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The most famous illustrator of Children at Play was
EILEEN SOPER
Here are just a few of her works.
For a delightfully day out visit the the Illustrated Worlds of Eileen.Soper
click at
WHEN CHILDREN PLAY.
Now the beauty of the thing when children play is the terrible wonderful length of the day is up you jumps and out into the sun and you fancy the day will never be done and your chasing the bum bees bumming so cross in the hot sweet air amongst the goss or gathering bluebells or looking for eggs or petting the ducks with their yellow legs or a shouting for devilment after the gulls or a thinking of nothing but down at the tide singing out for the happy inside and when you look back its all in a puff happy and over and short enough.
T. E. BROWN.
THE FLYAWAY HORSE
And the flyaway horse seeks those far away lands, You little ones dream of at night- Where candy trees grow and honey brooks flow, And the corn- fields with pop -corn are white.
And the beasts in the woods are ever so good, To children who visit them there, What glory astride of a lion to ride, Or to wrestle around with a bear.
The monkeys they say, Come let us play, As they frisk in the coconut trees, Whilst the parrots that cling, To the pea nuts vines sing, Or converse with comparative ease.
By EUGENE FIELDS. PAGES OF CHILDHOOD.
Flickering through pages of a bye gone age looking through the pictures memories i have saved childhood reflections drifting through time words of remembrance in this world of mine
stones that skimmed rivers newts and tadpoles caught dreams and wonders that could not be bought
swift dogs and carriages trains that bellowed steam twisting trails of countryside scenic views serene
trees that i climbed once many years ago summers were long then winters freezing snow
snowmen and guy Fawkes bonfires touched the sky Catherine wheels that spun my world right up to the sky
chestnuts and strawberry's candy floss at fairs flowers on the heath then apples and sweet pears
girls that came calling haystacks and dens to build river banks and swans toffee apples licked and dreams yet to be fulfilled
friends neighbors families strangers were not known crickets in the meadows nights i played alone
cliffs on the seashore durdle door and fun sandcastles to build races for to run
punch and Judy box shows trips to London town happy days of holidays leaves of golden brown
blackberry picking ponies for to ride days out to the picture shows watch the evening tide
all childhood memories painted in my book grandmas pudding recipes Xmas puds to cook
penny for the guy another for your thoughts all of these precious memories can never o'er be bought.
Modern day children need the excitement and challenge of the play experience as much as they need food, shelter and love.
Through play children learn to develop social skills and are able to interact well with their peers.
They are able to grow in self awareness and gain independence at an early age.
A good play experience enriches the Child's life.
All experts in child development recognise the value of the play experience and the need for all children of all ages to have access to good quality play opportunities.
Childs play study 1977. http://www.jrf.org.uk/node/2278
THE LAND OF STORY BOOKS
At evening when the lamp is lit, Around the fire my parents sit, They sit at home and talk and sing, And do not play at anything.
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.
The Benefits of creative and imaginative play.
Organizing play for kids has never seemed like more work. But researchers Adele Diamond and Deborah Leong have good news:
The best kind of play costs nothing and really only has one main requirement — imagination.
Self-regulation is a critical skill for kids.
Unfortunately, most kids today spend a lot of time doing three things: watching television, playing video games and taking lessons.
None of these activities promote self-regulation.
Deborah Leong, professor of psychology at Metropolitan State College of Denver, Elena Bodrova, senior researcher with Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, and Laura Berk, professor of psychology at Illinois State University recommend the following.
Simon Says:
Simon Says is a game that requires children to inhibit themselves. You have to think and not do something, which helps to build self-regulation.
Complex Imaginative Play:
This is play where your child plans scenarios and enacts those scenarios for a fair amount of time, a half-hour at a minimum, though longer is better.
Sustained play that last for hours is best. Realistic props are good for very young children, but otherwise encourage kids to use symbolic props that they create and make through their imaginations. For example, a stick becomes a sword.
Activities That Require Planning:
Games with directions, patterns for construction, recipes for cooking, for instance.
Joint Storybook Reading:
"Reading storybooks with preschoolers promotes self-regulation, not just because it fosters language development, but because children's stories are filled with characters who model effective self-regulatory strategies," says researcher Laura Berk.
She cites the classic example of Watty Piper's The Little Engine That Could, in which a little blue engine pulling a train of toys and food over a mountain breaks down and must find a way to complete its journey.
The engine chants, "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can," and with persistence and effort, surmounts the challenge.
Encourage Children to Talk to Themselves: "Like adults, children spontaneously speak to themselves to guide and manage their own behavior,"
Laura Berk says.
"In fact, children often use self-guiding comments recently picked up from their interactions with adults, signaling that they are beginning to apply those strategies to themselves.
