The Politics of Child’s Play

After a break from blogging and what felt like a very long winter, Spring it seems, is finally here. Typically a time for new beginnings and a dose of spring cleaning, changes are certainly a foot in the British education system. However, the proposals being mooted for early years could not be described as a metaphorical lick of paint or sprucing up, but something fundamentally different – a wholesale demolition of the cornerstones of early learning. It seems that no amount of evidence will convince Whitehall of the value of play, and by that I mean unashamedly free, child-initiated play. Fundamental to young children’s social, emotional and physical development, play is often described as children’s work. It lies at the heart of every aspect of a child’s healthy growth and development and if not given adequate opportunities to vent this innate drive, children’s physical and emotional development will quite literally be stunted. If we want children to grow up sheepish, blindly following commands or conversely so disengaged from learning that they already feel labelled as failures, then the sort of system envisaged by Truss, with increased ratios, may be exactly what the Doctor ordered. If on the other hand we aspire for children to develop into free thinking innovators, able to solve the challenges of the world and deal with the problems that the excesses of previous generations have left behind, then this is not the best approach. We cannot miraculously expect to ignite children’s creativity and problem solving simply by the flick of a switch if they have been bought up expecting to be spoon-fed knowledge and to think inside the box.

In fact as these latest ill-conceived proposals demonstrate adults do not have a monopoly on good ideas, often failing to see what’s before their eyes. Children in contrast are technically geniuses before they enter the education system!  Whilst walking through a flower speckled field at the weekend, my 7 year old son stopped to pick three buttercups. A little further on he paused to look up at a tree before selecting a small heart-shaped leaf to pick. Turning to me he asked how he could make a small hole in the leaf. I helped him (purposely not asking him why) and having threaded the flowers through the hole, was rewarded with a beautiful miniature bouquet, fit for a fairy princess. No amount of guesses as to what he was going to do with the leaf would have yielded this exquisitely proportioned bouquet and he rather than I would have excelled in a creativity test. He had a vision and spent time selecting the tools, in this case flowers and a leaf that were fit for purpose.

Returning to the current political debate it is dangerous to look at the experience of other cultures and pick the bits that best fit with our agenda. The Government may see the appeal of orderly French early years settings but not be so drawn to the strongly unionised (dare I say rebellious) culture that predominates French adult life. Of course we want children to grow up having manners and respect and in some households no doubt this is lacking and needs redressing, but Elizabeth Truss is in danger of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. To control play is to destroy the very essence of childhood. Any good early years practitioner knows only too well that subservient robotic children is all too often the sign of something sinister at work. It is as absurd as assuming that the lack of crying in pre 1990 Romanian orphanages was a sign of happy children. We know at all too costly a price what social and emotional deprivation looks like because we can see it from these neglected children’s brain scans. We can also surmise that the reason these babies didn’t cry was not because they were happy but because they knew it wouldn’t make any difference, having learnt all too soon that they would not receive affection  or comfort. If you’ve ever seen children lacklusterly following adult commands, (because they have no interest or ideas of their own); not asking those all important ‘why’ questions, (because they know they won’t be answered, or worse still these will get them into trouble); or trying to please adults by carefully not making any mess during play (because they can read adult’s emotional cues), you will know how stilted and unnatural these ‘play episodes’ are. Yet if we are to listen to Whitehall this should be what we aspire to!

In a literacy lesson last week my 10 year old daughter was considering Government proposals to lengthen the school working day and reduce holidays. The task was to consider the pros and cons of these changes and write a letter to Michael Gove in response to the consultation. After discussing the relative advantages and disadvantages she drafted a well-considered consultation response where she proposed that the school day could be lengthened in the summer term if the extra time was dedicated to outdoor activities – what a great idea! Not only are physical education and outdoor experiences vital to children’s physical, social and emotional well being, providing a buffer to the stresses of everyday life, but if you’ve ever managed to crack a challenging problem after taking the dog for a walk or gardening, you’ll have experienced for yourself its benefits to critical thinking and problem solving. The last line of her letter delivered a decisive blow as she reminded Mr Gove that ‘more time at school does not necessarily mean more learning’. It was this final line that made me bristle with pride and dare I say it encapsulated the fruits of a playful mind nurtured by a playful childhood.  Roll on National Children’s Day and our chance to put children back at the heart of the early years.

