now been planted , a beautiful wall built in local stone, and best of all a wonderful children's play park has been created.
But this play park does not only bring joy and benefits to the children of the village, it is a boon for their parents too. For traditionally village houses were built without any adjacent land. Some villagers like Roland the olive grower (see my earlier blog) may own many hectares of productive land on the edges of the village, but he lives in the main village street. Others may have a small potager or veg. plot some distance away from their house. However I know of one family who possess no outdoor space at all . They live by the edge of the Route Royale, and have two very young children. It was a joy to see these children clambering on the apparatus recently, while their mother chatted to a neighbour at a newly provided picnic table. Playparks are a community wide benefit too!.
There are some highly imaginative and challenging children's play parks in France, but perhaps my favourite is the one that sits in the park alongside the Corum, Montpellier's fine modern concert hall. As you will see from the photograph every challenge has a musical theme. It is both weird and wonderful. However, I wonder how many children are bothered , or even notice this. For doesn't their fun lie in the physical challenges and friendships made? In this huge play park, there are certainly plenty of those to be had.
But however stimulating and challenging these play parks are , we should allow children the freedom to explore and to invent their own games too. How many times have you heard parents say that their child spent more time playing with the cardboard box than the toy inside it? We came across this wonderful adaptation of a large box the other day when we walked to neighbouring Aubaygues. No doubt the new occupant of this miniature play house has every bit as much enjoyment in his/her little cardboard house , than if it were made of the finest wood or bright coloured plastic...or dare I say even more!
As we turned towards the village square we saw another improvisation swinging from a beam above the village lavoir, where once the villagers would gather to wash their clothes. Maybe an adult was asked to help install this, but bravo to all for their ingenuity! Add to this all the ropes and improvised swings one sees suspended from trees, and secret dens that children have constructed in bushes...long may ingenuity continue.
Perhaps the greatest local ingenuity of all has been shown by a group of village kids who created their own play space high above the hamlet of Gourgas . This is an area where we walk on winter weekends, to avoid the hunters in our forest. Two years ago we encountered a group of three or four boys shovelling and barrowing earth and bringing wooden planks to create an area for their BMX bikes. We subsequently saw them enjoying the thrills and spills of the obstacles that they had created. We never learned whose land it was, but no one seems to have objected. Today we returned to the site, but sadly it seems to have been abandoned. I could still discern some of the hollows ,and ridges which they had created , but the planks, the pick and the shovels and the wheelbarrow have all gone. I fear that these lads have subsequently discovered more technical indoor pleasures. But perhaps some new younger kids will come along one day to capitalise on their efforts, or even develop it further.
Here at home I am always happy to see some of the children who holiday here appreciate and explore the possibilities of our woodland environment. Whilst we provide swings and climbing ropes, some kids show great initiative in designing their own play. One small girl created elaborate patterns in the earth with pine cones that she had collected , while a couple of lads created 'kendo ' sticks from wood that they found. They had great fun, even if their mock fights were a little alarming. Perhaps most memorable of all was the small family group who took over a large rock. Led by the eldest child with his phone camera, they created a 'film set' with their plastic toy characters, and invented a film story. Who knows, this lad might have become another Steven Spielberg by now. A long time after they had gone I found an abandoned plastic monster figure hidden in an overgrown crevice.
