Whose Play Is It?

“Yes, we remember all the benefits [of play], but we have to remember that it’s fun!”

This was one of many phrases that I loved and took from the “Whose Play Is It?” conference on play in Scotland. Yes, I got to attend a conference ON PLAY! How freaking cool—right?! The conference was a wonderful experience. I got to meet a lot of passionate educators, members of organizations, and people who really just want to support children. The coolest thing about the conference though was the fact that when I told people about my project, they did not have a weird look on their face. We were all dorking out about play together—understanding its merits and challenging our perceptions of childhood. It was so great!

The conference was called “Whose Play Is It” because of the adult invasion over play. The keynote speaker, and rockstar, Bob Hughes, spoke of the adult world that we have tried to create for children’s play. We want play to look like one thing—something that will educate and benefit children, something with an end result. We think that we know what is best for children, when really, evolution has allowed children to receive the skills that they need through play. Without letting children play freely, they are unable to access what evolution has selected for them. When we, as adults, intrude a space, whether literally or figuratively, we interrupt the natural connection between free play and brain development. This got me thinking about my role in play and my project and the different philosophies that I am looking at. Is my project intrusive? Am I being realistic when I want to understand play? After all, it is not my world, but the world of a child. It also got me thinking about what play looks like to different educational philosophies. Each philosophy creates their own idea of what play should be and what it should look like. This idea is constructed and carried out in the structure and content of the classroom and the daily schedule. I would like to further explore this idea in each place that I visit. I think that it would be interesting to look at what play looks like to different school settings and cultures.

In addition to attending the conference, I have also been able to meet with some organizations that support play. Surprisingly, Scotland has a decent amount. I have no idea whether or not these types of things exist in the States or not, but if they do, I sure want to be involved in one when I get back. The organizations that I have talked with do all sorts of fun stuff with neighborhoods, schools, organizations, and government projects. This ranges from advocacy to play space construction to funding to training. Cool beans—huh?! But really, all of these guys are fantastic! I have had a great time learning from them!

Alrighty, so besides nerding out about play, Scotland has been a wonderful adventure! I have been in Edinburgh for two weeks now and although it is kind of chilly and it gets dark a wee bit early, it is lovely here! Here are some of my favorite Scotland happenings...

Hiking in the highlands. Last week, two Sewanee folks were randomly in town and when they said that they rented a car and planned on hiking the next day, it did not matter to me that I had the stomach bug, I was going on that trip. So, we headed up to the highlands past Stirling to Ben A’an, our hiking destination. We were told the night before from a drunken Scotsman that Ben A’an was “a hill,” well, I’m sorry Scotland, but you need to change what you consider to be a “hill.” This was a mountain. A large, steep, lung sucking, mountain. A snow covered mountain. These things considered, it was a fan-freaking-tastic climb! The views were stunnnning. I was constantly stopping (NOT because I was out of breath) to admire my surroundings. The hike overlooked a gorgeous lake and was surrounded by snowy peaks. All I have to say is I know why John Muir was inspired by the Scottish landscape. It is beautiful.

Seeing The Black Keys in Newcastle. I went with my host here to go see them and man, was it an incredible evening! Not only was the concert fantastic, but what happened afterwards was equally remarkable. So, we had originally booked a bus back to Edinburgh for 4:30 am (I know, ouch!) but since the concert finished earlier than we thought it would, we decided to try our luck at catching the bus that was at 11:30 pm. While trying to figure out if we were at the right stop or not, we met the other two people standing there, because there is no better way to bond with strangers than over a confusing bus schedule. They were waiting for people who were on the bus and confirmed that we were in the right place. The girl who was waiting there had an accent from the States, so naturally, I had to ask where she was from. Turns out she was a fellow Southerner—woohoo—from Mississippi! We hugged, because that is what happens with you meet a Southerner in England, and began to chat about what we were both doing on the other side of the pond. Turns out, we had a few friends on common. One of which was also a Watson Fellow!! Crazy?! Naturally, we quickly became new friends! Once we had stopped jumping up and down and shouting at each other (which did merit A LOT of strange looks), her friend came walking down the street. Turned out that the bus didn’t stop where it was supposed to so we were sticking around until the 4:30 one. Thankfully though, our new friends let us come and hang out with them! We had an amazing evening that was spent talking about linguistics (what she was studying), swapping funny stories, drinking tea, and eating bad take-out food. It was absolutely perfect! I could not have been more thankful for the hospitality of two wonderfully kind strange strangers! So Jane and Kirt, Y’ALL ARE THE BEST, THANK YOU! J

One funny thing that I have noticed from being away from home are the weird things that make me nostalgic. Random, strange things.

-The smell of Christmas trees.

-The song “Country Roads.”

-Seeing a picture of rolling mountains. And these mountains don’t have to be from the States, they could be rolling through any country.

-Seeing Jack Daniels memorabilia. This one is particularly funny to me, because the distillery is really not THAT close to Sewanee.

