The Biggest Puddle In The World

When the children noticed the puddle, they each had a different method of exploring it. One boy cautiously dipped his pan into the water from the safety of the bridge. The other brother got down on his hands and knees in the middle of the puddle.

“I’m just going to remind you that if you sit in a puddle, you may get wet, even with your boots and rain pants on,” I said.

“I don’t even care about getting wet,” he assured me, as he moved back closer to the edge.

He fully submerged his pan, and then lifted it up to dump it. He submerged his pan again, from the opposite side of the puddle, and then carried it up onto the dirt.

Water sloshed over the sides the whole way, and when he got to where he wanted to go, he dumped the pan out.

The other boy filled his pan with water, then carried it over to a log. He dumped the water on top of the log.

The first brother got down on his belly and leaned over the side of the bridge. He dropped a pan into the water, pushing it down with his hands.

When he saw how the pan behaved once it was under the water, he experimented with pushing it down into the puddle with his feet. Next, he picked up a stick, and used that to submerge the pan.

He stepped off the bridge, leaving the pan in the puddle. The other brother wandered over to the bridge. He had a pan, and another container in his hands. When he leaned down to scoop some water into the container, the first brother slid his pan under the bridge.

“The boiler makes hot water,” he warned the boy on the bridge.

“Get the dirt, right? Get dirt and pour it into this hot boiling pan,” the other boy instructed.

He poured water from his smaller container into his pan.

“So what we’re making is beans,” he explained, as he patted the water in his pan.

The boys continued to fill and dump various containers.

“Where’s my grease stick?” the first brother wondered.

He picked up a stick and began to stir the water in the pan that was in the puddle. He ran to gather a handful of dirt, and tossed that into the pan that was under the water. Then he gave it a stir.

As he was mixing the water and dirt in the pan, he decided to mix the whole puddle. Then he picked up the pan and dumped it out. He carried it up near a bench. He set the pan down on the ground, and threw handfuls of dirt inside.

He carried the pan full of dirt back over to the puddle, and dumped the dirt in the water. He picked up his stick and stirred the dirt in.

The other boy filled his pan and carried it over to a log, where he dumped it out. He did this over and over again.

One boy continued to add dirt to the puddle, while the other brother continued to take water away from the puddle.

“Ah! I found a worm in the puddle. I have to save it!” the first boy cried.

He picked up the worm and scanned the exploration area for a place to put it.

“I don’t know what I should do with it,” he said.

“I think worms like dirt. Maybe put it down in the dirt somewhere,” I suggested.

“Is this a good spot?” he asked.

He pointed to a space along the perimeter of the puddle.

“Hmm. We might step on it if it’s close to the puddle,” I pointed out.

He carried the worm over to a big rock, and placed it on the ground below it.

“I think the worm is dead! It’s not moving,” he gasped.

He observed the worm for a few moments. When he saw it wiggle, he breathed a sigh of relief, and went back to playing.

The other boy gradually ventured closer to the puddle. He stepped into the water and squatted down to fill his containers.

The first boy picked up his pan and held it under the bench. Water was dripping down from where he had dumped it on top of the bench.

“I’m cleaning my bowl,” he explained, as he caught the drips in his container.

He picked up a stick and used it to loosen the dirt on the ground. Then he scooped the dirt up with his hands and placed it in his pan.

“Now everyone, get a lot of mud!” he said.

He carried the pan over to the puddle and dumped it in. Then he mixed the puddle with his stick.

He sat down on the bridge and stuck his boots in the water. He pushed one stick down into the puddle, stopping when he hit ground.

“It needs to be this deep,” he said.

The other boy scooped more water into his pan, then poured it out on one of the forts.

“We have a special kitchen I got about ten years ago,” he told me.

“Ten years ago?! That’s amazing. What do you make in your kitchen?” I wondered.

“We make toothpaste,” he explained.

“Toothpaste! That’s so cool,” I said.

“It’s mint toothpaste,” the first brother added.

“If you follow me, we have a special machine,” he said.

He guided me to where he had been dumping water on the fort.

“You put it in here, and you add leaves. There is a hammer that comes down and down and crunches it,” he explained.

He tossed some leaves into the machine to demonstrate.

“It goes through that pipe, and it crunches and boils. And the water is really hot in there right now. And guess what. NEVER put your finger in there,” he warned me.

“I promise I won’t,” I assured him.

“Chelsey, the puddle goes all the way over here!” the first boy exclaimed.

He was noticing that there was water on the other side of the bridge as well.

“Do you think this puddle is the biggest puddle in the world?” the other boy asked.

“I think it must be close,” I said.

The boys played around and in the puddle, joyfully, for more than an hour. They never ran out of ways to play, or experiments to perform. Time, space, and permission meant that they could be curious, and follow their intrinsic motivated. This resulted in children who were fully engaged and in the moment.

Sunday Outside Play Club 48

The afternoon began near a partially cut down a tree.

“Find your own kingdoms. This is mine!” R6 announced, as she climbed up.

Once she was up, she placed a giant pinwheel in a hole in the tree.

R7 approached R6. He poked the pinwheel with a stick.

“Stop hitting my windmill!” R6 said.

“Why do you have it?” R7 wondered.

“To show me which way the wind is going,” R6 explained.

“Do you have a belt? I need a belt to hold my sword,” R7 told me.

“Check in the wagon and see if you can find something to use,” I suggested.

In his search for a belt, R7 found the bin of dress-ups. He, R6, and F began to sift through the costumes.

“I’m Spidey!” R7 called out, claiming that costume for himself.

“Aw! I wanted to be Spidey!” R6 said.

“Well I got it. You can be someone else,” R7 said.

With reluctance, R6 chose another dress up. F tried to piece together his own superhero costume. When he saw the parachute, he grabbed it, and carried it to an open space.

“It’s a beautiful day for parachuting,” he said, as he lifted the parachute.

R7 rushed to join F.

“Everybody grab two corners!” he instructed.

R6 grabbed onto the parachute, next to R7 and F. R7 attempted to teach the others a parachute game. When this task proved to be difficult, he let go of the parachute and stepped back.

R6 and F continued to play with the parachute.

“Don’t sit yet, wait for the wind to stop,” R7 told them.

The wind was strong, and the parachute was flapping all over.

“Stop shaking it!” R6 scolded F.

“I’m not. It’s the wind!” F explained.

Eventually, the wind won. F and R6 put the parachute away. R7 requested to move to a new spot, so we did. We packed up our things and headed to the logs.

The children began a game of pretend involving superheroes. After a while, they decided they wanted to paint.

“Let’s draw our costumes,” R7 suggested.

“I need yellow,” F announced.

“Oh, unfortunately, the yellow is missing from this paint set,” I told him.

“What’s the next closest?” F wondered.

“Orange or green,” R6 replied.

“I’m using orange!” F decided.

He got to work adding details to his painting. R6 was busy perfecting her design.

“Don’t forget, you need a picture of a spider on your chest,” F reminded R7.

R7 closed his eyes and lifted his face to the sky.

“I feel like I wish I was at the cabin,” he said.

“Yeah, me too. I miss it,” F said.

“I feel like I’m there right now. I’m swimming with my goggles on. I smell sunscreen,” he said, as he adjusted his mask.

“We’re going there this summer. Imagine us going on jet skis. Screaming!” R6 chimed in.