"Permitting and encouraging children to be verbally active — to speak to themselves while engaged in challenging tasks — fosters concentration, effort, problem-solving, and task success." — Alix Spiegel
CHILDHOOD DAYS
Childhood tears and grazed young knees games of chase and girls to tease summer days on farmers lands many wishes holding hands kisses chased and tumbling fun there besides the rabbits run
Conker trees and minnow nets river banks and summer guests seaside antics in the sand listen to the weymouth band rocks of white and seagull flights kites to fly and wars to fight
Cowboys Indian's and robin hood dogs to chase and always told to be good sweets to savor and gum to chew chase a girl tissue tissue castles tall and rainbow skies daisy chains and lullaby's
Trains to ride and seeds to sow cows in pasture n rodeo whips to crack and stones to throw geese to chase and falling snow hills to climb and dens to build brothers and sisterhoods
Soccer games in banter play school is out for holiday flick card fun and darts to throw childhood pleasures long ago.
THE CUNNING THING.
When baby awakes of morning then its wake you people all for another day of song and play has come at our darlings call and till she gets her dinner she makes the welkin ring and she wont keep still till shes had her fill the cunning little thing
When baby goes a walking oh how the paddies fly for thats the way the babys say to other folks bye bye
When baby goes a rocking in her bed at close of day at hide and seek on her dainty cheek the dreams and the dimples play then its sleep in the tender kisses the guardian angels bring from the far above to my sweetest love you cunning little thing.
EUGENE FIELD.
WHAT IS CHILD'S PLAY
| Introduction to children's play
Freedom to play
Locked in their world of close circuit TV reality life and crude imagery far away from the streets of their play liberty
The jingles they play and the media tells lies whilst their childhood is lost in their sadness and smiles the thunder it roared and the prophets foretold of days yet to be when childhood grew old
There were limbs on the trees and fields left to roam but the candle was dimmed and their visions where closed their masters and kinfolk guided their dreams with take away foods and horrific loud screams
There was food on the table and news on the spree where doctrines and war crimes paraded for thee the masters of visions crafted their dreams with false words and logic no room for ice cream
The songs and the rhymes were lost in the maze of corrupted lost childhoods in the latest whizz craze the songsters were singing the same dulcet tones with bleached hair and promises wrapped up in gold
The streets they were quiet no sounds of child's play another dream over at the end of the day whilst a comic gave rant and a poet he prayed for a childhood forsaken and a vision waylaid.
Why play is so good for kids
By DR AMANDA GUMMER
Published: 29 Jun 2010
This week the British Toy and Hobby Association and Play England released research revealing that children today are getting less play time than ever before at just one hour a day.
Play is important - it's how children make sense of their world and learn how to live in it with everyone else.
By understanding its importance in a child's development, parents and other adults can fit the different types of play into a child's life in ways that benefit the whole family.
The best thing for a child is to have a healthy play diet with a mixture of these:
1) Active play helps physical development, coordination and cardio fitness. Playing outside with a bucket of water, a paintbrush and a wall or fence will develop muscles needed for holding the arm still enough to learn to write.
2) Playing with friends helps develop skills such as communication, cooperation, negotiation and promotes attachment (a preventative factor against mental health problems in later life).
Negotiation, self-reliance, cooperation and communication skills are all developed effectively through peer interactions in a way that doesn't happen when adults are involved.
3) Free play encourages imagination and creativity which develop skills such as problem solving and innovation. Children have to follow a lot of rules, being in charge of their own play helps boost self-esteem and develops a sense of self.
4) Playing games with rules helps children learn to live within boundaries. Children need to learn which rules are flexible and games are a good way of reinforcing the different types of boundaries.
Parents often prefer playing games with rules and this can be a great time for adult-child interaction. This provides children with an opportunity to learn from those adults by modelling their behaviour, as well as giving children access to activities that they would not be able to do alone.
5) Learning a new game helps develop confidence and teaches new skills.
Perseverance is very difficult to teach a young child, but by giving them the opportunity to learn easy-to-master skills, trick or games, children will enjoy the feeling of success and be more likely to stick at something they find challenging.
Young children have lots of energy and they need to play actively to get rid of it and stay healthy. A visit to the park, a walk in the country, or a trip to the beach will all get children running around and playing energetically.
If kids are active, they eat well; if they eat well, they are more likely to sleep well and if they sleep well, they'll have energy and be able to cope with the day ahead. It's a win-win situation.
As children get older they don't need as much close supervision and hanging out with friends is what they like doing.
When their friends are over encourage creativity through arts and crafts such as face painting, potato printing and sewing. Parents will know that their child is having fun and also get the benefit of a return play date.
With the long summer holidays approaching parents may be too busy or struggle to constantly think up new ways that their children can play.
A new campaign, Make Time to Play, launched by The British Toy and Hobby Association and Play England, invites parents to share their hints and tips on play ideas as well as pledging time in their children's day for them to play.
CHILDHOOD DAYS Childhood tears and grazed young knees games of chase and girls to tease summer days on farmers lands many wishes holding hands kisses chased and tumbling fun there besides the rabbits run
Conker trees and minnow nets river banks and summer guests seaside antics in the sand listen to the weymouth band rocks of white and seagull flights kites to fly and wars to fight
Cowboys indians and robin hood dogs to chase and always told to be good sweets to savor and gum to chew chase a girl tissue tissue castles tall and rainbow skies daisy chains and lullaby's
Trains to ride and seeds to sow cows in pasture n rodeo whips to crack and stones to throw geese to chase and falling snow hills to climb and dens to build brothers and sisterhoods
Soccer games in banter play school is out for holiday flick card fun and darts to throw childhood pleasures long ago.
