Comments | bluwyngz: The decline of imagination?

bluwyngz

The decline of imagination?

Nov 13, 2009 19:59

We have this thing called the Zone at the school where I work. It's reward play-time for kids who have made good choices. I supervise it for a half-hour per day ( Read more... )

school, kids, creativity, work

Comments 9

aminorjourney November 14 2009, 07:53:45 UTC

I always find your patience and perseverance a huge inspiration when thinking about work with children ( ... )

skellington1 November 16 2009, 19:35:37 UTC

Oh, that's terrible. Damn toddlers just aren't accomplishing enough! Little kids have tons of problem solving skills and imagination. Let 'em alone to use it!

bluwyngz November 16 2009, 20:02:08 UTC

That's a perfect example of the strangle-hold some adults seem to want to have on kids. It fits right in with not letting them do ANYTHING for themselves. Most kids I watch being picked up just hand absolutely everything they're carrying (coat, lunch, bookbag, waterbottle, etc.) to their parents without a word. Not even "thank you". If they were my kids, I'd tell them to carry at least some of it themselves. I seriously worry that some of them are going to become like the people in WALL-E.

bluwyngz November 16 2009, 20:04:03 UTC

Oh, forgot to say "thank you" for the kind words about my working with kids. I fear sometimes that my patience is draining lately. That note reminds me to keep in mind the fact that they are, in fact, children and are deserving of much patience.

skellington1 November 16 2009, 19:33:48 UTC

"as late as 12 years old I had imagined myself on a pirate ship"

At 12, I was dressing up in giant skirts and bangles from goodwill and running around the front yard with a tamborine and meliz113. We were gypsies.

bluwyngz November 16 2009, 19:58:06 UTC

And at 15 we were crawling around the floor freaking Emily out by being cats. ( : Good times.

skellington1 November 16 2009, 20:00:05 UTC

Damn straight! You're NEVER too old to play pretend or dress-up.

bluwyngz November 16 2009, 20:12:28 UTC

Heh. I don't think I ever told you about the amazing playground Kate and I saw in Luxembourg. It was a giant wooden sailing ship climbing/playing structure. A sort of pyramid on legs with bridges connecting to other areas and a whole series of rivulets and pools with sluices, archimedes screas and pumps.

I wailed at Kate that I wanted to go play on it. I didn't think I could explain to the authorities sufficiently in French or German that I wasn't a creepy child-stalker, but someone who never grew out of playing.

Ooo, found a video of it.
Clearly I'm not alone in my admiration and having kids is the trick to being able to play on it as an adult.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al0gEJLXYAQ

Thread 5