R7 opened his eyes and studied the sky.

“Is there even a cloud in the sky? Not as far as the eye can see,” he said.

When R7 got too hot, he shed his costume. R6 happily put it on.

“When I sense a bad guy, my eyes glow,” R6 said.

“Nope. That’s not Spiderman,” R7 insisted.

“I’m Spiderwoman,” R6 informed him.

“You get to pick a day animal, and a night animal,” F said.

“I’m a spider,” R6 decided.

“Nope, you can’t,” R7 informed her.

“Why?” R6 wanted to know.

“Because you’re already one in the day,” R7 explained.

“Eagle,” R6 tried again.

“Nope. You can’t,” R7 said.

“Why?” R6 asked.

“I’m already an eagle,” R7 told her.

After cycling through several animals, R6 finally found one that R7 and F approved of. The children played their game until it was time to go home. They were more mellow than they usually are, but between the three of them, there was no shortage of ideas about what they should play.

Time, space, and permission to play made for a day filled with opportunities to move, explore, experiment, imagine, resolve conflicts, assess and take risks, work as a team, try new things, be resilient, connect with nature, pretend, and have lots of fun.

Puddles, A Log, Deer, And Mud

We were on our way to participate in a wildlife care experience when we got the call that it would have to be postponed by a couple hours. Since we were about to pull into the nature center parking lot, we decided to explore the trails while we waited.

It was raining lightly, but we were prepared with our rain gear. My niece couldn’t wait to jump in puddles. She splashed around in several as we walked from the lot to the trail.

She led the way and took us down a set of stairs.

We crossed a bridge that took us over a creek. My niece shivered.

“I have your warmer jacket if you’re cold,” I reminded her.

“I’m not cold. This is just scary,” she said.

“That’s right, there was no water last time we visited,” I remembered.

“If I fell in, it would probably be past my chest,” my niece guessed.

“Good thing the bridge is wide and sturdy,” I said.

We continued on until we came to a big log. I climbed up and balanced across. I jumped off when I reached the other end. My niece did the same.

“Hold my hand,” she said, when it was time for her to jump.

I knew she was more than capable of jumping unassisted, but I held her hand anyway. In that moment, she was looking for connection.

My niece ran to the other end of the log, climbed up, and balanced across. Again, she wanted my hand when she jumped down, and I gave it to her. She balanced across the log at least ten times before she was ready to move on.

“I want to go play,” she said, as we hiked down the trail.

“We’re heading in the direction of the play area,” I assured her.

We crossed another, smaller bridge. This time, there was a railing on both sides. On the other side of the bridge, many tree roots were sticking up where the trail had eroded.

‘This is so cool. These are roots!” my niece exclaimed.

We walked a little while longer, and eventually came to the play area.

“Look!” my niece gasped.

In the field just beyond the play area, there were at least a dozen deer. She paused to watch them, then slowly inched closer to the fence.

One deer got spooked, and took off running. All of the other deer eventually followed the first.

My niece decided to check out the mud kitchen. She realized she needed a bathroom break before she actually got around to playing.

As we walked back to the building, she dragged a stick behind her.

“This is in case we don’t know the way to get back,” she explained.

After stepping inside, she opted to wear her warmer jacket when we headed out again.

My niece stopped to jump in every parking lot puddle we passed on our return trip to the play area.

Once we made it back to the mud kitchen, she got busy cooking many muddy recipes.

She didn’t need me to tell her what to do, or how to do it.

“I need more dirt. Can you help me dig?” she asked.

“Sure,” I said.

She handed me a stick and showed me where to dig. We uncovered lots of worms as we dug in the ground.

I was relieved that kindergarten hadn’t stolen my niece’s ability to play in a self directed manner. She was busy making all sorts of soups and stews.

When she noticed a big stockpot, she enlisted me and her grandpa to help her fill it with water.

Once it was full, she asked me to help her carry it over to the stove (a stump). We each lifted one side of the pot, and managed to move it without spilling much.

While the soup simmered, she transferred water from one container to the next. She stopped occasionally to stir the big pot.

“I’m going to make a river over here,” her grandpa announced.

He started digging out the spot where a puddle already exisited.

“You guys should make a dam,” her grandpa suggested.

My niece and I got busy trying to dam up the river.

“I’ve never done this before. I don’t know what I’m doing. It’s kind of hard,” I said.

“Me either, but we can do hard things,” my niece assured me.

After lots of trial and error, we figured out how to stop the flow of water. My niece and her grandpa continued to add water to the river. When the river got so full it started leaking from one of the sides, we broke the dam, and watched the water rush down.

My niece spent the rest of the time jumping in leftover puddles. She looked so happy stomping in the mud, and that made me happy.

“I wish we could jump in puddles at school but my principal says we can’t,” she told me.

“That’s too bad. You should be allowed to jump in puddles,” I said.

“We don’t even get to play outside for recess if it’s raining. They make us watch a show,” she said.

“That’s definitely not as fun as jumping in puddles,” I said.

It did seem odd that a school that is supposed to provide nature-based learning would put kids in front of a screen when it rains, instead of letting them experience the natural world in all weather. It reminded me that adults and their attitudes can be one of the biggest barriers to getting kids outside.

Outside Play Club 163

The morning began with sticks.

“Try to balance on the sticks. If you fall off, you lose,” S said.

She and I6 took turns stepping on small sticks. I6 slipped off her stick.

“Ugh, I lost my life! Game over,” I6 cried.

S picked up a longer stick.

“Should we decorate the ninja stick?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I6 agreed.

S carried the stick over to the tarp.

“We have to get all the bark off,” she told I6.

“This piece is really sticked on,” she said, as she picked at a section of bark.

“This piece is also really stuck on,” I6 said, as she picked at a different section of bark.

They continued to try to pull the pieces of bark off the stick.

“This is really sticky wood. Is there sap under this wood? It’s really hard to get off. DON’T touch liquid sap,” I6 warned.

S and I6 removed the bark small piece by small piece.

“Should we take a little break?” S wondered.

“Yeah,” I6 agreed.

“Or, you could find a tool to help you,” I suggested.

“Like a shovel!” S gasped.

“Or a snowball maker!” I6 exclaimed.

The two friends ran to grab their tools.

“How about we be workers who fix things,” said I6, as she tried to grasp the bark with the snowball maker.

“Eh,” S replied.

“I think sand can help get it, because sand has tiny rocks,” she added.

S scooped up some sand and drizzled it on the bark. I6 traded her snowball maker for a shovel.

L and I5 arrived.

“Do you guys want to help get this off?” S asked.

“No thanks,” was L’s immediate response.

“What is it?” I5 wondered.

“It’s a ninja stick for S,” I6 explained.

I5 scampered off to play with L.

“Why can’t this come off?!” I6 grumbled.

“Well, this came off pretty good with this,” S said.

She demonstrated how she used her metal shovel to loosen the bark.

“Can I use that when you’re done?” I6 asked.

“Yes,” S told her.

I5 and L gathered up sand toys and got to work creating recipes.

“Do you bring the, like, little silverware spoon?” I5 asked.

“No, sorry, I don’t think I did,” I said.

“Aw, but I need it to break off a piece of chalk,” I5 said.

She immediately solved her own problem by using a plastic spoon to break off a piece of the chalk.

