Children are naturally wired to be curious about the world around them. Play is the exploration of understanding that world. What if we as educators fostered our curiosity? What if, when looking at children’s play, we ask ourselves “I wonder, what do they know that I don’t?” or “What do they know that I have forgotten?” What if we remained curious about the answer and allowed ourselves to explore the idea in depth, examining our thoughts.
What if we gave ourselves time and space to follow, chase the threads of wonderment? Might we see the possibilities of play just like a child? What if we moved beyond the visible, the things we see without effort and journey to our heart’s eye. The place we can truly see. What might lay there?
A memory…
the coolness of mud between toes
watch clouds performing sky plays the airiness of floating on the milky way
sound of popping bubbles
dancing with Dragonflies
gentle conversations with Butterflies
tiny Ant steps on your arm
visiting flowers with your friend Bee
tea parties under Willow Trees
the humming of Grasshopper’s legs
the smell of Lilacs tickling your nose.
A magical tracing back to a time where you felt you belonged to something more significant. Child’s play quietly, as softly as a summer breeze whispers to you, “Come, remember.” We are not just replaying our childhood’s vintage movies, flickering black and white light projecting the pictures of where we have been, but allowing us to feel it in full colour. Children’s play has the ability to connect us with the sense of endless possibilities, the natural rhythm of the curiosity dance.
It’s within the awe that journeying to our heart becomes possible. Let children’s play guide us as educators to a place where we remember what it is to live in wonderment.