Milestones

My mum’s wise words about milestones got me thinking this weekend. Big or small, serious or folly in the eyes of others, for the individual concerned they should always be meaningful. For my six year old boy this could be moving into the next Read, Write Inc. group (his goal not mine), becoming a model boating club member or defying gravity on the asymmetric bars. For my nine year old in contrast this could be mastering her next foray into song writing or memorising Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet to wow peers at the talent contest. For those with poor health every day can be a milestone.

So what do all of these milestones have in common? They are relevant, meaningful and imbued with vision as without these qualities we have no ownership or interest in achieving them. They can help add colour to our lives, give direction and above all provide a sense of agency and achievement. Children are experts in living in the now, getting the most out of the smallest learning opportunity, yet ironically we can chastise them for this as it’s at odds with daily commitments.  Having spring cleaned my in-tray this weekend, to help ‘see the wood for the trees’, I wonder if it’s time to rethink my milestones – why wait until New Year?

Stacks of Fun

No time for blogging last week what with a mountain of orders and the announcement that we had won a Slow Toy Award! The icing on the cake was confirmation that Stacking Hoops was being stocked by Selfridges, Oxford Street for Christmas!  As a non pupil day on Monday I decided to visit one of the centres that makes hoops for us, to show them our 2012 Nursery World trophy and share with them some of the great press coverage about our latest win. As you can see from the photos the members loved the trophy and were seasoned professionals when it came to posing for their novice camera woman! Here’s some photos of the least camera shy members, but thanks also goes to Pru, Mary, Sheila and all the wonderful volunteers led by OBE decorated Audrey, who together make the Centre such a special place to visit.

This week’s blog is dedicated to all the members in the Centres with which we work, without whom Stacking Hoops and several other resources, would simply not be possible. They say that a picture says a thousand words and these certainly convey their pride at being part of the team. For my part I feel that I should own up to what I get from the partnership. As well as gorgeous resources, clearly made with love and supporting a good cause which is good for the soul, visiting the Centres is like a dose of soothing medicine or warming vegetable soup, as you can’t help but leave feeling inspired, energised, grateful to be alive and humbled for what you have. If you want to hear more about the wonderful members at the Thaxted Centre check out their videos on YouTube! Thanks to the people it certainly is an incredibly special place to visit.

I’m guessing that most children will not have spent two hours of their half term visiting a day care centre but perhaps they should, as on our way home my 6 and 9 year old shared what a wonderful time they’d had talking to the people; what exciting stories they told; how genuinely interested and good at listening they are; and how nice it is to have a good old sing song of course!

Here’s a huge thank you to all the team at this and the other Centres that we work

with. I know that the members were really keen to go public with their photos and videos. Check out the videos later in the week; I think they’re amazing, but see for yourself!

  

  

  

And the Winner is….

Few things in life that are worth achieving just happen without any effort on our part. Like the amazing athletes that wowed us at the recent Olympics and Paralympics, their fleeting performance and medal wins mask years of hard work, determination, vision and belief – something that perhaps we lose sight of as armchair spectators.

For children deeply absorbed in exploration or play, focus, determination and vision are apparent as they pursue their own self-set objective, be it fitting objects inside a container, taking their first tentative steps or creating something from treasures they’ve found. Take the three year old who persevered for one hour tossing a chain in a mini pot (spaghetti perhaps?) and succeeded in repeating this 30 times without the chain falling out. Or the pair of children busily den building, who discovered with time, trial and error and collaboration that a mixture of stinky pond mud and grass cuttings made the best daub for their dens. On returning to their creations after lunch, they adapted their designs, adding extra features like a canopy, furniture and fire. The two resulting dens, each with their own individuality and features reflected a process of fine tuning as they adapted their vision and evolved thinking in line with the attributes of the raw materials.

With time, space and practice comes mastery and this is no less true of one of our latest award winning resources – Stacking Hoops. Behind this beautiful resource, described as a ‘work of art’, lies months of work sourcing potential items with sensory appeal and a story to tell; commissioning work from centres for adults with physical or learning disabilities; experimenting with the fit and order of each hoop; and maximising its ‘wow factor’ and play potential. I’m proud to say that the result is a real team effort, from the adults in the centres and small producers that make all the gorgeous hoops to the Play to Z team that worked together to make it work. I started this business with the aspiration that it is possible to be a thriving business, make quality resources and have strong ethical and environmental credentials so winning a Nursery World 0-3’s Resource Award 2012 on top of a silver Independent Toy retailer Eco award makes this all the more wonderful. They say that play is a child’s work, and when it comes to this success story, play was definitely a key part of our work!