“It worked!” she gasped.

I5 pressed the small piece of chalk against a bigger piece of a different colored chalk.

“Chalk can’t draw on chalk,” she said.

The small piece of chalk did not have any marks from the bigger piece.

“Did you check the bigger piece?” I wondered.

I5 peeked at the bottom of the bigger chalk. She was surprised to see that the smaller piece of chalk had left a mark on the larger piece.

S and I6 requested that I read stories while they ate their snacks.

I5 and L continued to play, but tuned in when the stories got interesting.

When all the books had been read, everyone went right back to playing.

“Can I bake with you?” S asked L.

“Yeah. I have an idea! Cupcakes!” L said.

She picked up the muffin tin.

“I6 can have one, Chelsey, S…” L began.

“There’s five of us and six cupcakes, so everyone can can have one,” I5 pointed out.

“But, there’s twins,” L reminded her.

She was referring to two animal figures that the children decided to bake for.

“They can share,” I5 decided.

“Then no one is left out,” L agreed.

S, I5, and L began to fill the muffin tins with sand.

“Can I play?” I6 asked.

“Yeah. Um, we’re making cupcakes,” L said.

I6 didn’t join in right away, despite asking, and being invited into the game. She worked on her own cake, instead.

“Look how I’m making a beat!” L called.

She tapped a small log with a big stick. The end of the stick broke off.

“Ugh! I broke this” L announced.

One side of I6’s cake fell. She experimented with different ways of fixing the cake. Eventually, she used a shovel to smooth the cake, and got on with decorating.

L and S went to play a different game of pretend in the pines. They hobbled over to the sand with walking sticks in each hand.

“I’m pretending I lost my leg in the war. We’re playing sisters,” L explained.

“I don’t want to be the baby anymore. I want to be older,” S said.

“You have to be younger than sixteen, because that’s how old I am,” L told her.

“But I really, really, really want to be sixteen,” S insisted.

“Okay, I5, time to change ages,” L said.

L, I5, and S negotiated their new ages in the game.

“Chelsey, look!” S gasped.

She pointed at a large fallen pine branch.

“Oh, wow, a big branch came down,” I said.

“And it shimmers in the light,” added S.

She leaned down for a closer look.

“Oh, now I see how shiny it is,” I said.

After a while, S and I6 sat down to do some drawing.

“I6, do you know how to spell house?” S wondered.

“H…” I6 began.

“I got the H already,” S said.

“H-o- um, maybe ask Chelsey,” I6 suggested.

Eventally, S and I6 figured out how they wanted to spell the word house.

“Look, I put the green from the plant stick in here. You can see it,” L called.

S wandered back over to the sand.

“I’m not going to play the sisters game anymore. I’m going to sell food,” S announced.

“Can you sell food to us in the game?” L wanted to know.

“I’m making wood salad,” L said.

I6 approached S.

“I’ll be Cat Noir, but I’m actually a girl, not a boy. I’ll be a girl Cat Noir,” she said.

“Okay,” S agreed.

I6 and S selected winged costumes to wear. L joined them a few minutes later.

I6 picked up the keyboard.

“This is in my room,” she said.

“No, it’s in mine,” S insisted.

“That’s not fair. How about there’s a community center, and it’s for everyone,” L suggested.

“Okay, where’s the community center?” I6 wanted to know.

The children then decided that they needed someone to be the bad guy in their game. They nominated me.

“What’s your bad guy name?” L asked.

“Uh… Blue Jacket,” I replied.

“You control weather,” I6 told me.

This began the first of several battles between the good guys and the bad guy. Eventually, L joined my side.

“Honey freeze!” L cried.

“Shield!” S exclaimed, as she covered her face with her arms.

“You can only do a shield for three seconds,” I6 announced.

“Hey, let’s play with the parachute!” L said, when she had grown tired from running.

“Everyone grab a side!” S instructed.

“Let’s play popcorn!” I5 suggested.

The afternoon ended with a variety of child invented and directed parachute games.

Time, space, and permission to play made for a day filled with opportunities to move, explore, experiment, assess and take risks, try new things, connect with nature, pretend, imagine, resolve conflicts, solve problems, experience joy, and have lots of fun.

Sunday Outside Play Club 47

The afternoon began with snow.

“Where do you guys want to play?” I asked.

“Somewhere with protection,” F said.

“The rocks!” R6 added.

We made our way to the play area. R7 dragged his feet through the slushy snow.

“Look, I’m doing what he did in Snowy Day,” he said.

When we entered the play area, the children went straight for the rocks. Everyone focused on finding their home. R7 went into the small cave. R6 climbed into the tunnel. F settled in next to a bale of hay and started making snowballs.

R6 came out of the tunnel with a snowball maker in her hands.

“F, look! I made a snowball!” she exclaimed.

“Look how many I made,” F replied.

R7 climbed up on top of the tunnel. He began pushing snow over the edge.

“Stop. I mean it!” F told him.

“F, we could make a bakery,” R6 suggested.

“No. I’m making a snowball shop,” F insisted.

R7 pushed more snow off the top of the tunnel.

“You have a wolf on your house,” he told R6.

R6 collected her things and moved into the small cave

“R6 took your house,” F said to R7.

“I’m a wolf. I don’t need no roof,” R7 said.

He climbed down from the tunnel and moved onto the roof of the small cave.

“Get off my roof,” R6 shouted.

R7 pushed snow off the roof of the cave.

“He’s giving you snow,” F pointed out.

“Actually, keep doing that,” R6 decided.

“Wild creatures were built for snow. People weren’t,” R7 said, as he crawled around on the rocks.

F scooped up some snow with his snowball maker. A clump of hay was mixed in.

“Put the hay on here,” R6 instructed him, pointing to her small bowl.

“Get a different bowl” F told her.

R6 pushed a different bowl towards him. F emptied the contents of the snowball maker into the bowl.

“He’s my pet,” F said, referring to R7 the wolf.

“And mine, because I’m married to you,” R6 added.

F fed his pet wolf. After the wolf had eaten, F decided that he also wanted to be a wolf. He climbed all over the rock area with R7, and they both howled.

“If you hear growls, abandon your house,” R7 told R6.

R7 and F climb on top of R6’s house and growled.

“But I didn’t hear it because I was too busy working away in my little hut,” R6 said.

“We are not built to be seen. We are the wolves that don’t like to be seen,” R7 said, as he guided F all around the rocks.

“We’re the type of wolves that love snow the most,” R7 said, as they crawled into the bigger cave.

“Pretend you guys come to my house,” R6 called to them.

“R6, your house is underneath ours. You saw the king of all the wolves on your house,” R7 said, as he climbed onto the roof of the small cave.

“Back off! Get off my bakery!” R6 scolded the wolves.

“You don’t want to mess with the king and prince of all wolves,” R7 warned her.

“Get out of my house!” R6 cried, as they tried to enter the cave.

“You have to share. We are hungry,” F explained.

R6 put bowls of food in front of the wolves.

“I’m going to keep you,” R6 told them.

“You can’t! We’re wild!” R7 reminded her.

“I’m going to be a wolf, too,” R6 said.

This caused some conflict. R7 and F didn’t want to share their space.

“I’m going to be what I want to be, and play with you,” R6 insisted.

