# data[].attributes.headline
Experience of sound/ music- Kite fly (Wind sound) and lesson steps

# data[].attributes.subject
Experience of sound/ music- Kite fly (Wind sound) and lesson steps

# data[].attributes.body
I invited my friend's child, Amy to play with the kite in the windy day and she was really happy to have this very first experience of flying a kite in the air. During this experience, I bought a kite and we have to stay on a wide grassland so we can hold the kite and run really fast to allow it fly up in the sky. It must be a windy day as well so the kite can fly well. When we played the kite, the sound of the wind is howling.

# data[].attributes.body
Can you guys hear the sound of the wind? Also, Amy was so excited and screamed!!

# data[].attributes.body
One of the most thrilling activities a child may engage in is likely flying a kite. During my on country visit, I discovered the very wide grassland which I can plan this experience there. When children see the kite take off into the sky, they can feel a wave of pride, happiness, and success. As their hands sense the wind's vibrations assisting in their kite's flight, they can smell the vast outdoors. Every child should feel it at least once in their infancy; it's an exhilarating and remarkable sensation (4 Reasons Every Kid Should Fly a Kite | Sunshine House, n.d.). Young children can express themselves and convey their experiences through music and sound. They have the ability to move their hands, sway, and bounce in reaction to sound and music even at a young age (How Music Affects Your Baby’s Brain: Mini Parenting Master Class, n.d.).

# data[].attributes.body
During this experience, I gained recognition from the child, who loved the activity and wanted to experience again in the future. The only shortcoming is that this activity must be carried out on clear and windy days, and in a wide and flat environment. In my future teaching, I will prepare the materials for the children to hand- make kites together. This will not only promote the children's hands-on ability but also allow them to use their imagination to create the kites they want. Playing a kite in the wind is a great experience. It allows children to feel the breath of nature, also stimulates their hearing sensitivity in strong winds for example, they will scream to show their excitement. I used to do that when I was a child while playing outdoors with my sisters.

# data[].attributes.headline
Experience of movement- Walking in the circles on the sandpit and lesson steps

# data[].attributes.subject
Experience of movement- Walking in the circles on the sandpit and lesson steps

# data[].attributes.body
This is a creative movement experience, we called it 'Hopscotch' game which I planned to draw circles on the sandpit using the stick in order to enable the child walking or jumping between all the circles. The child was happy and curious about it, then he walked by following the first circle to the last one. I also told him that the circles look like the sun in the sky. This experience was taken part in the sandpit area at the park during my on country visit which I used the tree stick to draw circles.

# data[].attributes.body
Children require chances to feel and see an environment that evolves. Talking about "easy" and "difficult" can happen while dancing or moving on grass or sand outside. Dancing is all about movement, but it's also vital to stand motionless. While creating forms, children learn to control their urge to move by remaining motionless. When they are motionless, they can hear their own breathing rhythm. They are aware of their surroundings and prepare for even greater movement (Creative Dance for Early Childhood |, 2022).

# data[].attributes.body
I came up with this activity since I visited the park again for my assessment 2. It is the same as 'Hopscotch', except that I changed the original grid to drawing circles in the sandpit. In addition, I interacted with the child and enquired as to whether the circles I had drawn were similar to the sun. During this activity, one problem I faced was that the child felt very strange and scared when facing with sudden interactions with me. This game is best played outdoors because it requires a more spacious area to jump or walk. For children of all ages, playing hopscotch has numerous health and wellness advantages in addition to being a lot of fun. First of all, as the game is usually played outside, children can enjoy some fresh air and an enjoyable activity on a playground or play court. Hopscotch can also help with focus, agility, and gross motor abilities. It can be played individaully or recommended to play in a group interacting with others, working together with friends too.

# data[].attributes.body
During this experience, the child and I were running around a big tree. He was so excited when I told him the rules of this game. He ran and caught me at the end. The rules of this game is simple which one is going to catch another by running. As I had the visit during my assessment 2, this experience came up to my mind when I visited the park again. I saw the big tree which is appropriate for a run. No material is needed for this experience but only that children should stay outdoors to take part of it.

# data[].attributes.body
Studies have shown play is essential for children's development in several areas, including physical strength, cognitive function, and language development. According to a study on 2008, play uses more calories than similar organised physical activity, which is a significant contribution to physical health (Mackett & Paskins, 2008). The experience that I implemented is beneficial to children especially the development of gross motor skills which allows children to work on their whole body movement while running.

