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| Harold H. Higashihara Park in Honalo, Hawaii |
In the classroom, there is hardly ever the space to run
around and build those large motor skills, which is what outside time is
typically used for. In an indoor/outdoor classroom, where children have free
range to go in and out as they please, kids get the chance to move and run
according to the needs of their own bodies. Luckily, here at the farm my
outside time with K can happen just about whenever she wants. K is able to tune
into her body’s natural cravings and run around when she’s in the mood to and
relax with a book or puzzle or do some drawing when she is feeling like laying
low. It helps too, that it is just she and I most of the time and so she
doesn’t have to factor in the interests of a whole classroom of kids when
deciding where and what to play.
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| Castle structure at the park, there is another 2 story tube slide in the back of this, it is so fun! |
Anyway, once I began to feel settled in and K and I were
fairly comfortable with one another, I started thinking more deeply about her
developmental needs and the areas I used to build in previous classrooms to
accommodate and facilitate well-rounded skill development. Although we have the
opportunity to be outside and run around whenever we want to, there was not a
lot by way of structure to our outside time. In other words, K didn’t have a
lot of resources to work her larger motor skills, just a small jungle gym. Her
parents were well aware of this and had been planning to put in some kind of
play structure soon. Then last weekend, after a trip to town they came home
with a pile of huge boxes that contained the parts to K’s new wooden playhouse,
fully equipped with a slide, swing-set, and picnic table. That weekend, all the
men of the farm gathered together and put it together.
K’s mom, H, had really wanted to design her own play house
and had been researching ideas for months, but K was quickly growing and there
were still so many other projects waiting to be tackled on the farm. In the
end, H accepted that she couldn’t possibly do everything and so she let go of
her desire to create this thing from scratch and go with a pretty amazing
pre-designed play-set. K seems to be thrilled about this decision because after
her Papa and Uncles worked all weekend long, she has spent at least half of our
time together exploring her new space. K’s larger motor skills, I have noticed,
have taken a huge leap this week as well, thanks to so many new opportunities
to develop them on the play-set, not to mention what it has added to the depth
of her creative play.
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| Check out my Pinterest Board, Active Play For Inside and Out, for fun ways to work on large motor development |
Since we have started playing on her new structure, I have
noticed K’s arms have gotten significantly stronger. She has challenged herself
and tested her bravery on the rock-wall and slide, and she has felt the thrill
of the wind in her hair as she swings higher and higher, slowly learning to
pump her legs so she doesn’t require a push to get moving. These are all huge
strides for K, particularly since she has such a slight frame to begin with.
The chance to develop her strength has opened up all kinds of new possibilities
for K and she already seems like a bigger, more mature little girl in just a
single week of play.
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| Check out this book to learn more on MBTI |
The strongest evidence that this play-set is helping her
develop in so many ways, is K’s conquering of the rock-wall. This presented the
greatest challenge at the beginning of the week. K was almost immediately able
to climb up the ladder to reach the upper level of the playhouse and access the
slide, but the rock-wall was a bit more complicated. She tried it a little bit
each day and either got scared asking, “help down,” or frustrated when she got
stuck. You see, K is a very methodical little girl; she plans everything down
to the smallest detail, like what spoon she would like to use and which pants
she feels like wearing. When things do not follow her plan, she can get pretty
upset. My Myers-Briggs background tells me that this is a pretty strong
indicator of a preference for Judgment (not to be mistaken with judgmental) verses Perceiving as a way to organize her outer world.
Knowing this about K, I allow her to make her own decisions
whenever possible and appropriate so that she can maintain some internal
homeostasis and control over her environment and her participation in it. This
helps us to avoid unnecessary conflict and build a stronger, more trusting
relationship. When the times arise
that I do insisting on things like putting on sunscreen, shoes, or a hat when
spending time in the sun and walking on rougher turf, she is more willing to
work with me rather than breaking down. Anyway, when it came to the rock-wall,
K got frustrated when she would start climbing up and get stuck, unable to
proceed because she started too far to one side and had no place to put her other
foot. She wanted to do it herself and was not always interested in my advice
while she was mid-climb. Then yesterday, her dad was able to explain to her how
to plan your steps ahead of time and it was as if something clicked within her.
Today, at the play set, K started up the ladder, made it up
about half-way, changed her mind, climbed back down and positioned herself in
front of the rock-wall. I remarked, “you want to try the rock-wall again, ok.”
K looked up at me, and then back at the rock-wall and I watched as she started
out. She grabbed her first hold and then her second, looking down at the ones
below and pulling herself up so that her feet were off the ground. I was
immediately impressed as previously she put her feet up first struggling to pull
her weight with just her arms. She ran into her usual problem of getting to far
to one side but instead of asking for help, she climbed back down and stared at
the wall for a moment before selecting a different hold and heading back up the
wall again. I was in awe of her determination and concentration, not to mention
her clearly noticeable technique.
It was as if K now saw the wall as a puzzle, something she
needed to figure out before jumping in. This girl is a puzzle master so it is
no surprise that this shift in her approach suddenly gave her the confidence
and determination to make it to the top. Once K started up the wall for the
second time, she did so with an intensity and level of concentration that I had
yet to see from her. She took her time and selected each hold with purpose. I
said very little as she climbed, standing close in case she lost her grip. I
did not want to disrupt the careful calculations that were clearly taking place
in K’s mind as she proceeded in her ascent to the top. In almost no time at
all, she had reached the yellow bar at the side of the playhouse second floor
and pulled herself up, standing triumphantly at the top. She turned to me
beaming with pride as I began cheering and jumping up and down with genuine
excitement.
“Hooray, you made it up the rock-wall! You did it all by
yourself! I am so amazed and proud of you! Hooray!” I shouted. I have never
seen a bigger smile on K’s face and she too threw her arms up in the air and
shouted an enthusiastic “hooray!” along with me. It was a beautiful moment for
both of us and K continued to climb the rock-wall another 4 times after that,
making it hard to believe that she ever struggled to figure it out. Today,
thanks to the rock-wall, K experienced a level of physical mastery that will
likely leave a lasting impact on her and I know I will remember that moment for
a long time to come.
Each time K climbs up, she is reminded of her own strength,
capability, and determination. She learned how to analyze the situation before
proceeding and take advantage of her natural strength in this area. Not only is
this play-set providing K the opportunity to develop her physical strength, but
a valuable lesson in problem solving. She has a highly analytical and
methodical mind and the rock-wall allowed her to tap into this inner strength
and make it work for her, experiencing the joy of succeeding in something she
worked so hard at. Perhaps next time she is faced by another major challenge,
she will recall her experience on the rock-wall and learn how to tap into her
natural strengths to help her through it with greater ease. As for me, I will
surely be reminding her of her accomplishment, helping her recognize and
utilize her strength within.
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