“Then you have to make your own space. You can’t be the same kind of wolf as us, so what are you?” R7 asked.

“I’m a timber wolf,” R6 said with confidence.

“Okay, we are gray wolves. F, we need to fight” R7 decided.

“Wait, I’m trying to eat,” F said.

“I don’t eat before fighting because then I get cramps,” R7 announced.

F finished eating, and he and R7 started to wrestle. R6 was a spectator.

“Every year we have to fight to see who will be king,” R7 explained.

After several rounds, F traded spots with R6.

“R6, it’s your turn to fight. If you beat me, you’re queen,” R7 told her.

They began to wrestle.

“Just bite him in the head and claw him in the head,” F recommended.

R6 and F started asking to go inside. I figured if they moved their bodies more, they would warm up and be more comfortable. I suggested moving into the pines, where there were branches and logs to build with. I was met with some protests, but the children eventually headed that way.

F stopped at the swing while R6 and R7 continued into the pines.

After several minutes of swinging, F joined the others. They played a game of pretend that involved being hunters.

F and R7 transformed back into wolves. There was more wrestling between all three children.

“I’m going to knock this fort over,” R6 decided.

She got to work removing some of the branches.

“Who is going to help me?” she wondered.

R7 and F ran to assist.

It took a lot of teamwork, communication, risk assessing, and perseverance, but the children managed to dismantle the entire fort.

The afternoon ended with two extremely long fallen tree branches.

Time, space, and permission to play made for a day filled with opportunities to move, explore, experiment, assess and take risks, solve problems, pretend, resolve conflicts, try new things, be resilient, imagine, connect with nature, and have lots of fun.

Outside Play Club 162

The afternoon began on the dome climber.

S climbed up and lowered herself through one of the openings, over and over again.

“My mom said she was sure that no other kids were going to be here today,” she told me, on one of her up climbs.

“That’s right. Some people are traveling, some people are sick, and some people have other plans today,” I said.

After five or six climbs, S wandered over to the boat. She stepped inside, and noticed a puddle of water on the floor.

“My boots can go anywhere. Snow, mud, dirt, and if it’s raining,” she announced.

“That’s right,” I agreed.

S continued on to the mud kitchen.

“I found ice!” she exclaimed.

She held the ice with her bare hand.

“I’m going to do that thing, you know, where we make the cakes. I’m going to have a cake shop,” she said, as she selected the kitchen tools she wanted to use.

S got to work mixing up a cake. All of the sudden, she stopped.

“I hear a bird!” she gasped.

We scanned the yard with our eyes, searching for the source of the sound. Eventually, we located it, on top of the deck. The bird was red, and from where we were standing, looked like a cardinal.

“On a show I learned that in the spring, the cardinal boys sing a song to impress the girls, so they can live together,” S explained.

“I’ve heard that, too,” I said.

S poked at a bowl of sand with a hand shovel.

“I’m making some of the special dough. I’m breaking it into pieces. I found it in the ship, right there,” she said, referring to one of the bowls.

S studied her mixture.

“I think I could use some more ice,” she said.

She pulled some icicles off of the top of the mud kitchen and carried them back to her cake. She picked up a silver bowl and placed it over her cake.

“It’s going to be a surprise. Because, look. You can take it off and put it on,” she said.

S found a teapot and looked inside. She placed the icicles inside the teapot.

“I’m putting some ice in the container, so it will melt for water. I’m putting it in the sun,” she explained.

S carried the teapot over to a sunnier spot in the yard.

She set it down on a stump, and returned to the mud kitchen. She got busy making another concoction.

“I’m going to go check on the drink,” she said, a few moments later.

S skipped over to the stump and peeked inside the teapot.

“It’s melting!” she cheered.

She brought the teapot back to the mud kitchen.

“I think I will break them. Maybe it will melt faster,” S said.

She collected more icicles and broke them into pieces before adding them to the teapot.

S carried the teapot over to the balance scale. She experimented with hanging the teapot on one of the arms.

When the side with the teapot wouldn’t stay in the up position, S filled a large bucket with sand. She lugged it over to the balance scale and hung it on the opposite arm. This caused the arm with the teapot to stay in the up position.

“Look, so it can go higher. The higher something is, the more sun can get it,” she explained.

“That’s good thinking,” I said.

S walked back to the mud kitchen and took some time to figure out what she wanted to make next.

“Should I make cupcakes?” she wondered.

“Sure, if you’d like,” I said.

“Where’s the cupcake tin?” she asked.

“Ah…hmm…look around I guess, and see if there is one,” I told her.

When the cupcake tin wasn’t readily available, S selected a loaf pan.

“Maybe I could make banana bread?” she said.

As she began to fill the loaf pan, she saw the cupcake tin out of the corner of her eye. S popped up and grabbed it. She began to fill it with sand.

“Muffins, for people who don’t like frosting. Some people don’t like frosting,” she told me.

“That is true,” I agreed.

When each compartment on the cupcake tin was full, S sprinkled snow on top of some of muffins.

“I made two muffins and four cupcakes,” she explained.

She set the cupcake tin down, and stirred a pot of soup that had been simmering on the stove this whole time. Then she picked up a mug.

“I think this should be the drink,” she said.

She went to check on the teapot.

“There’s no water in here even though its melting,” she said.

She demonstrated by trying to pour from the pot.

“Hmm. I wonder if it needs even more water,” I suggested.

S took a moment to think about where she could get more water. She remembered the puddle on the floor of the boat, and carried the teapot over to it.

“How am I going to get the water into here?” she asked.

“I wonder if there’s a tool you could use,” I replied.

S ran to the kitchen and came back with two squeezers and a plastic container. She handed one of the squeezers to me.

“Now, pick up the water, and squeeze it into here. We’re going to put it in here, and then pour it into the teapot,” she explained.

I helped S collect water in the plastic container. Then she poured it into the teapot. She carried the pot back to the kitchen.

“The snow melted!” she giggled, when she noticed that the snow frosting on the cupcakes had disappeared.

S began to feel hungry. She paused to eat a snack and listen to stories.

Once she had refueled, she went right back to playing. She explored the large rocking hammock.

“This is a pirate ship,” she said, as she rocked.

S stopped the rocking hammock and ran to the boat.

“I’m the captain. You’re the paddler,” she instructed.

She handed me an oar, and then climbed into the front of the boat. I sat down in the back.

“Tip it side to side so it’s like we’re actually in the water,” she said.

I did as I was told.

“Actually, now I’m the paddler, but I’m still the captain,” she said.

I handed S the oar, and she paddled us to our destination.

“Okay. We’re at the restaurant,” she said.

She hopped out of the boat and pulled a smaller rocking toy to the side of the boat.

“This is like the deck to get off the boat,” she explained, climbing back in.

She crawled onto the smaller rocking toy, then crawled across it.

S decided that she wanted to swing, next.

She spent some time on the swing, and the hammock.

When she noticed the easel, she wanted to paint.

“I’m going to draw what I want to paint, and then paint it,” she explained.

When she was done painting, she experimented with the music wall.

Next, she went back to the climber.

The afternoon ended with a long stick.

“Look, this is like a bamboo stick,” she said.

S carried the stick over to the sand. She used it to break apart some large pieces of bark that were on the ground.

S carried the smaller pieces of bark over to her cake. She peeled the bark and sprinkled it on top of the cake.