-Smelling fried foods. 

Ya, they are pretty weird, huh? 

I’ve tried haggis (really tasty if you don’t think about what it is), developed an appreciation for Scotch whisky, and tried a deep fried Mars bar (which is a Scottish thing, strangely enough). Scotland has been a great adventure and I am amazed with its beauty. I’ll be here another week and then head down to Londontown! To get you in the holiday spirit, I will leave you with this classic UK Christmas tune from my favorite 80’s band Slade J

Adventures in Montessori and Western England

It has been one month since I have journeyed to the UK! Hard to believe…although, that is a theme for this year so far haha.

For the last 2 weeks I was in Clevedon, which is a lovely small town on the western coast of England. I stayed with one of the teachers and was graciously adopted into her family. My very first day in Clevedon was a hilarious adventure. Not only did I learn about how “Glee” is a great teacher for those who want to master the American accent, but I also learned that the West Country is a fine producer of ciders. My cider experiences were pretty limited, so quickly, it was decided that we would take a trip to some pubs in order to sample some of the local brews. The first place that we went could definitely be called a “hole in the wall” establishment. It was a farm house on the side of the road that sat pretty much on its own. The layout was still very much set up like a house, in fact, I believe that someone might still live on the top floor. The inside smelled like a wet dog and they had an excellent collection of cassette tapes. Best of all though, they had some great ciders! After we tackled the “off the beaten path” pub, it was decided that we should try a more mainstream place. The afternoon was great and a fantastic introduction into the place where I was staying!   

I went to Clevedon in order to go to a Montessori nursery, and goodness, was I impressed! I had an absolutely wonderful time at the nursery. The staff was very friendly and welcomed me in. This was my first time in a Montessori environment, so I really did not know what to expect. The nursery is small, with two classrooms, and is in the basement of a home. What I loved the most about the environment was that the children were free to move in-between the two classrooms. Both of the classrooms had different materials that the children could use. Montessori is more academically focused, and they had a lot of activities that involved counting, fine and gross motor skills, and practical life. I was very impressed with the level of independence that the children had. A child would pick out an activity, set it on the table or on a mat, and when he/she was finished, the activity would return to its home on the shelf and the station would be cleaned up. Children essentially ran the classroom, and worked on their own or in pairs for the entire morning. It was also great to be able to work with smaller children. I have not had the chance to work with little ones yet, and I forgot how little children actually are, haha, I know that sounds redundant. But really! One morning I worked with children on cutting—cutting! Cutting may seem easy to you now, but to a 2 or 3 year old, cutting can be a challenge. Grasping the handles with one hand instead of two, pushing down on the handles and pulling them apart. This is hard stuff! It was so amazing to watch children learn these skills. One great opportunity that I had at the nursery was working with children one-on-one. It was such a gift to spend time with each child and work on one thing. The best part was when the child would get excited about mastering the skill. It is such a great feeling to sit next to a child and have her smiling up at you because she completed something or learned something or figured something out. J

In addition to spending time with the children in the classroom, I also got to accompany them on a fieldtrip to the Bristol Zoo! It was such a fun time from start to finish. We had spent the previous week learning about the Arctic, especially penguins. We all walked around the zoo, watching monkeys and seals and had a picnic lunch. A fun part of the fieldtrip was the “Arctic Experience” that we got to do. We all went inside an “Arctic tent” classroom and learned more about what it was like to explore the Arctic and the kinds of animals that live there. The most impressive part was when one child correctly identified the picture of a Narwhal—A NARWHAL! To which the woman running the presentation said, “wow, I didn’t learn that word until Uni,” and I thought, “wow, I didn’t learn that word until ‘Elf.’”

Another fun Clevedon happening was Bonfire Night.  I had heard the “Remember, remember the 5^th of November” poem before but I never really knew what it meant. In the UK, they celebrate Bonfire Night on the 5^th of November. Bonfire Night does not celebrate Parliament almost getting blown up, what I originally thought and was very confused by, but the fact that Parliament still stands. There are bonfires where they burn a “Guy Fawkes” dummy and people set off fireworks. Now, people don’t just set off fireworks for one evening, it kind of happens throughout the week. And they are not just sparklers or bottle rockets, but HUGE, full scale fireworks! People set these off in their backyards, their backyards with are right next to houses, haha, I was shocked. When I told my host friends that in the States you could only buy fireworks in some places, I received the response, “Wait, so you can own a gun, but you can’t buy fireworks?”

One of my favorite excursions while I was in Clevedon was a walk in the Cheddar Gorge—home of Cheddar cheese and cider shops. We went on a walk in the valley of the gorge and were greeted with fresh, squishy mud! Haha, it was a poor decision to wear my sneakers that day. Despite the mud, it was absolutely stunning. I am completely in love with the English countryside. I love the random stone walls that are all over the place, the grassy hills, and the frequent farm animals. It is just beautiful!

