The Value of Play

One thing that is seriously underestimated in the education field is the value of playing with children. Not just allowing children to play with other children but as a parent and caregiver playing with the children you've chosen to care for.

The field of early childhood education is usually concerned with finding ways to ensure that our children are ready for school. In college I took a class with a professor who challenged that thought.

She told a story about working for a HeadStart Program here in California. One of her co-workers grew disillusioned with the bureaucracy and headed out on her own. She opened a preschool out of her home.

Within two years, kindergarten teachers were calling her to ask what curriculum she was using. Her answer was always the same when they called and asked what she did. "I play with the kids."

No one believed her and yet her students were always eager to learn. They were well prepared for kindergarten. They knew the alphabet, numbers through 20, shapes, colors. They could write their name.

Teachers kept calling. She kept giving the same answer. Finally she was talking with my professor one day. My professor asked the same question all the other teachers had asked. The woman gave the same answer and then invited her over to see the room. Here is her description of the classroom:

"In one corner there was a pretend kitchen, next to it was set up to be a grocery store. There was an area for blocks, an area with lots of pillows for when the kids felt tired. There was a corner full of lots of books near the pillows. She had an old empty tub that she filled with sand, and one she filled with water. All over the room, kids played. There was a pillow near the kitchen cause some of the kids were playing house and needed a bedroom. There were blocks on the 'kitchen' table that the kids said was dinner. There were books in by the pillows cause one of the kids wanted to 'read' while he napped. Down low on the walls where the kids could see the pictures, each child had a picture of their parents. During my visit I saw several of the kids go over and 'talk' to their mom or dad. The older kids had asked how to spell their names and my colleague had written their names down on paper. When they tired of practicing their name, they ran off to play with something else. She got down on the floor and played with the kids. They used the blocks as 'cars' and raced around the room. She played dress-up with the kids and then they put on a 'show'. The whole day, she was right there with the kids. At the end of the day, she simply said, 'It's housekeeping time!' To my amazement the children were excited and happily began to clean up. They made games of cleaning up. It was amazing."

When I was a child, I remember the times my mom played with me. I always felt special to have her attention. As a homeschooling mom, I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to play with my daughter.

Play makes the child feel loved, valued and supported. They learn how to respond to different stimuli based on how we play. We teach them by them watching us. Go play with your child. No matter how old they might be.

Obligations Part 2

Yesterday I wrote about some of my reasons to homeschool my daughter. Today I'd like to talk about my obligation to her. It's not enough to clothe and feed her. She needs more than toys and video games. She needs an education.

Why does she need an education? God commands me to educate her. God wants her to be knowledgeable so that she can protect herself. She needs to know when people are trying to hurt her and persuade her to do things she's better off not doing. Why can't she get that at public schools? Well you used to be able to. Now we are so worried about being politically correct and not offending anyone that kids don't get a chance to learn anything. Let's talk about history for a minute. We have short history compared to other countries. Not all of it is very "pretty", for example slavery. The act of one human being claiming another human being as property. It's a horrible practice. A lot of schools nowadays are downplaying slavery in U.S. history. Others are using it as an excuse for poor behavior by their students. What is the reality of slavery? Do your children know? Do they know that a lot people question who sold the slaves to the slave traders? Do you know this? What about the fact that this is not a new practice? Nor was it new in 1800's. What about the Israeli's? They were slaves for hundreds of years. Should we shield our children from the harsh realities of history? Should we pretty up what really happened? Throughout history people have been raped, murdered, taken hostage, turned into slaves and prostitutes. Smart, intelligent, happy men and women have been turned into drug addicted, depressed homeless people. Do we ignore this when teaching our children?

I believe we have an obligation to teach our children not only the "pretty" version or the "ugly" version. The story has to contain both to give our children an accurate picture of the world in which they live.

My obligation to her education is to make certain she is prepared for the world in which she will live. And if I don't think she's getting that education in public school, then to find another alternative. If I can't find a suitable substitute, then my obligation is to educate her myself. It's not enough to say the schools are not doing a good job. It's our duty to our children to give them the best education we can. Whether it's us personally teaching them or keeping tabs on their public or private school. Only we can decide for sure.

Have you met your obligation to your children's education today?

Obligations

As a homeschooler to whom are we obligated? Depending on your reasons for homeschooling I think your obligations vary. Obviously you are obligated to your children. If you're married then your spouse. Depending on the state or country your in, the government or board of education. Perhaps a homeschooling co-op. Perhaps other family members. Maybe the community at large as an example.

For me, my first obligation is to God. I believe he intends for me to homeschool my daughter. My beliefs don't agree with a great deal of things taught in public schools. I don't believe first graders need to be given a sex survey. I don't believe that it is wrong to say the Pledge of Allegiance. I don't believe that gang members should be allowed to terrorize my daughter.

I do believe that I am obligated to protect my daughter from growing up before she's able to handle the "real world". I believe that I should teach her patriotism. I believe that I should teach her to respect other people and that not everyone will agree with her opinions and views. And that that is okay. I believe that if my daughter wants to write about God or something that happened at church, she should be able to. I believe that she should be able to follow her interests and learn in a way that works for her.

Those are just some of the reasons I choose to educate my daughter myself. You don't have to agree with me on any of this. That's what makes this country wonderful. The freedom to disagree and still do what we feel is right.