“Look what I’m doing. I’m taking all the yellowness off of it,” she explained.

When it was time to go, S protested.

“Not yet! I’m not finished yet. I’m very close. I’m going to finish, cut it, and leave it for Nancy’s kids so they can enjoy it, too,” she said.

It was hard to argue with that, so I let her do what she needed to do. S alternated between two shovels to cut and scoop out chunks of cake. She placed each piece onto a plate.

“I’m working as fast as I can,” she assured me.

Time, space, and permission to play made for a day filled with opportunities to move, explore, experiment, solve problems, pretend, try new things, imagine, assess and take risks, try, fail, and try again, create, connect with nature, and have lots of fun.

Sunday Outside Play Club 46

The afternoon began at a tree that had been partially cut down.

“This can be our restaurant,” F said.

“Yeah!” R7 agreed.

F climbed up onto the tree and looked inside a hole he saw on a knot.

“An animal lives in there!” he gasped.

“Huh?” said R7.

He and R6 peeked into the hole. R7 reached his hand in and pulled out a quilted heart.

“I get to keep it because I found it!” R7 exclaimed.

“No, I found it!” F insisted.

“You all kind of found it, so how about if you share it?” I suggested.

“Fine. It’s going to be the centerpiece for the table. Put this in the backpack in a pocket where it won’t fall out,” R7 told me.

He handed me the heart and I put it away. From up on the tree, F started setting up his cooking area.

“Don’t touch the pan. The oven is on and it’s HOT,” F warned.

“Can we pretend we’re a jail and we’re making disgusting old food?” F asked a few moments later.

“No. We’re not a jail. Why do you like jail so much?” R7 replied.

F, R6, and R7 settled in on the tree. They each started shredding chalk into different containers.

“Hey, that’s mine, R7,” R6 said.

She was referring to the pot R7 was using to hold his chalk dust.

“Get me a bowl and I won’t have to do this,” R7 told her.

R6 grabbed a bowl and traded R7 for the pot. R7 resumed shredding chalk into his bowl.

F hopped down with his pan and moved to a stump.

“Actually, this is my stove,” he said.

F got back to work shredding his chalk.

R7 jumped down and poured his pink chalk dust into F’s pan.

“I’ve got more chalk, R7. Take it down,” R6 said.

R7 stayed on the ground with F.

“Is this going to be rainbow dust?” R7 wanted to know.

R6 jumped down from the tree.

“I’m coming down to help,” she announced.

“Did you know we’re trying to make rainbow of this?” F asked her.

R6 found a place to set up next to the boys. Then she resumed her chalk shredding.

“R6, you’re not helping right now. You need to point it down more,” F told her.

He demonstrated the best angle to hold the chalk while scraping it against the rim of the pan.

R6 adjusted her technique.

“Good job, R6!” F cheered.

F looked down and noticed that some chalk dust was spilling on the log.

“This log is going to be tie dye,” he said.

“I’ve worked at this restaurant the longest,” R7 declared.

“No, I have worked here a long time, too,” F insisted.

“R6 is new,” he added.

“But she’s really good,” R7 chimed in.

“This is actually really cool,” F said, as he studied the dust in the pan.

“We want it to look like galaxy. This is galaxy sauce,” R7 explained.

“Pretend we only like fresh colors,” F said.

“Not colors with other colors mixed in,” R7 agreed.

“Do you want to be the patient?” F asked me.

“Patient? Or customer?” I wondered.

“Customer,” F clarified.

“Okay. Sure,” I told him.

“I serve the galaxy sauce,” F informed everyone.

He picked up a new container and began shredding a piece of orange chalk.

“This is my specialty. Did you know you’re getting two bowls of this?” F asked.

“Do you want soup, too?” R6 turned to me and asked.

“I didn’t know. But sure, I’ll have some soup,” I answered.

“Pretend you didn’t know the secret recipe,” F said.

“We all have our own talents,” R7 said.

“No one knows how to make the lemon coffee ground stuff,” F added.

“No one knows how to make the soup,” R6 said.

“No one knows how to make the galaxy sauce so smooth,” R7 said.

“Let’s be the most famousest restaurant in the world!” R6 exclaimed.

“Yeah, we are. It’s called Galaxy…” R7 began.

“No, it’s called Lemon Squirt,” F suggested.

“It’s called Galaxy World,” R7 finished his thought.

“The restaurant is called Famous Secrets,” R6 said.

This was the start of a short period of conflict. R6 split from F and R7 to make her own restaurant. R7 and F climbed back up on the tree with their cooking supplies.

After a while, R6 wanted to join R7 and F again. They didn’t want to make room for her on the tree.

“There’s not enough room up here,” R7 pointed out.

I suggested that we could move to a new space with more room for all. R7 and F were adamant that they did not want to move. Eventually, they decided that it was more fun to play with R6. They made room for her on the tree.

“Can I have my pot?” R6 asked, once she was settled in the tree.

“It has all the chalk in it,” R7 said.

“You can use this bowl to dump it in,” R6 said.

She traded R6 the bowl for the pot.

“Can you stop kneeing me?” R7 told F.

“I’m not trying to,” F said.

“Don’t bump me,” R6 reminded them.

A train horn sounded in the distance.

“I hear a train! R7, tell her the train joke” R6 gasped.

“What’s the difference between a teacher and a train?” R7 asked me.

“Hmm. Tell me,” I replied.

“A teacher says spit out your gum but a train says choo choo!” R7 laughted.

“Ha! That’s funny!” I said.

R6 stood up on the tree.

“I’m being brave. Would I break my arm if I fell from here?” she wanted to know.

“It would depend on how you land,” R7 told her.

The children played restaurant for more than an hour and a half.

“I want to go to the rocks,” R6 said.

“Let’s play cave men,” R7 agreed.

The afternoon ended at the play area.

“If you want to be a cave dweller, you have to copy how the animals go,” R7 said, as he balanced on the rocks.

Another child in the play area approached R7 and asked if he wanted to play.

“What’s your name?” R7 asked.

The boy told him, and they started a chasing game with F and R6. When everyone grew tired of running, they made up a new game.

“We’re spies. They’re in jail. If they spot us, they’re free to chase us,” the other child explained the rules.

R6 and F began to count while R7 and the other child ran to hide. Then R7 and the other child attempted to spy on R6 and F. When R6 and F noticed the spies, they chased them. Eventually, they managed to catch R7 and the other child.

“Spies lost. Agents won,” the other child said.

“Are we spies?” R6 asked.

“No, you’re agents. You win,” the other child told her.

R6 grinned. Time, space, and permission to play made for a day filled with opportunities to move, explore, experiment, pretend, imagine, use teamwork, share ideas, resolve conflicts, solve problems, try new things, make new friends, connect with nature, experience joy, and have lots of fun.

Outside Play Club 161

The afternoon began in the sand. While S, X, and I6 investigated their lunches, L and E6 got right to playing. They noticed the plastic eggs right away.

“Let’s make eggs. No, let’s make a nest for me. I’m a chicken,” E6 said.

“I’m a chicken, too,” L said.

They divided the six eggs between themselves. Then they started digging holes and making nests. L hopped around, flapping her arms.

She caught the attention of the kids on the tarp.

“I think L is a bird,” I6 said.