Some other fun tidbits:

-I had some serious language instruction regarding English slang and the Bristolian accent. If you would like to learn more about the Bristolian accent, I would recommend this guy, I fine instructor of some graciously useful phrases.

-The English also celebrate a unique version of “No Shave November” called “Mo-Vember.” Mo-Vember is when the non-shaver must grow a mustache in November. Lord I am glad we don't celebrate it like that in the States. 

-I learned that dinner is also called tea and that lunch is also called dinner. And that pudding is not pudding, but dessert. These made for some confusing meal expectations. 

One thing that has really hit me this week is how hard this year is going to be in terms of saying goodbye. Anyone who knows me is aware that I have trouble saying goodbye. I have only had to do a few goodbyes so far, thankfully, but I know that there are many more to come. The good news is that on the other end of the goodbye are memories that I know are not temporary. :) 

Now I’m back in Bristol for a few days before I go to Scotland. Unfortunately recovering from the the stomach bug...haha working with children for a couple of months, I was bound to get sick at some point.

I’m heading up to Scotland this weekend to attend a conference ON PLAY! I am actually super duper stoked! While I’m up there I am also connecting with some organizations that support play. I had no idea that there were so many, especially in Scotland. I’ll leave you with this little ballad from a folksy band from Western England that I was introduced to while staying in Clevedon. I asked if they were a kid's band and was laughed at. 

One week in the UK!

Well, it has been one week in the UK!

My journeys in Cape Town ended…well…abruptly. So, here’s the thing, I have always had an issue with military time. I know that it “makes sense,” but it never has to me. And yes, I even tried to “get used to it” and it resulted in me missing my first class when I was in Vienna. That is another story. Anyways, so the point, I hate military time, and military time almost caused me to miss my flight to the UK. I had my entire last day planned out. I spent the entire day barefoot, which you could do in my neighborhood, and walked to the beach, the farm village, did some reading, and some sitting in the sun. The girl were going to pick me up and take me to my bosses house where we would all cook dinner. We were supposed to pick up our friend to take him with us. Then, on our way to the airport, we were going to go by my host family’s daughter’s house and say goodbye to them. Well, as you can imagine, none of my afternoon plans happened. We went to my boss’ house and began to make dinner. At around 6 pm, 18:00, I went to print off my boarding pass. Now, the number 20:00 time has always confused me. I always look at it and think that it says 10 pm, which it doesn't.  So, that ENTIRE week I believed my flight to be at 10 pm. As I was printing off my boarding pass, I saw that my gate closed at 19:50. Now, I know that time. I know that 19:00 means 7 pm. So, I began to freak out because I realized that my flight was in 2 hours, not 4. We ran out of the house and dashed to the airport. The girls tried to get me to eat cookies to calm my nerves, which were running pretty high, but I was nauseous. So, my goodbye to Cape Town was more or less ripped off like a band-aid. In hindsight, this was probably a good thing, so that I didn't completely draw out my goodbye. On the other hand, all of my emotions hit me at once while I was in the airport, resulting in one uncomfortable woman sitting to my right. I was amazingly thankful that my friend Grace was on the other side of the flight in London.

So Grace picked me up at the airport and off we went into London! It was hard to realize that I was in the UK. It was, and still is, a very different environment. My senses were overloaded with the trains, cars, people, and buildings. We got to her neighborhood and it was beautiful! I was so overwhelmed with the environment and the wonderful stone buildings and uneven streets…which were not so great for my clumsy feet. We spent the afternoon walking around her neighborhood, hitting up various markets and tourist attractions. I was so thankful for having the comfort of a friend J

The weekend ended up being a Sewanee affair! Seeing Sewanee friends was so amazing, and we were all able to talk to each other about our experiences abroad. London was an amazing place, and it was so crazy being in a city after living in a farm neighborhood for the last 3 months. Here are some weekend highlights:

-Having dinner in Notting Hill, yes, I was freaking out a bit because I am a huge fan of the film, with Sewanee folks.

-Seeing Matilda the musical!! I really love Matilda and all of us had heard great things about the musical, which is a huge hit in London. So, Grace, Chris, and I woke up early on Sunday morning to get in line for student reserve 5 pound tickets. The theatre reserves 8 tickets for 16-25 year olds each show. Amazing, huh?! We were second in line, so we got the tickets!!! The show was AMAZING! The children acting in it were so fantastic! Mostly though, I was in love with the set! It was so cool! The floor looked like plywood, but then things kept coming out of the stage, like desks, chairs, and walls. It was decorated floor to ceiling with scrabble like letters, all in different fonts and colors. And the best part was, our seats weren’t even restricted view or behind a column or something!

-Hitting the art museum AND the British History Museum in ONE day. Not recommended. Never the less, it was a great afternoon!

-Going to an apple festival! There was all kinds of yummy apply goodness there. My personal favorite was a pork sandwich with apple sauce! Who would have thought about that?!