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Porto Perfect

After some intensive days at the recent international ECEERA conference I made some time for some R and R. On a beach near Porto I sat absorbed watching the children (of what appeared to be two families) enjoying their time at the seaside. Whilst walking along the beach, the children (two girls aged about 5 years and two boys aged about 18 months) had stopped surprised by a sudden surge of water landing nearby. Each time a wave hit the beach, jets of water were sprayed in the air by a natural rock formation. Their parents loitered, presumably unsure of whether the children were ready to move on. After some time stood watching, one mother and father sat down on the beach clearly detached from play. The other father in contrast remained standing, closely watching, offering a supportive and encouraging hand to his toddler and periodically joining in with the children’s play.  Chasing them in and out of the narrow channel of sand between the rocks further enhanced the children’s excited squeals. As if attached by an invisible thread the father kept tabs on his tottering son and the two excited girls. His subtle presence and ever ready hand to steady his teetering son supported his exploration and venturing ever closer to the sea.

A game then developed between him and the other children. It was not clear who had instigated this timeless game of chase by a ‘monster’ but judging by their outstretched hands, excited cowering behind their parents and shrieks of joy when tickled, the children were clearly enjoying it. The father masterfully maintained a conversation with the adults whilst occasionally lurching towards the children, making tickling gestures. Every now and again he interrupted his discussion to chase them, generating peals of laughter and delight. The playful and attentive disposition of this father were evident as from time to time he threw a cupped handful of sea water over the seated adults and took delight in grabbing them with his icy cold hands – this was the Atlantic after all.  Throughout he skilfully and effortlessly attended to the children’s needs, supported without stifling and joined them in their game.

One particularly playful episode culminated in the father picking up his daughter by her legs and pulling her along the sand towards the water edge where he dropped her in the sea. What happens next gives a real measure of his playfulness as seeing his daughter crying it appears that his boisterousness behaviour may have backfired as she has scratched her tummy on the course sand. He looks at her with concern and then seemingly reassured that she is ok, drops immediately to the ground gesturing for the two girls to drag him to the water. Unable to pull him, he uses his body to help them manoeuvre him to the sea where they triumphantly ‘drop’ him. His actions instantly transform the atmosphere, uniting the children and him and infusing the moment with fun.

With his involvement reaching a natural conclusion, the two girls run up the steep sandy bank that you have to negotiate before reaching the sea, running back down with arms outstretched, screaming as they do so. It’s not long before the young boys join them and all four are happily engaged in walking up the bank and running down it towards the sea, experimenting with their noise-making as they do so.

Sitting there taking it all in, I couldn’t help think that this beach offered huge play potential and affordance in two key ways. The natural rock formation with its intermittent jets of spray and the inviting sandy bank provided excitement, surprise, interest and challenge for these four children. But this alone would not have been sufficient to engage them without the positive emotional environment provided by that playful father. This play episode encapsulates perfectly the dance-like qualities of play and the importance of environmental and emotional affordance in helping children reach their potential.

Surprising creations

At a free festival last weekend a wealth of activities were available to tempt children to explore. As we shaped balls of mud, filled with a mix of plant seeds, an angelically-dressed toddler sat smearing thick layers of vibrant paint with a large brush, totally absorbed in the process. Miraculously her pretty white dress escaped re-decoration, although judging by her paint-smeared lips and hands later, her painting had been a full bodied experience!

Another tent offered a range of recycled and craft materials which children were using for unfettered creativity, like the 2 – 3 year old scooping handful after handful of red glitter. Watching this child burying their glue-daubed paper beneath a pile of glitter, before his mother tipped it back into the pot, made me question how often we really give agency to children in their use of resources like this. I for one know I’ve been guilty of occasionally rationing the glitter!

In this tent, sheets of plasticised foam (the type you clad pipes with) were being cut into strips to create crowns, before being embellished and adorned with an array of materials, beads, sequins and feathers. As my 9 year old explored paint effects before creating her own crown it would have been easy to criticise my 6 year old who was busy cutting up one such strip of foam into small squares for no apparent reason. In fact, allowing him to continue revealed that far from wanton or aimless destruction the product of his toil was a set of foam squares each with a foam hand stuck on one side, real mastery of fine motor skills! He proudly showed me the set of foam paint stamps that he’d created from the wealth of resources. Not only was this an inspired and innovative use of the resources available but it vividly revealed the importance of giving children agency over their own creative explorations.

Yes some gorgeous and very individual crowns for princesses (and even an archbishop’s mitre) were made that day but, left to their own devices, children’s creativity and sense of adventure will often shine through in surprising ways.