“L, are you a bird?” she asked a few moments later.

“We’re both chickens,” E6 replied.

“Are those your eggs?” S wanted to know.

“They’re eggs for our farmer,” L explained.

“Wait, I want to be a chicken,” X said.

He jumped up to join them.

“Well I have three eggs, and L has three eggs,” E6 explained.

“Why do I not get any eggs?” X wanted to know.

“Because they’re using them,” S said.

“I know! You can use pinecones for eggs. I’m just going to be a dragon,” X said, quickly overcoming his disappointment.

“Dragons have eggs,” L pointed out.

“But you can’t eat us,” E6 added.

“I’m just going to guard you,” X assured her.

“Who is going to be my baby?” L wondered.

“S can,” X suggested.

“Do you want to be my baby chick?” L asked S.

“Yes,” S replied.

“Let’s pretend you hatch out of this egg,” L said.

She opened one of the green eggs.

“Now you’re my chick,” she told S.

L gave the green egg to X. He promptly made a nest for it.

“Who is I6 going to be?” S asked.

“She can be the farmer. I6, do you want to be the farmer?” L called to I6.

“Sure,” I6 agreed.

“Ahh! There’s a predator. Behind me!” X cried.

It took me a moment to realize that the predator was me. X began to breathe fire at me. I backed away. X put both hands in his jacket pockets. Then he started flapping his arms.

“These are my wings. They look like real wings,” he exclaimed.

“I can do that, too. I’m a chicken,” L said.

She put her hands in her pockets and flapped her arms.

“Look at my shadow. It looks like real wings,” X cried.

A few minutes later, L picked up one of X’s eggs.

“That’s my egg. I was using it,” X told her.

“I gave it to you, so I can take it back,” L said.

“Hey, that’s not fair,” X pointed out.

“I think that since you gave it to him, you should wait until he’s finished to take it back. You can ask him to let you know when he’s done,” I suggested.

“Aw, I wanted another egg. I know! I’ll just use a bowl,” L decided.

She placed a small bowl upside down on her nest.

“S is in this egg,” L explained.

“When I hatch, I’m going to be a chick. Right now, I’m a farmer. When the chick hatches, the farmer disappears,” S said.

“Mine aren’t chicks. They’re dogs. They like dog treats,” E6 announced.

“Puppies don’t have eggs. They’re just born right away,” S informed her.

“I know, but these are in eggs,” E6 said.

I6 carried a muffin tin filled with sand over to E6. She set it down next to her.

“We have some food prepared for your babies when they hatch,” I6 said.

“Actually, I want to be a puppy. I’m not a chicken. Who wants my eggs? X, do you?” L asked.

L was about to hand her two remaining eggs to X when E6 rushed over.

“Can I have one?” she asked.

L gave one of her eggs to X, and one to E6. X placed his extra egg on his nest and covered it with leaves. He then drew a circle around the eggs in sand.

“Is this a line we can’t cross?” L wondered.

X nodded.

“Can you please not go on my line?” X reminded her a few minutes later, when L forgot.

“Oh, sorry,” L said.

“How about after the puppies are born, we go on a scavenger hunt,” E6 suggested.

The puppies hatched, and E6 and L got ready to hide the plastic eggs.

“Everyone hide your eyes, or don’t look,” L instructed.

S, I6, and X did as they were told. L and E6 took their time finding places to hide the eggs. This was a test of everyone’s impulse control. Eventually, all the eggs were hidden.

“Everyone gets to find one egg. So if you have one, don’t get another,” E6 said.

After all the eggs were found, L and I6 hid them again.

“Can you give me hot or cold clues?” S asked.

“Yes,” L agreed.

“Am I hot or cold?” S wondered.

“Cold,” L said.

X approached me with a concerned look on his face.

“S and I6 aren’t sharing their game with me,” he said.

“Would you like to talk to them about it?” I asked.

He nodded.

“I want to play,” X said, when S and I6 came closer.

“You can play,” E6 jumped in to assure him.

“Well I want to hide the egg,” X explained.

“Oh. we’re taking turns. You’ll be next to hide the eggs,” E6 said.

J arrived, and started to line up the chalk. L handed her a pinwheel.

“Do you want one?” L asked.

“Yeah,” J said.

She pushed the pinwheel into the sand.

“I need to turn the fan,” J said.

“You could try blowing it,” I told her.

J blew on the pinwheel and watched it spin. Some of the children were feeling hungry. They paused to eat their lunches and listen to stories.

“When we’re done eating, can we play my game?” L asked.

“Yeah,” S said.

After they had refueled, the children got right back to playing.

“I’m hiding an egg,” J said.

“Can we play my game now?” L asked.

X, I6, S, and P gathered around L.

“I’ll tell you how when everyone is lined up,” L said.

“Why can’t you just tell us?” E6 wanted to know.

“Because,” L said.

P and E6 decided to go play something else. The remaining kids formed a line, and L explained the rules of her game.

“This is the kid line. This is the adult line. You get two chances,” L began.

The children were supposed to throw a piece of chalk into a pot. After everyone in line had a turn, L invented a new game. This time, the egg was buried in the pot. When it was their turn, the children were supposed to use tongs to dig the egg out.

“This is a funner game,” S said.

Over in the pines, P was working to hide an egg by arranging clumps of pine needles around it.

“I’m hiding the egg. We want to camouflage it,” P explained.

E6 came to help P. She placed a long stick against the pine needle clumps.

“Those are mushrooms! Tiny mushrooms!” E6 gasped.

She pointed to some white stuff growing on the stick.

The children in the sand were busy creating more carnival games.

“Do you want to try to knock the windmill down, or get in in the bucket?” I6 asked the first person in line for her game.

“If you hit it, you get one, if you knock it down, you get two,” she said, referring to the pieces of bark she had collected as prizes.

When the games had been played, X, S, I6, and P headed for the hammocks. S, X, and I6 chose one hammock. J was swinging in the other.

“J, can I have a turn after you?” P asked.

“You can go with me,” J offered.

P climbed in J’s hammock and they started swinging.

L and E6 were moving sticks around in the pines.

“We’re building houses for these little animals. And I can fit in,” L explained.

A few minutes later, L and E6 were coloring on a big stick with chalk.

“We’re like scientists,” L said.

“I’m the smartest one on the team,” E6 added.

“We have to make a lot of marks,” L continued.

“Tomorrow I’m leaving to go out in the wild to make marks,” E6 said.

P and J were scooping and mixing sand.

“I made a pancake,” J said.

“I need a lot of sand because I need a lot of batter. I’m making french toast,” P announced.

A few minutes later, P changed her mind.

“Actually, I’m making pancakes, too,” she decided.

“You’re on my pancake,” J pointed out.

P moved over a little bit.

“I made a flat pancake with a smiley face,” P announced.

“I made a big one,” J said.

The afternoon ended on the rock. The children worked together to color the rock with chalk. They used paint brushes to spread the chalk around.

“Everyone gets one color,” L instructed the others.

“Our colors are in love,” X said, when his section met up with E6’s section of the rock.

The children decided to create habitats for the animal figures with the different colored chalk.

“This is the desert,” X decided.

“Mine are the flowers,” L said.

“Mine will get used to this home, because she likes the ice,” I6 said.