After leaving London, I caught a bus to Bristol to continue on my school adventure! I got to Bristol and had written down directions to the school. After exiting the station and re-entering twice looking for the street, I sought help at the information desk, where I was told that I should catch a bus instead of walk. Well, I started towards the bus stop, and then saw the street where I was supposed to begin my journey, so I decided to walk. Well, I got about halfway when I was confronted with about 6 flights of stairs. Now, in my google maps directions I had written down, “take the stairs,” but looking at the stairs, I was second guessing myself. I asked a girl if she knew the street on top of the stairs and when she asked me where I was going, she also recommended the bus. So, I turned around and found the bus stop. I kept my eye out for the school, since I only had the street name and no address number, but luckily, I found it! Woohoo!

The school that I am at is lovely! It is a Steiner school, so it follows the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner. It is in a really cool old building and goes from play group through class 10. I am spending time with the older students, which has been really great, since I spent time with mostly the younger ones in SA. One thing that has really impressed me is their handwork. Steiner education really puts an emphasis on handwork and man, the things that these kids create is amazing! They were doing cross stitching, knitting, crocheting, and sewing. They made little animals, teddy bears, dolls, purses, glasses cases, all kinds of wonderful things. And I have to say, I felt a little embarrassed that I had to tell children I couldn’t help them because I didn’t know how. To which they would reply, “It’s easy,” and show me what they were doing. I can’t wait to spend more time there!

The good news about the UK, which I am thankful for considering the rain and lack of sun, is that it is fall here, YEA!! I’m just so, so glad that the leaves are out here! The only bad part is that winter is coming…and I don’t think that I am ready yet. But on the flip side, I think experiencing two springs makes up for that J

Bye South Africa

Well, I leave South Africa today and I just can’t believe it. The last two and a half months have flown by and it is now time to move onto the UK for new adventures.

I have spent the last couple of weeks here, thanks to the warmer weather, exploring the outdoors here. Cape Town is simply STUNNING and filled with mountains J hurray! The good thing about leaving this week is that my body can finally have a rest. My arthritic knees have been pushed to their limit…for now.  So, here are my mountain adventures.

As I have said before, Table Mountain consistently strikes me as regal. It towers over the city and it is beautiful whether it is covered in clouds, which I found is pretty normal, or against blue skies. The views from the top of the mountain are just as marvelous! We took the cable car, which had a rotating floor that really threw us, up to the top and then hiked around up on the top. The amazing thing about the top of the mountain was that you would continue to walk along the top and see different mountain ranges, lakes, and neighborhoods the further that you went. The entire length of the mountain took about 45 minutes to walk. The day was perfect, not a cloud in the sky, and the wild flowers were up and the frogs were singing. Walking along the ridge of the mountain was so peaceful, especially because it took us away from the crowds of people. It was a perfect, absolutely full afternoon on the mountain.

A few days after journeying to the top of Table Mountain, I went to the Cape of Good Hope nature park. In the park, there is the Cape Point, which is the tip of the Western peninsula. The park is hugggeee and there is a lot to do there. We spent the entire day at the park, which was much needed. In the park there were a lot of drives and walks that you could take. The park was beautiful! It was filled with wildflowers, rocky beaches, and breathtaking cliffs. We even spotted some assorted animals. The afternoon ended perfectly with tea with my host family. Tea, by the way, is one of my favorite parts of life here. I have always drunk tea, however, it was never a stopping point in my day. Here my host mom will treat tea as a break in the day—a time to pause and have some conversation. It is not just a way to wake up in the morning or a way to calm down at night. And it is best served with cookies, I mean, who doesn’t love a break in the day to have cookies?! Exactly.

The most recent of my adventures happened over this weekend. The girls and I had the fortune of meeting someone who likes playing outside as much as we do, and luckily, he has been able to show us a lot more fantastic spots. The weekend adventure began on Friday with a night hike up Lion’s Head, which is the mountain to the right of Table Mountain. The hike was strenuous! But man, it was so worth it! The top of the mountain, although it didn’t offer a great view of the stars, gave us a spectacular scene of the city lights down below. I was amazed with how brightly the mountain was lit up from the city lights, especially Table Mountain. Table Mountain had a dark and ghostly look due to the glow of the city lights. After the hike we went the piers of Simon’s Town and Kalk Bay and greeted some late night fishers. On Saturday we went for a hike at the Rhodes Memorial, a monument in town. We saw an old block house and decided that it would be our hike for the day. Haha, and another steep hike we faced. The day was much more windy and so when we finalllllly got to the top, we decided that we would have a long break and hide from the wind. Our small picnic at the block house had lovely views of the city harbors and some cool old cannons. The adventure weekend ended with bouldering on Sunday. By the end of the weekend I was finished! My body was telling me that it was time for a rest and a hot bath. Despite how tired I was, it was just the most wonderful last weekend that I could have in Cape Town!

