Playing outdoors: spaces and places, risk and challenge

By Helen Tovey

Chp.7 what do we mean by free play outdoors? P.G 114

Play has been a difficult concept because of its very nature and it cannot be defined precisely, childrens play is unpredictable this makes thinking about play and understanding play a lot more difficult and it can sometimes be uncomfortable for those who are accustom to more neat and orderly things. Play stands uneasily within our societies cultural standards, tests, targets, and outcomes. Pioneers of early childhood education have valued free play which caused many to criticise it concept within the 1980 researchers found that free play wasn’t quite challenging, repetitive, low level and mundane, however despite these claims it was quite hard for the researchers to prove these claims had substance as there was no setting that showed such outcomes.  This research contributed to the many demands for more structured play, this allowed for the introduction of the desired learning outcomes that were produced through the school curriculum and assessment authority 1996 and the early learning goals and the curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. These attempted to identify the learning outcomes that play would give children and show how children would learn through play. However, over time the language of play has changed and rather than referring to play as free play many writers use phrases such as structured, directed play, well-planned play or controlled play.

Structured play is a term that suggests that play is more likely to lead to a learning out come if it is pre-structured by a teacher or adult, however, all outdoor play is structured to some extent it is structured by the cultural and physical context of the setting. It is said that these hidden structures or rules are quite powerful in shaping what goes on within a space. Both Sylva and Bruner argued that the structure is a characteristic of both materials and activities.

Directed play suggests that teacher and adult have control over course and direction of the activity that is set meaning it no longer meets the criteria of play, Huizinga in his writing homo ludens stated that all play is a voluntary activity meaning that directed play can no longer be seen play.

Furthermore, the word we use as practitioners make play more complex because what practitioners always say is not always what they do. Polakow through many observation with America identified controlled play. He stated that even though a play session is labeled as free play, in practice the play has become controlled and directed by the adults. adults who have rules and restriction and are more anxious about whether all the children are playing and are safe which cause them to hover over them, meaning it is more likely that the adult would interfere with the child’s play.

free Play is often interpreted as meaning free from restriction, adult involvement or influence, however, freedom is not about being able to do what you want but about having the opportunity to do things. To Frobel play was and interaction between law, freedom, and life. Free play is a positive thing that enables young children rather than structured play, directed play or controlled play that suggest that the course of play is determined by the practitioner or adult.

Reference

Tovey, H, 2007. Playing Outdoors: Spaces and Places, Risks and Challenge (Debating Play). 1. Open University Press

What I know about early childhood

When I think of early childhood I think of babies, toddlers, education, culture, social norms. Those are the few key words that I would use to describe early childhood. I would also describe it as being the foundation that everything a child learns is placed upon.

Loris Malaguzzi was someone who stood out to me, his work with children and the Reggio approach inspired me. it took teaching and put children at the fore front of it and explored the different ways a child could contribute to their own learning, and it looked at how we as practitioners can work with the children to get them to engage with the work.  Loris Malaguzzi took his experience from working with children and applied theory to better his work which contributed to his work on Reggio approach.

Both Malaguzzi and many other are talked about and are used in the studies of early childhood, and I know that I will be drawing on many other theorists like Malaguzzi within my work.

In addition, Tina Bruce believed that play is an active process rather than something that reaches a goal or produces a product. That providing toy is not necessary because children have a way of coming up with their own props using simple materials such as sticks and pebbles.

Furthermore, my experience as a play worker and the additional work placement within nursery and day cares. I have seen different structures and the benefit of how non-structured and free flowing play affect the child well-being and learning for: example I work as a play worker at the south London gallery on one of the projects that have been going on for a few years it is local and caters to the estates that are around the gallery.

The work is based around how play and art work close together so we get many artists who come and do play activities that produce art. However, that doesn’t mean we use paint and brushes, we encourage children to use the thing that they find around them for play, like old wheels and chair and turning it into whatever they imagine, with only wood, nails, and hammers.

We give them free choice on what they choose to do with the material provided. Also, play worker we also try and encourage the children to use saws and drill safely, we do this so that if the child ever came across any of these tools they would be able to use them properly and safely so they may avoid injury.

After hearing and working with children in different types of environment I realized that this course would be the best for me.  As I know that I will gain a lot from this course which will allow me to link theories to my experience within my work place, and allow me to think outside of the box and practice approaches such as the Reggio approach.