Time, space, and permission to play made for a day filled with opportunities to move, explore, experiment, be resilient, pretend, assess and take risks, solve problems, imagine, connect with nature, strengthen friendships, resolve conflicts, create, experience joy, and have lots of fun.

Nanny Nature Playgroup March 7

It was just us, to begin with. One boy picked up the keyboard and brought it to the top of the hill. The other boy approached him and started pressing buttons on the keyboard.

“He’s doing that. He’s touching the computer and I’m using it!” the first boy cried.

“Tell him. Say that to him. You can tell him that you’re still using it, but you’ll let him know when you’re done,” I suggested.

“I’m using that. It’s my turn. I’ll let you know when I’m done,” he murmured to his brother.

The other boy continued to press buttons on the keyboard.

“Did you hear that? He’s still using the computer, but he’ll let you know when he’s done,” I repeated.

“Okay,” the other boy said.

He backed away.

“I need to plug this into the ground,” said the boy with the keyboard.

He wandered around on top of the hill, looking for a place to plug in. He squatted down and patted the ground.

“See where this fluffy dirt is? That’s where I want to plug it in,” he explained.

He started to push the plug into the ground.

“Feel how fluffy this dirt is,” he said.

I touched the dirt.

“Oh, it is pretty fluffy,” I agreed.

He picked up the keyboard and carried it to another spot. Then he climbed up on top of the little house with the keyboard. The other boy picked up the plug end.

“Can you find another closer spot to plug that in?” asked the boy who was on top of the house.

“Yeah, I can,” replied the boy with the plug.

This began a whole new round of conflict over the keyboard. The boys needed a lot of minor adult intervention to work through their disagreements. A part of me wanted to put the keyboard away, but that wouldn’t help the boys develop their social, communication, and conflict resolution skills.

Eventually, the first boy told the second boy that he was done with the keyboard. When the second boy started to play with it, the first boy changed his mind.

“I wasn’t done. I want it back,” he insisted.

“I’ll let you know when I’m done,” the second boy assured him.

After a while, the boys abandoned the keyboard to play in the sand. They worked together to fill a large bucket.

Once the bucket was full, they scooped from the bucket into bowls.

“Soup! Who wants soup?” one boy called.

He handed a bowl to me.

“Be careful, because our soup is really hot,” he warned me.

I pretended to take a bite.

“Ooh, that is really hot. But it’s also really good,” I told him.

“If anyone wants more, we have more,” the other boy said.

The first boy tried to lift the big bucket.

“Let’s do teamwork,” he said to his brother.

The other boy had wandered over to the climbing tree. He didn’t respond.

“I need teamwork,” the boy with the bucket told me.

“Did you try using the handle?” I asked.

“I did. It’s too heavy,” he said.

“Can you drag it?” I wondered.

“I want to carry it to the slide because I don’t want it to spill,” the boy said.

“Hmm. You know, I bet the nature center probably wouldn’t want that much sand to leave the sandbox,” I said.

I didn’t like that I felt like I needed to worry about that. The rule that sand has to stay in the sand box doesn’t make sense if I think about how children want and need to play. I tried to come up with a compromise between what the people in charge of the space would likely prefer, and what the boy wanted to do.

“Maybe you could use a smaller bowl to bring a little bit of sand over there,” I said.

”Okay,” he agreed.

He filled a smaller container with sand, and carried it over to the slide.

The other boy grabbed the measuring tape out of the wagon and brought it to an overturned stump.

“I need you to hold this. I have to measure,” he told me.

I held one end of the measuring tape while he did what he needed to do.

“I think I need some rope,” he decided.

I helped him get the rope. He experimented with tying the rope around the climbing tree.

“It was so easy to get up here. Watch how easy,” he said.

He jumped down and demonstrated how to climb up.

“Easy, peasy,” he grinned.

“That did look easy,” I said.

When I looked back over at the other brother, I saw that he was dumping sand down the slide.

“I’m putting sand right there so people won’t bump their heads,” he explained.

He was trying to fill in the space at the bottom of the slide that had eroded.

“That’s very thoughtful of you. You’re looking out for others. We will need to scoop this sand up and carry it back to the sandbox when you’re done playing on the slide,” I said.

The boy who was playing by the tree came over and asked what his brother was doing.

“Can I try?” he asked.

For the next bit of time, the brothers took turns pouring sand down the slide.

“Are you ready for the pour?” one boy called from the top of the slide.

“Ready!” the other boy replied.

When they were ready to move on to something else, we all worked together to scoop up the sand at the bottom of the slide and return it to the sandbox.

The boys then went to play by the climbing tree. The boy who had tied the rope to the tree earlier climbed back into the tree. The boy on the ground began to tie a second rope to the one that was tied around the tree.

“Maybe you should ask first, before you tie those ropes together. Your brother might have a different plan,” I reminded the boy on the ground.

“Can I tie the ropes together?” he asked the boy in the tree.

“NO!” cried the boy in the tree.

“Okay. He doesn’t want you to tie these ropes together, but you can go find the other ropes,” I said.

“Okay,” shrugged the boy on the ground.

He scampered off to get more rope. The boy in the tree jumped down. He carried a different piece of rope over to the bridge.

The brother who had to get new rope climbed up into the tree. He twisted and tied the ropes together. Then he climbed down while holding one end of rope.

“I’m trying to make perches for owls,” he said.

“I’ve never thought of doing that before,” I said.

“But now what do I do with this part?” the boy wondered.

“That’s for you to decide,” I told him.

“I don’t know,” he admitted.

“Looks like you’ve got a problem to solve,” I said.

“Probably with this,” he said.

He grabbed a snowball maker and tried to stand it up on the ground. It was then that I understood he was looking for something to loop the rope onto.

The boy on the bridge called me over. He had tied one end of the rope to the bottom of one side of the bridge, and was attempting to tie the other end of the rope to the other side of the bridge.

“When I pulled this up and then let go, it just goes down. I don’t want to keep holding it,” he said.

“Hmm. Looks like you’ve also got a problem to solve,” I said.

“But I don’t know what to do,” he said.

“Hmm. Pull the rope tighter again and watch what happens,” I said.

He pulled the rope tighter, and the rope did what he wanted it to do.

“I wonder what would happen if you made the knot higher,” I said.

I didn’t want to outright tell him how to fix his problem, but I also didn’t want him to get too frustrated to keep trying.

“Where do I tie the knot? Do I tie it here?” he wanted to know.

“Try it and see,” I said.

Both boys continued to work on solving their problems. In the end, they both decided to move on to something else. They weren’t able to get their ropes to do what they wanted them to do. It’s okay for things to not always work out in play.

Another nanny and child arrived while the boys were attempting to plant a stake in the ground. They were excited to see friends, and the energy level went way up.

A game of pretend involving superheroes and bad guys was started. This gave the children an opportunity to consider other people’s points of view and comfort level.

Before pausing to eat lunch/snacks, the children did some painting, mark making, and drawing. The afternoon ended with more fun on the slide and in the sandbox.

We hope to have more friends join us next week.

Sunday Outside Play Club 45

The afternoon began by a log. R7 grabbed the keyboard and got started on some big construction plans. R6 pushed a pinwheel into the ground while F supervised.

“If the windmill spins, it means the wind is blowing west,” R6 said.

“No it doesn’t. It means it’s going whatever way it’s moving,” F corrected her.