And now, my adventures here come to an end. I cannot put to words the emotions that South Africa has brought to me. All that I know is that I have been so blessed to be in such a wonderful place for the last two and a half months. I have met wonderful people who have inspired me, played with unforgettable children, and experienced the kindness of strangers. What I have experienced here has changed me, pushed my emotions, and opened my eyes. I am terribly sad to leave; however, I know that it is time to leave and continue on. I am so thankful that I came here. South Africa has been a blessing. 

Two Weeks, Two More Schools

Well, I’ve been here two months! It’s so hard to believe! And I am still so much in love with Cape Town! I have spent the last two weeks visiting two more Waldorf schools. It was so great to observe all of the different classrooms! I was in 6 different classes, so I got to observe how differently the classrooms can be run.  The two coolest things that I got to witness and take part in were birthday celebrations and the Michaelmas festival.

I got to observe three birthday celebrations, which were all such special treats. In Waldorf education, for the younger ones, birthdays are celebrated warmly. Like in a traditional birthday, cake is eaten, candles are blown, and songs are sung. However, in Waldorf, there is more tender and spiritual celebration. The daily rhythm of the class changes to celebrate the birthday. The atmosphere of the classroom changes during the birthday. Some teachers changed the class the night before and some during the day. Regardless, a space in the room is dedicated to the celebration. In the craft, children all make a birthday card for the birthday child. Inside each card, the child gives a birthday wish to the birthday child. I had the fortune of writing the darling wishes and they ranged from two fighter jets to a golden rainbow. During ringtime, the birthday child gets to pick songs and games for the class to play. There are also special ringtime songs that only happen on birthdays. The birthday child wears a special birthday cloak and birthday crown. He/she chooses one or two children to be guardian angels, who also have crowns and cloaks. During the day, the birthday child and the angels get to wear their costume. Each teacher does the birthday celebration differently, however, they are similar in structure. The birthday child sits with the guardian angels at the birthday table, where they sit with the candles. The child’s parents are also present and involved in the ceremony. The teacher begins by telling the story of the birthday child, starting with when he/she was a star child. The star child desires to come to Earth, however, before the journey can begin, each star gives the child a wish. After the child receives a wish from each star (which are represented in rainbow colors), the child comes to Earth. The teacher then tells a short story of the child’s life, lighting a candle for each year. The children in the class participate in the ceremony by acting as stars and giving wishes. The child’s parents also attend. The ceremony, although it may sound cheesy, is completely adorable and beautiful. It is such a special way to celebrate a birthday, to celebrate the child’s life in terms of accomplishments, funny stories, and family history. I was so blessed to be able to see three of them.

The third term just ended for both schools that I visited, meaning that it was time for a festival. Woohoo! In the Waldorf calendar, the beginning of spring (at least in the southern hemisphere) marks Michaelmas, which is when St. Michael comes to tame the dragon. The story goes that Lady Spring is ready to come and begin spring, however, there is a grumpy dragon that does not like spring, and he would like it to continue to be dark and winter. So, he traps Lady Spring in a tower. St. Michael comes to free Lady Spring and tame, not kill, the dragon. Since it was leading up to this celebration, the classroom activities circled around the theme of spring and telling the story of St. Michael. In crafts, the children worked on sanding swords. And goodness, if you give a child a piece of sandpaper, that child will go on all morning sanding! The swords were eventually painted gold and the children glued on jewels so that they were ready to tame the dragon for festival. The children also made crowns that they wore. In story time, the stories were about the awakening of spring, Lady Spring, her gnomes, fire fairies, water pixies, and flowers, and the dragon who tried to stop it all. In ringtime, the songs also went around the story. And when the festival came, they were SO exited! It was so fantastic watching them run around the school with their swords (and yes, there were strict rules in place about using them to fight) and crowns that they had worked so hard on for weeks. The pieces came together and they were ready to tame the dragon and celebrate spring! It was such a great time to be in the schools, to get to see all of this happening.

When was not geeking out about schools the last few weeks, I got to be outside, which has just been amazing! I went camping with two friends in Bains Klof, which is a two hour drive outside of Cape Town. We left on a Friday afternoon and headed up towards the mountains. After navigating there, we reached a super twisty mountain road and that is when we knew that we picked the right spot to camp in. The mountains here are so beautiful! They are rocky at appearance, but covered in bushes and wild flowers. These mountains were no exception. We got to the campground at dusk and got everything set up. Good lord the stars here! I can never get over them and they continue to amaze me. The next morning we woke up and headed for the trail. Well, what we thought was a trail. This set the pace for the rest of the day as we guessed if we were heading in the right direction and were constantly on the look-out for trail markers. We found a small waterfall that had some pools around it so we stayed there for a while, jumping into the water, although it was FREEZING, and lying in the sun to get warm again. Afterwards, we headed for the larger waterfall, and once again, had consistent trouble finding the trail. And gheeze was it worth it! We stayed there for a while and then headed back to camp where we ate lunch and packed up. It was so great to get out of the city and explore a little bit more of the area around Cape Town! I have also been doing some hiking around the neighborhood. I am convinced that I live in the most beautiful part of Cape Town, although many people who are actually from here will probably disagree. Recently, we hiked to the top of Chapman’s Peak, which is a famous scenic drive. We started out just wanting a walk around that area, and then ended up hiking to the top. Haha, which we were not really prepared for, but the good news was that it was a stunnnnning day and not too warm for a hike that was straight uphill. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, and well worth the climb. On multiple occasions we thought that we had already reached the top because the real top was out of view. The hike overlooked the ocean and gave us amazing views of the mountain ranges of Cape Town. I really could not get over the beauty of it all! It was truly remarkable. And Sewanee kids, this joke is for you. Hiking with Germans is faster than trying to hike with Dr. Potter! No lie.