Children playing worldwide.(Videos)
http://www.pond5.com/stock-video-footage/children-play.html
During my early days in Childs Play.
I was prepared for anything in the beginning, being responsible for projects with very little funding and no staff support.
At that time I would have done the work for nothing, for I was so keen to work in the new field of play leadership.
This was of course before the period when the field of play leadership was to gradually becoming more recognised as a profession, with its own career structure.
Although it was a sad fact that many who entered the field of play were lost after just operating projects for a short time, the demands of the job were causing burn out within the profession.
In London the average working life of a play leader in the early days was just 3 months; leaders during this period were only employed on a casual sessional basis.
I was involved in the establishment of the very first play leaders body which was based at Play Field House, as well as such short lived groups like the London based Adventure Playground Workers Association.
As I moved around the country in various play leadership positions, I became actively involved with local, regional and national play campaigns and organisations.
Campaigns such as the (Mary Bruce) lolly pop Brigade for improving nursery education, Safety on Playgrounds, the tragic case of Maria Coldwell and the children's Ombudsman Campaign and the Rev. Trevor Huddlestons Fair Play for Children campaign.
Along with involvement in a the special N.P.F.A film that focused on Child's Play, entitled Children Waiting.'
I was also involved as a founder member (Fellow) with the short-lived Institute of Play Leadership, as well as a Fellow of the National Association of Recreation Leaders and the campaign for the Social Integration of the Handicapped.
I helped to establish the first Free School in Birmingham in old Balsall Heath as well as being responsible for the first adventure playground that incorporated specifically designed facilities for disabled children at Pin Green Stevenage in 1973.
With Dr. Ron Faulkener I helped to establish one of the first Toy Libraries in the U.K. This was based at Bowes Lyon House community centre Stevenage. By raising money through organising a Play Carnival for the children of the town.
I was frequently invited to give talks to schools regularly on the philosophy of play leadership and to open events for playgroups. As well as playing Father Christmas in full attire to hundreds of toddlers at Stevenage.
I also witnessed my playground win first prize in a town carnival at Rogerstone Newport, Gwent.
A great deal of the work was achieved working alongside active parents, thus forming community support groups and local play associations.
As well as raising funds and scrounging materials for children's play projects, with the active help of such parent associations, steering committees and Community Play Associations.
QUOTES SAYINGS AND VERSE ON CHILDS PLAY.
"Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing". ~Oliver Wendell Holmes.
"My childhood may be over, but that doesn't mean playtime is". ~Ron Olson.
"There are children playing in the streets who could solve some of my top problems in physics, because they have modes of sensory perception that I lost long ago". ~J. Robert Oppenheimer.
"Children have neither past nor future; they enjoy the present, which very few of us do". ~Jean de la Bruyere
"In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play". ~Friedrich Nietzsch.
"Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity". Kay Redfield Jamison
Entering- Play Work.
The term Play Work is commonly used today by professionals in the field of Child Care provision to cover a variety of supervised out of school leisure and play related provision for children.
These have included a range of facilities such as After School clubs, Holiday play schemes, Adventure Playgrounds and Play Centres.
Originally such leisure provision was known as Play Leadership, until the growth of Adventure Playgrounds influenced the term Play/Work. And the recent development of government support for the growth of Out of School clubs and Projects.
Recently there has been a marked increase, interest and public support for these new initiatives, particularly during recent years, with an emphasis on encouraging mothers to return to the workplace.
Numerous new national and local initiatives have been encouraged to provide training for Play Workers with an emphasis on their attainment of a nationally recognised vocational qualification. Prior to operating and supervising these new play/work initiatives.
However, there have over the years been many within the field of play/work are opposed to the N.V.Q avenue, as being of true value to the training of play worker's.
However, my own view is that there is a need for the recognition of the value of all types of training initiatives for play people from a variety of backgrounds. Regardless of the professional training methods used to determine the student's suitability and attainments.
Children's play needs must not be neglected through petty squabbles over methods, but all areas of play provision should be encouraged to meet the demands of the modern era.
Play Work should also include pre school play provision, nurseries, as well as junior youth clubs within Youth Centres, or community, or leisure centres. As well as such facilities, within outdoor activity centres, theme parks or holiday clubs. All of which are accessible avenues for children to enjoy their playtimes.
The opportunities available for those wishing to enter the profession are there. The basic and fundamental requirements for entering the field of Play/Work remain as ever the ability to relate well to young people.
To have a natural flair for the work, along with energy, enthusiasm, patience and imagination.
I believe that any training should be secondary to these basic essentials, providing knowledge and understanding of all aspects of child's play development.
Including health and safety issues, psychology, supervisory or management skills, games and activity programmes co ordination.plus community and welfare knowledge. |
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