“Without an adult, children will never push themselves or their learning beyond what they already know”

These were the words of a charismatic speaker at a recent Early Years event. I know I’ve paraphrased and taken these words out of context, for the importance of igniting children’s interest as a tool for developing active learners was later acknowledged, but I do sometimes wonder whether we place too much emphasis upon our own importance.

Sadly a glut of work deadlines this weekend limited my time and ability to just play. Inadvertently it also gave me food for thought on the role of adults. Inspired by the glorious weather and the discovery of a seventies style broken wicker chair, my 6 and 9 year old turned it on its side, creating a cosy huddle in the shade.  After a few minutes snuggling in their creation, the 9 year old suddenly announced that she was making something, something secret. The next two hours were punctuated by requests for pieces of wood, nails and very occasional help with hammering.  After showing her how to perfect a safe and efficient hammering technique, her mastery was evident so I simply ‘supervised’ from a distance. Having ferreted through the shed and discovered a flat piece of wood she proceeded to find an assortment of pieces of architrave and 2 x1 which she attached to the four edges. As this was a covert operation it did not become clear until the end that tacks or short nails would have been better, and easier on the neighbours, than the 2” nails with which she was supplied. With the parts firmly attached she sanded the edges before getting out paint and watercolour crayons to transform the blank canvas.

Once finished it was time for its unveiling and for us to guess what we thought she’d made! Guesses of a picture, Hexbug track, stock car track, Uno card table, tray, table top and stair gate flowed thick and fast before she spilled the beans. What had started as a back support for their new huddle (she’d discovered its uncomfortable design flaw!) evolved into a dog bed before finally emerging as a purpose-designed TV dinner tray, built for two pairs of knees!

I love how this project was self-driven, motivated by a need she alone had identified. It evolved as she worked with the resources and her familiarity and confidence grew.  Familiarity with objects is closely linked to creativity and problem solving and this certainly seemed to be the case as the project took shape. The result was a substantial piece of furniture, doubling up as a doggy stair gate in between use as a card and dinner tray!

Returning to the words of wisdom at the beginning, it’s clear to me that my role at the very most could only be described as a ‘plate spinner’ – providing occasional advice and resources to furnish her objective. As my presence was largely irrelevant I’m convinced that without my input she would have still persisted and fulfilled her vision but perhaps without discovering about wood grain, how to hold a hammer, sanding techniques and safety strategies. As I looked at the finished product I felt a mixture of pride in her determination and achievement and regret that perhaps we could have supported her better. Not in a hands-on way – it was a secret and she wanted to retain ownership, so that would not have been appropriate, but perhaps in providing more suitable wood and nails. With properly sawn timber the result would have been amazingly professional. But perhaps that’s not what this was about. Like a child being encouraged to colour within the lines or draw grass as green and sky as blue, where’s the challenge in that? What could be better than taking inspiration from what’s found around us and crafting it into something greater than the sum of its parts? That tandem tray certainly exudes quirky individuality and her granddad, a joiner would have bristled with pride!

Sue’s new book just arrived hot off the press today, to find out more follow the link to the Open University.

http://bit.ly/J4Ym4o

On your marks, get set, go!

The Olympic Games has raised the issue of competitive sport and individuals daring to be the best.  BBC News reported on how privately educated children are significantly more likely to be competing in the Olympic Games than their state educated counterpart. So far discussion seems to have revolved around the issue of finance which is undoubtedly a factor when it comes to sports like horse riding, rowing, sailing etc that require significant financial investment and parental support. I wonder though if another factor at play is the demise of competition in schools? Gone are the days in all but a few state schools when children compete in sports on a regular basis. It’s generally not seen as politically correct for children to win in sports, unless as part of a team. Take sports day in the average school where the youngest children do joint activities to produce a winning team. I can’t help feeling that this is fundamentally unfair as not all children naturally excel academically and yet may have a real talent for sport. By removing all competition we are also removing these children’s opportunity to shine and grow. When it comes to more formal learning achievements, no matter what names are used to disguise ability groups in maths and literacy, children have a keen grasp of where they come in the class hierarchy. Clearly we don’t want children to leave school feeling disengaged and a failure at anything, but equally we need to recognise and find ways of nurturing each child’s individual talents. A spirit of taking part and teamwork are obviously essential, but if we are to nurture future champions in schools we also need to make it acceptable for children to compete and win.