I have been reading a book about play that has given me a lot to think about. One thing that it talked about were the emotional benefits of play. The author said that when people look at play, they tend to only see the intellectual benefits to it, myself included. I never even considered what play can do for a child’s emotional well being. Play can help a child recover from a troubling situation, prepare for one, or create an empathetic feeling in the child. I witnessed this in one class the last week. A child was working with playdough with his mother. They were creating their family, down to the last detail. Well, the last detail also included constructing a grave for the cat that died many years ago and the rabbit that ran away. According to the mother, the child always requested to create the grave. Creating this situation with his mother, the child was working through a memory that was particularly challenging.

And a funny story to leave you with. If you know me, you know that I get these hiccup type things, referred to as “meeps” by some friends. I have had them since I was 16 and I get a couple each day. I have no idea what causes them, neither does my doctor, or WebMd. While I was sitting with a little girl at school I had a hiccup. She looked at me with a curious look on her face and said, “what was that?” I told her that it was a hiccup. She looked me straight in the eyes and said, “no it wasn’t.” She then went onto telling me that hiccups involve more than one sound and I just had one sound, so it couldn’t be a hiccup. This girl was 6 years old and I tried to explain my meeps to her. I can’t even explain my meeps to people my age!

I love spending my day with children! They are so intuitive, it continues to amaze me. The intuition even stretches across the cultural barrier, when I have had the fortune of seeing in my children. This was something that I learned in my psychology and education courses, something that I heard from my Professors, but it was never something that I experienced firsthand.  And goodness, it is awesome! J 

On a different note, I am now really into vegetables. Brussels, beet roots, turnips, leeks, butternuts, all kinds of yummy things! I'm sure those of you who are familiar with my eating habits find this hilarious! 

Wildflowers and Chalk Covered Jeans

It is starting to warm up here, which is fantastic! So, last weekend I went with my host family on a spontaneous trip to the wildflowers. It was so beautiful! The wildflower region stretches from about an hour from Cape Town all the way until Namibia. Another fun fact, I learned that South Africa has the most diverse flowers of any range in the world! Neat-o, huh?! There is really no wrong or right way to see the flowers, so we just drove and stopped when we saw something nice. The first place that we stopped was a flower preserve off of the highway. We got out and each took time to walk around and take in the surroundings. The most amazing thing about the wildflowers were that you could walk 10 feet in one direction and see something completely different or see one flower, just one, and never see that kind again. The different flowers were stunning! There were daisies, lilies, critters, and butterflies. It was a perfect, sunny day, so all of the flowers were open. We stopped a few more times when we found huge fields ridden with flowers. It seemed as if a paintbrush had just painted over the grass. The air smelled like honey and we were all reminded of “The Wizard of Oz” as we sat down and had a picnic. Afterwards, we drove to the town Darling, which besides having the most wonderful name, is also a very cute small town. Luckily, there was a street festival going on and so we had a break and enjoyed all that the festival had to offer. When we drove home that night all of the flowers were going to sleep, sadly, but it was still so enjoyable just to see them. When we were heading into Cape Town, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Table Mountain. It is truly one of the most amazing sights that I have ever seen. I cannot get over how regally it stands nor how flat the top is, haha, which I realize sounds a bit silly. The whole day was fantastic! If you feel like looking at about 100 pictures of flowers, the photo page has been updated.

Things at the school are continuing to go very well! The kids have really reached my heart, and no matter how far my patience is stretched, I always smile whenever I think about school. Here are just some tidbits about school:

-I learned that if you give two children your tennis shoes, they will spend 20 minutes trying to tie them. I loved the way that they were so attentive to the knots that they made. For example, after they learned that pulling the knot tighter would not un-do it, they had to think about another way to solve the problem. Getting to sit there and watch was a gift.

-The girls’ new favorite game is “salon” where about 3 or 4 of them surround my head and pull and twist it into different shapes, braids, and pony tails. Needless to say, I often have a headache at school haha.

-My new favorite accessory is chalk all over my pants.

