Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.” -Mr. Rogers
“It is a happy talent to know how to play.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
I grew up in a time that children were allowed to explore the neighbor and nearby woods. When it was common to drive down the street and see girls jumping rope, boys playing touch football in their yards or a child sitting in a tree in their front yard. Play to is different. Children today have to have the latest toy or gadget for it to be considered play.
My playground was more that just outside. My grandmother, mother and aunts allowed use to explore whatever area of us interest to us and for me that was the kitchen. I love to cook and I am an EXCELLENT cook if I must say so myself. However, I would have never been if I was not allowed to play in the kitchen. Additionally, books were where my imagination took flight. My mother is an avid reader and she taught all of us how to read. When I pick up a book I am instantly transported into that world.
With all the advances in technology, when it comes to play, I wish we could turn back the hands of time to allow for the slower pace and the safety of life that would allow them the chance to be children and explore.