In cases where the glass ceiling has been raised on what children with special educational needs can achieve, the results have been surprising with all children’s performance rising, much like a pacemaker in a long distance race. We can’t all be good at the same thing but offering opportunities to practice the art of competition enables children to perfect, improve and consolidate performance or aspire to be better. The Olympic values of fair play, hard work, determination and team spirit are key in fostering children as unique individuals with their own talents and aptitudes to be embraced, not hidden under a bushel. The new prime areas of physical development and personal, social and emotional development will undoubtedly go some way to encouraging the development of these core strengths and skills. Now it’s time to pass the baton to children and get ready to celebrate their special talents.

Brilliant beds

After three failed attempts to get tickets for even the most obscure Olympic events we’d given up hope of witnessing any of the memory-making extravaganza that is the 2012 Games. Hence I was gobsmacked to discover that, having been entered for an unlucky losers draw, we actually had tickets for the Opening Ceremony! Mindful of the ticket fiasco and resulting loss of inclusivity, I felt privileged to be among the minority able to enjoy the spectacle firsthand. And the experience did not disappoint. The show was a heady mix of creativity, imagination, technology, history and culture, not to mention copious humour. The vast yet intimate space theatrically transformed before our eyes, turning from rural idyll to a sparse industrialised landscape and suburbia. A combination of brilliant choreography, props and above all imagination took a billion onlookers on a journey of discovery and transformation, much like the transformation of Stratford itself.

Although not every international spectator would have appreciated all the humour and cultural references within the show, few could question its originality, quality and professionalism. It seemingly offered something for everyone and managed to provide a personable experience for individuals as well as a visual spectacle on the macro level. The result was a triumphant display of both intimate and epic proportions.

The Olympic Games has been heralded as an opportunity to create a legacy, not just in bricks and mortar and attitude to sport and fitness, but also in inspiring young people’s vision and determination to succeed. Jacques Rogues referred to the potentially wider educational legacy of the Games, and I for one hope this is realised. Reflecting on the Ceremony, I can’t help feeling that it encapsulated so much of what our education system should be offering young children. It brought history to life, merging creativity, expressive arts and design with cutting edge technology, cooperation, hard work and determination. The result was a story with resonance and meaning to the public, inspiring young and old in the process.

The ceremony was not short of intrigue, excitement and surprise. Clearly every day school can’t compete on anything approaching this scale, nor would that be desirable, as TV, computer games and 21^st century toys already programme children for low attention spans and unrealistically action-packed lives, but this should not be an excuse for offering bland and boring learning opportunities in the classroom.

Children have a fascination for the detail found all around us in everyday life, so as any good early years practitioner will tell you, once the Olympics are a distant memory there will still be plenty of learning opportunities to be inspired by a dead stag beetle found lying on the ground, an un-hatched egg in an abandoned nest or the grains of sand in a tray. If we build upon opportunities like these and recognise the value of project work for giving children scope to become absorbed and take ownership of their learning, like my 9 year olds passion for Tudor maths – (costing, planning and marketing a Tudor banquet) then we are likely to have eager-eyed learners. Classrooms have traditionally kept work and play distinct, even using the carrot of free play time to secure quality work. This can unhelpfully give the message that play is just for young children – a real loss to society as surely all the great advances in mathematics, science, music, creativity and exploration owe their origins, at least in part, to an active and playful mind?

So what were my lasting memories from the night? One had to be the wide mouthed look of shock on my six year old’s face when he thought 007 and the Queen were parachuting into the Arena – undoubtedly priceless! Another was the feeling of unity, pride and celebration that pervaded and the drama and ingenuity of the rings and Olympic flame cauldron evolving before our eyes. But my residing memory is far more mundane. Danny Boyle cleverly used hospital beds to create drama, spectacle and quite literally convey a message. Its execution showed skill, finesse, courage, creativity and above all a playful mind. Who in the billion onlookers could have foreseen the starring role of humble hospital beds – albeit beefed-up versions with high tech gadgets – in this global phenomena?  I suspect Danny Boyle would have been a lone voice and yet this out-of-the-box thinking typifies his brilliant achievement and is exactly the sort of divergent thinking that the education system should be nurturing in children, especially as the curriculum becomes increasingly formal. Tasked with delivering the Opening Ceremony few would be playful, or let’s face it, brave enough to use humble objects in such a high profile spectacle. Similarly it takes a brave Key Stage 2, 3 and sadly even KS1 practitioner to infuse playfulness in everyday learning. I hope I’m not alone in being inspired by those beds and that parents and teachers across the globe will be compelled to ‘Make time to play’!