-I had a moment that I never considered before. The children have a craft rhythm, which means that on each day they do something specific. One day a week they use dough (playdough) to shape and mold into their hearts desires. I was always sad when we did dough because each child does not get a lot. I would always think, “what on earth can someone do with just a little bit of dough?” So, this past week, we inquired about borrowing some dough from downstairs so that the children can have some more. Our teacher said no, because the dough that we use is thick and hard, and it works on the fine motor skills of the children. I had never even considered this! But it is so true! We use dough and beeswax to model, and although each child only gets a little bit, a lot goes into changing the shape of the dough. The children really have to work, especially with the wax, which I attempted for the first time this week. I was amazed how difficult it really was, and I only had a small bit of it.

-I have come to love ringtime, which is when the children sing and play finger games. It amazes me how the nature of the children change from song to song. Our teacher does a fantastic time about varying the rhythm, pace, and volume of the songs that we sing. I learned that the reason Waldorf uses ringtime is that the children are still coming into their bodies. Ringtime helps them to not only learn how to interact with their classmates, but realize new movements on their own. 

Next week I will go to a new Waldorf school. I am excited to explore a new place! 

Nearly A Month In

Cape Town is still going really well! I have almost been here a month now and I cannot believe how quickly that has gone by!

Life at the school has been fantastic! The children are filled with more energy than any other group of children I have ever met. When they eat, clean, sing, and play they are always loud and laughing. And although we do not speak each other’s language, they still invite me to sit in a circle with them and play. Doing activities with them has given me insight into their culture, which I never realized would happen. During free indoor play, the girls normally wrap dolls around their backs (the women here carry their babies on their backs and I still have not figured out how the babies stay there!) and cloth around their hair. One or two girls sit in the middle and take classroom toys and create instruments as the others stand in a circle around them. Then the girls all start to sing and dance around the circle. While the girls are singing, a group of boys cooks up “food” in the kitchen area and serves it to me and other classmates. Sometimes some children will play taxi and “take us” to other places around Cape Town. I really love being around them! They continue to surprise me every day, which is the great thing about children. They truly deserve more credit than they are given.

One of my new favorite spots is a dog park that is just up the street from my house. It is a beautiful open field next to a llama farm and horse pastures.  The best part about the park is that right in the middle are two swings, one wooden and one tire, hanging from a gigantic tree—I bet you can guess my new favorite reading spot, huh? Seriously, who doesn’t love swinging?!  Within one minute of swinging I busted into a fit of giggles as my swing twisted and I spun around getting dizzier by the second…which never stops being funny apparently. Here I was, by myself, in a giant field, laughing and kicking my feet…playing. I quickly reverted back to the mind of a child, spinning until I got dizzy and seeing from which spot I could kick the furthest, because it was innate. Every time I go to the park I see other adults, some with children and some without, doing the exact same thing. Clearly the people who designed this swinging station knew what they were doing!

Over the weekend I went to the open house of a Waldorf school in the area. The school is beautiful! It is on a farm and the school grounds are centered around this giant play yard. In between the classrooms, which are recycled from truck backs, there are smaller playgrounds and gardens. I got to learn more about Waldorf education there, including how it applies to older students. The part that I found the most interesting is their time for crafts. The students get over an hour each day for crafts, which vary between sewing, painting, wood working, metal working, basket weaving, or working on a project. Sounds pretty fantastic, ya? Well, in addition to being fantastic, it also strengthens the student and teaches them about patience, determination, staying with something, goals, and it empowers them because in the end, they hold something in their hands that they did themselves. As someone who sews, I couldn’t agree with that feeling more. It is great being able to hold up a skirt, knowing that it was only a piece of flat fabric before. With the younger students, the part that I found most interesting was the storytelling part of the curriculum. Every year has a different them through which their stories and lessons surround. Each theme focuses in on emotions that those children feel at that age and the events that they might experience in their lives. Through stories, both historical and non-fiction, they can relate and learn to overcome challenges that they might be facing. And if you are thinking that you are too old for stories, let me tell you one. Last week the other volunteers and I, who range from 18-22, sat down on the floor while our house mother read us a story. We closed our eyes and listened to her speak in dynamic levels, as if she was talking to younger children. And not one, single one of us thought it was silly.

It’s starting to warm up a bit here. I am now used to the strange August winter weather but I keep wanting to wear my chacos and shorts. The wild flowers are starting to come out and the area is absolutely stunning! There are wild lilies all around my house and the trees are starting to get leaves. I am so happy that I get to witness two springs this year! J

First Couple of Days Here

Well, after a looong journey (2 long flights and a 10 hour layover) I have reached Cape Town!! Hurray!

When I first got here I stayed with the woman who runs the non-profit, Work for Love, that oversees the school that I will be working at. She picked me up from the airport and said that since we were running late (my flight got in an hour late) that we would have to go straight to “the sharing.”  The sharing is when Waldorf teachers from different schools gather together so that they can swap ideas and share what is going on in their school so far. I was super stoked to jump right into my project and pushed aside any remnants of jetlag that I had.

