Play Is Powerful
As we continue to envision Trinity’s future, one of the goals is to plan and create an outdoor environment with the same intentionality and purpose as Trinity’s indoor space. Recognizing the importance of and the interconnectedness of a child’s learning and play, Trinity seeks to determine how to deepen, enrich, and expand the outdoor space by creating zones or niches in an outdoor classroom that will encourage more variety and promote more robust play in a less structured setting.
We are delighted that Jeff Allen, landscape architect, Trinity grad and dad, and Diana Allen’s son, is currently working on a conceptual plan for Trinity’s outside space. He will present his plan to representative members of the Trinity community. Input will be collected from teachers, students, parents, and outside resources throughout September and October. If you would like to view the plan and haven’t had an opportunity to do so, a schematic plan is located outside the Head of School’s office.
According to numerous sources, play for young children is the most important stimulus which initiates discovery of their world. Educators, clinical psychologists, and a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics argue for the essential role of play in the healthy mental, physical, and social/emotional development of the child. Being around children, one is reminded on a regular basis of the joy of play and the imagination involved. David Elkind of Tufts and author of the best selling book The Hurried Child shares that the push to have children grow up too quickly often robs them of their ability to “just play”.
As I am sure you are aware, many elementary schools have eliminated recess in favor of spending more time on academics. After-school organized sports and other activities as well as parental safety concerns have also cut deeply into time that has traditionally been spent in spontaneous, self-initiated play. There is a big push in the Atlanta, and in American society in general, for children to participate in a myriad of after school activities including music and sports. How do parents balance the push for extra curricular involvement while still guarding time for their child to have time to just “play”? How important do you think play is for children? How important is it to your child?
In a future blog, keeping in mind Trinity’s goals for the outdoor space and the importance of play, I want to explore with you what should and should not be included in Trinity’s outdoor plan. How do you envision an expansion of Trinity’s outdoor space? We would really like to have your input.