My Connections to Play

Freedom of exploring

Anonymous
 “It doesn't matter if you win or lose its how you play the game.”

George Bernard Shaw
“We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

Imagination Play in the Park

Supportive Play in my childhood

As I grew up Play was essential in my childhood.  My parents always insisted that I go outside every day to play and allowed me to be creative in my play.  I remember making mud pies when I was about four years old.  My dad still tells me today that I wanted him to eat my mud pies.  I loved to explore nature if my mother would look for me I always found a tree to climb or somewhere in the woods making clubhouses with my friends.  Our clubhouse would be made of old furniture, wood we found and leaves for beds.  It was the coolest thing ever.  However being an only child the only ones that supported my play was my mom and dad.  I played a lot by myself using my dolls and stuffed animals as friends.  As I grew older, I learned to play at recess in school.  Tetherball was one of my favorite sports I played.  I like hop scotch and sing rhymes as we jump from place to place.  I use to practice it until I was very good at it.  Competing was one of my thrills such as racing, tetherball, jacks, jump rope etc.  I found a quote my grandfather used to tell me, “It doesn't matter if you win or lose its how you play the game.”  Therefore winning was not the option to me it was the thrill of playing against others even if I lost I enjoyed the game.

Engaged in Free Play

Role of play

Today I feel there is no importance to play, as it was when I was younger.  I went to this training last week at work and we had to come up with a game that taught cognitive and gross motor play.  I thought of the game I used to play with children in the classroom and when I was younger and that was, “Mother May I.”  When I mentioned playing the game to six other educators they did not know what the game was and it shocked me.  However, I did realize that they were all in their late twenties and I was the oldest in the group.  It started up a conversation about other games I used to play like dodgeball, jump rope, water balloon toss, and hopscotch.  All the games I mention they only knew about two of them.  It made me aware of how in the last thirty years how play has come to a slow down.  I even wonder today if children still play hide and seek.  I can only see that we can only help our young children by educating the teachers about the importance of imaginative, creative, and structured play.  They have very little insights on how to play games.  Even children in my neighborhood do not get into imaginative play, they seem to be into riding bikes, playing basketball or just sitting and talking. 

What happen to the concept of real play?

Computers

Play is different

• I believe the role of play had a big significant in my life as I was growing and as an adult today.  I enjoy teaching because I can use my imagination with the children to teach concepts and it is fun as well as rewarding.  When I played as a child, I looked for challenges but never really wanted to win but just to play and have fun.  Today I do the same thing at work; I look for challenges and love to be a part of them.  I love the outdoors and enjoy natural science and writing.  I believe that my playing as a young child in creative, imaginative, and structured play allow me to succeed and enjoy my work as an Educator.
  
• Field trip to the plastic factory

RESOURCE:

 Khurana, Simran.  (2011), Play Quotes-A Select Collection of Play Quotes.  Retrieved from http://quotations.about.com/cs/inspirationquotes/a/Play1.htm



Relationship Reflection

Mom and Dad (Mr. and Mrs. Milligan)

       Relationships are important to me because it is a force of trust, support, love, and well-being. All my life I have an awesome relationship with my mother and father. However it was the two of them that taught me the importance of a relationship. My parents have been married for 50 years. As I grew and watched the love they have for each other it is spectacular. They care for each other needs, support each other, love each other no matter what the obstacles, and the main thing that I noticed as a child is that they trust each other. I believe trust is a main factor to make a relationship with anyone. When trust is not their then the relationship is not there either.

Gwen Phelps-Milligan and Monique Phelps

I currently have a positive relationship with my mom and dad, grandma, Aunt Dorothy, my daughter, my pastor and a good friend of mine for the last 10 years. My relationship with my mom and dad, grandma, Aunt Dorothy, and my daughter is a very close bond. They are all there in my time of need no matter what it could be. They trust me, support my endeavors, and are always looking out for my well-being.  My mom and dad were there when I did not know who I was or wanted to be. They supported me in anything I choose to do to better myself. If I made drastic mistakes they would say well that is lesson learned and forgive me without second thought. Their love for me is unconditional. My grandma and Aunt are very supportive and with my grandma being age 97 I am there for her to help her and she always talk to me about how important life can be and keep striving to live regardless what comes my way. My Aunt Dorothy is supportive by letting me know how I am doing and how to improve with love and care. Then there is my daughter. My relationship with my daughter just became very close. This happened after she had her baby and she realized that I would be there for her regardless of the outcome. I support her choice to be a nurse and give her all encouragement to succeed. She is there for me too. In the past year I have gone through a lot of trials and tribulations and she has supported me in my choices and encourages me to overcome obstacles.  Then there is my friend for the last ten years of my life. She has been there with me through thick and thin. I remember when we used to work together and she would help me with being a creative teacher. Then I left that job went to another in the same field and when she got laid off, I was there for her to help her get a job with me. Today we work for different companies in the same field but support each other as much as possible with family and work. I really appreciate her as a trustworthy, reliable, encouraging and caring friend.

                The challenges of these relationships that I have learned are to be honest and trustworthy. Therefore I was able to receive the same. There was a time in my life where I did not trust people and were afraid of someone taking advantage of me due to the relationships I endured during my young years of growing up. When I went on my own away from my parents I trusted everybody until I realized that you cannot trust everyone in your life. People stole from me, misused me, and made me feel as though I was incapable of achieving anything. However because of the support of my parents I did not let that keep me from reaching high goals. I am a more confident person with built resilience and I am able to overcome anything.

                My experiences have taught me the value of relationships with others. In my work I do whatever I can to help others and to build their trust in me. I see a lot of families coming through my center that reminds me of when I was younger and how I felt. Therefore I give them the encouragement, support, love and trust that I was given to me by my parents to help me overcome the obstacles of growing up. With this I learned to be a nurturing educator for children and families.