When we got to the school I was stunned. The small campus was intimate because everything was set up with natural surroundings in mind. There was a small school but there were also classroom pod type things—almost like cabins. They all surrounded a lovely playground which was composed of natural elements and recycled materials. When I walked into the classroom I was ready to drink the Waldorf Kool-Aid.  I immediately saw two women knitting, one woman dressing a doll with a knitted outfit, natural materials all over the classroom, and simple play materials. What I have learned about Waldorf classrooms is that they are not loud. Now I am not saying loud in the sense of noise, that is not the case, my classroom today was very, very loud. I mean loud in that the colors are soft, there are no learning posters on the walls, and the elements that the children play with are not plastic toys, but rather blocks, dolls, clothes, kitchen ware, and natural elements. The women sat in a circle made up of children sized chairs. In the middle of the circle was a log with a candle on top and beside the log was a small vase containing a flower. Needless to say I felt like I was in the right place.

The meeting was fantastic! It was so great to be among teachers who are so passionate about teaching children, swapping methods, and play. We even got to play during the meeting, which was great! I learned three games to play with the children. And the best part, the children learn different things through each one. One game worked on verbal communication, another practiced memory and recognition. The amazing part was that as we were playing, the teachers kept saying things that the children could do differently in the game to strengthen another skill. The icing on the cake was eating homemade bread that the children made IN THE SCHOOL’S OWN BREAD OVENS! Yes, bread ovens plural, they have two. It was fantastic and delicious!

That night I went with the family to a barn dance as a fundraiser for Work for Love. I was not sure what I was getting into going to a barn dance. In the states I would consider myself an active contra dancer so I was intrigued about what the South African adaptation would be. I walked into a room of people wearing cowboy hats and boots, which I honestly didn’t think were even produced outside the U.S., and county music blasting through the speakers. Since I have never been a big fan of country music, despite being raised in the South, I found it pretty funny that it followed me to my first night half way around the world. I took it as a good omen. The caller called us to the floor and I jumped in, excited for the dance. Quickly, my enthusiasm turned to giggles and hilarity. The man said, “Alright, now you take three steps right, now three left, now back…” I bet you know where this is going. Are you having flashbacks of middle school dances? You are correct; the caller was teaching us the great Western line dance called the “Electric Slide.” Well, in South Africa the Electric Slide is a line dance and done to “Achy, Breaky Heart.”  The rest of the night went the same way and I couldn’t help but feel at home. I was relieved and blessed that something that could have been so difficult (being away from home in a new place) was comforting. J

Today, I went to the school for the first time. The school is in a township where about 40,000 people live. The school is small, with about 24 students, but grand in spirit. The school is so great and lovely. It has two classrooms and a shared play yard. What I love most about the school is that over half of the children’s day is dedicated to play! How awesome is that?! In between every activity or meal we played! I am so excited about spending time at the school!!

After the school day I came back to move into my new home. I moved into an old farm house, and I mean farm house. It is the oldest home in the area and has a gorgeous thatched roof and garden. I am living here with two students who work at another Waldorf school AND the woman who owns the house is a Waldorf teacher trainer, hurray!

Cape Town is beautiful and I have been so blessed to have already met such wonderful people! I am so excited to be here!! 

Playing for class credit

As I said in my last post, playing is just as important for adults as it is for kids! At Stanford, they recognize the importance of play and turned it into a class. How fantastic is that?! I'll answer that--super!!

THIS is my DREAM class!

Countdown-1 week

1 week...ONE WEEK!
I can hardly believe it! Just like many other important days, this one has snuck up on me.
At the end of the summer I always think of an episode of "Arthur." Yes, I am 22 and referencing this show--it now makes sense why I want to teach children and study play for a year, doesn't it? Well, in this episode, the end of summer sneaks up on Arthur. He panics because he thought that he wasted his summer because he did not check anything off of his summer to-do list. However, when he reflects on his summer, with the help of his friends of course, he realizes that he completed a lot more than he thought. HURRAY!
Like in Arthur, the end of the summer snuck up on me, as it does each year, and it makes me excited and anxious. As nervous as I am, I am so excited about this upcoming year! I cannot wait to begin exploring something that I find so interesting and important.
Speaking of which, here is an article about why play is so important in our lives. Yes, OUR, as in my 22 year old self included. Take a sport for example, which on the professional level is all adults. When one plays a sport there is critical thinking, problem solving, spacial reasoning, and many other aspects involved. When I am playing volleyball I evaluate my situation just as much as a 4 year old would when he/she is trying to construct an adequate base for a block tower. We do not realize how much we gain from play because it is something that is innate. See, playing is not just for children :)

"The truly great advances of this generation will be made 

by those who can make outrageous connections, 

and only a mind which knows how to play can do that." 

Nagle Jackson