“Actually, I don’t need the computer. No one needs it,” R6 decided.

He started to put it back in the wagon.

“I do. I need it,” R6 told him.

“Then you can’t be a construction worker,” R7 said.

“I know,” R6 replied.

R7 handed her the keyboard and she went off in search of a place to plug it in.

“Finally, I get to climb a tree,” F exclaimed.

He pulled himself up into a tree.

“I’m not getting any higher. That’s impossible,” he declared.

F climbed down from the tree and went to join R7, who was tying some rope around a different tree. F grabbed a piece of rope and started to untangle it.

“Actually, can I be a construction worker?” R6 asked.

“No computers,” R7 reminded her.

“I know. I’ll be the measurer,” R6 said, trading the keyboard for a tape measure.

R7 noticed that F was tying his rope to the rope he’d tied around the tree.

“You tied it to mine? You can’t use the same rope,” R7 said.

“It’s okay. It’s how real climbers do it,” F assured him.

R7 tied the other end of his rope around his waist. Then he began to pull himself up the side of the tree. A piece of bark broke off, and he slid down.

“This tree is REALLY rotting!” R7 exclaimed.

He continued trying to climb up the tree. F tied the other end of his rope around his waist, and tried climbing up the other side.

After a few more attempts, R7 realized he wasn’t going to be able to get up much higher. He jumped down and started hauling large pieces of bark over to the tree.

“Who wants to be a roper?” R7 asked.

“What’s a roper?” R6 wondered.

“Someone who holds the rope,” R7 explained.

“I’m not going to use the rope,” F decided.

“I’ll do it!” R6 cried.

F removed the rope from his waist and R6 scooped it right up. She tied it around her waist.

R7 began leaning the large pieces of bark against the tree.

“I’m building a house,” he announced.

“I’m your helper,” F said.

“Okay, help me carry this,” R7 instructed.

He was crouched down near a large fallen branch. F walked over to the other side and crouched down.

“Lift,” R7 directed.

The children used teamwork to carry the branch.

“Drop!” R7 said.

They dropped the branch.

“I’m not going to do any more lifting. My arms hurt,” F told R7.

“Then I’ll build it myself, and you can’t come in,” R7 reminded him.

“Okay, I’ll help,” F grumbled.

The boys attempted to lift the heavy branch again. F, with his tired arms, couldn’t do what R7 wanted to do, the way he wanted him to do it. This frustrated R7, and created conflict.

F dropped his end of the branch and walked away. He was done.

“Then I’ll do it myself,” R7 said.

A short time later, R7 and F moved over to a fort that had already been started by earlier park visitors. There was just a small amount of work for them to finish.

“You can’t come in our fort, because you didn’t help build it,” R7 told R6, when she tried to climb in.

R6 entered the fort anyway. She started swinging her stick around.

“Remember, you need a big space if you’re going to swing a stick,” I told her.

“Don’t worry. I’m calling the police. We have an intruder,” F said.

He pounded away at the keyboard.

“We’re not letting you in BECAUSE you’re fighting us,” R7 informed R6.

The conflict continued back and forth. At Play Club, children are given the opportunity to resolve their own conflicts, but there are times when adult intervention is necessary. R7 and F were very clear about why they didn’t want R6 in the fort, and she continued to do what they didn’t want her to do. It was time for me to step in.

“Hey, R6, do you want to build your own fort?” I asked.

“Yeah. But you have to help,” she said.

“I’ll help,” I agreed.

R6 and I got to work building a smaller structure out of sticks and large pieces of bark. Minor conflicts continued on and off, but eventually, stopped.

“R6, we’re hunters. Want to be hunters with us?” F asked.

“No,” R6 replied.

“But you live in a separate house,” F continued.

“Yeah,” R6 changed her mind.

“So you’re working together now? Not fighting against each other,” I asked.

I was somewhat worried that this kind invitation was going to be a trick.

“Yeah. We’re together, against the animals,” F explained.

R6 gathered bowls, cups, and other tools from the wagon. F observed what she was doing.

“R7, do you want to have a restaurant?” he asked.

“No,” R7 said.

“A restaurant, AND we’re hunters,” F tried again.

“I’m a restaurant,” R6 informed both boys.

R7 and F continued to set up their space. R6 got busy spooning dirt into containers.

“I’m making a cake,” R6 announced.

Her bowl of dirt spilled.

“Oh geez,” she muttered.

R6 picked up the bowl and tried to salvage some of the cake batter.

“That’s okay. That’s why I need more dirt,” R6 said.

She didn’t let one little set back ruin her day. R6 scooped more dirt into her bowl.

“I need chocolate chips,” R6 said.

She sent me off to find chocolate chips. I came back with pieces of tiny twigs. When I saw a chance, I stepped back and out of her play.

“Anyway, it’s Christmas,” R7 told F.

F wandered over to R6’s fort.

“We just opened gifts. This is yours,” F said, handing her a piece of bark.

R6 took the bark and studied it.

“Thanks. It’s a…” she said.

“It’s a spoon or a whisk,” F told her.

R7 approached R6’s fort. He held a piece of wood out to her.

“Are you ready for my gift? You can pour your dust right down the chute,” he said.

He demonstrated how to use the new cooking gadget.

“But I didn’t give you guys a gift,” R6 admitted.

“We don’t have much food. That would be good,” R7 suggested.

R6 handed tongs to each boy.

“Merry Christmas,” F said.

“Merry Christmas,” R7 echoed.

“Merry Christmas,” R6 repeated.

R7 and F went out hunting.

“Now it’s the baking competition,” R6 gasped.

“By the way, I just looked at the clock. You have ten minutes to finish,” R7 informed her.

R6 went into a pretend panic.

“Don’t worry. I just shot the clock so they won’t know when to stop,” R7 assured her.

R6 sighed in relief. She continued to work on her cake. R7 and F went back to hunting.

“Cooking competition time! Come to the cooking competition,” R6 called, once her cake was read.

R7 and F walked around tasting the sample from the other pretend contestants.

“Blech, too salty,” said R7.

“Yuck, too much chocolate,” F cried.

“Ugh, that’s disgusting,” R7 exclaimed.

“R6 is the winner! I need to find a crown!” R7 announced.

He picked up a piece of bark and held it on R6’s head.

A big gust of wind sent some leaves spiraling into the air.

“Leaf tornado! Get to the fort!” F instructed.

Everyone ran back to their forts. R7 and F helped move R6 to their fort, temporarily. Then they battled the leaf tornado monster. When it was safe, R6 moved back home.

She sat inside her house, mixing more cake. After a while, I heard some whistling. It sounded like the call of a cardinal.

“R6, are you making that sound?” I asked.

A cardinal started its call.

“I’m not making that noise, but I am trying to answer it. I just learned how to whistle,” R6 said.

For almost ten minutes, R6 answered each one of the cardinal’s calls.

The afternoon ended with the children still deeply engaged in in play. R7 and F were playing something different than R6, but at times, their pretend worlds intersected. After a somewhat rocky start, the afternoon remained harmonious.

Time, space, and permission to play made for a day filled with opportunities to move, explore, experiment, assess and take risks, pretend, resolve conflicts, try new things, use teamwork, solve problems, experience joy, imagine, connect with nature, and have lots of fun.