# data[].attributes.body
This is a very simple game, one runs, one chases and catches. When I went to the park again, I found a child and invited him to play this game with me. The rule is that two of us run around the tree and then he comes to catch me. He was really excited and we switched position so he was the one running and I was the one catching him. This game is suitable for playing outdoors and in a spacious areas. In this game, one thing I must pay attention to is that under this big tree, the ground is relatively uneven, which can easily cause the child to fall when running, so I suggest that it must be played on a flat ground. Children who play outside are more likely to become skilled observers and thinkers. They are able to view the world from a variety of angles when they are outside. For example, as an adult pulls them on a swing, it teaches children about cause and effect and how to be aware of the space they're in (Miraclerecreation & Recreation, 2024).

# data[].attributes.body
4 reasons every kid should fly a kite | Sunshine House. (n.d.). Sunshine House Early Learning Academy. https://sunshinehouse.com/blog/4-reasons-every-kid-should-fly-a-kite/

How music affects your baby’s brain: Mini Parenting Master Class. (n.d.). Unicef for Every Child- Parenting. Retrieved September 15, 2024, from https://www.unicef.org/parenting/child-development/how-music-affects-your-babys-brain-class#:~:text=Music%20at%20early%20ages%20helps,these%20words%20and%20memorize%20them

Creative Dance for early Childhood |. (2022, April 4). | Creative Dance Teaching Ideas and Resources. https://danceteachingideas.com/creative-dance-movement-for-toddlers/

Mackett, R.L., Paskins, J. (2008). “Children’s physical activity: The contribution of playing and walking.” Children and Society, 22, 345–357. https://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/the-importance-of-pretend-play-in-natural-settings#:~:text=When%20children%20are%20given%20the%20time%20and%20space%20to%20play,to%20cognitive%20and%20linguistic%20growth.

Miraclerecreation, & Recreation, M. (2024, August 14). Why should kids play outside? Benefits of outdoor play for kids. Miracle Recreation. https://www.miracle-recreation.com/blog/why-should-my-child-play-outside-benefits-of-outdoor-play-for-kids/?lang=can#social

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"Come sit with me and wait for the squirrels! Let's make a song to call them." "First we need to get more acorns. They won't want to come to our house if we don't have dinner ready for them." "You're right. Let's fill the whole bag up, then we can cook and wait for them at the tree in our house."
These are the sounds of children at work and at play. Collaboration, creativity, imagination, inventiveness, problem-solving, coordination, physical strength-when children are given the space and time to freely play outdoors, truly the whole child is able to grow.

Even outside of the school setting, open, natural outdoor space is a treasured and limited commodity, especially in urban areas. Of course, there is a range of environments that can be referred to as "natural," from untamed forests and grasslands to nature preserves to designed and constructed public parks. Many children only have access to more structured outdoor areas, such as playgrounds, ball courts, and running tracks, which are less flexible spaces for imaginative play.

Studies have shown play is crucial for many areas of children's development-from physical strength to cognitive and linguistic growth. One 2008 study found that play contributes greatly to physical health-using more calories than comparable organized physical activities (Mackett & Paskins, 2008).

There is a growing amount of research showing that children who participate in complex, collaborative, pretend play are better able to regulate their emotions and implement creative problem-solving (Hoffman & Russ, 2012). High-level, complex pretend play can significantly facilitate children's capacities for perspective taking, which can facilitate abstract thought (Bergen, 2002). According to a study done in early 2016, the more complex and detailed a young child's pretend play is, the more advanced their cognitive processing needs to be-as their play stretches and grows, so do their brains (Li, Hestenes & Wang, 2016). The same goes for social skills-when preschool-aged children participate in pretend play that requires more complicated interactions with their peers (cooperation, collaboration, sharing, negotiating) they are practicing and strengthening their abilities to connect to other people in healthy, productive ways.

Setting the Stage for Play

Just as we deeply consider what materials we make available to our children in the classroom (open-ended, inclusive, differentiated), we ought to also be thoughtful about the space and supplies we provide for our students in their outdoor play and learning experiences. When looking at what children play with outside, think about the materials in natural settings: pine cones, sticks, leaves, trees, and rocks-as opposed to more fixed materials like slides, chin-up bars, and swings. These objects, like open-ended materials in the classroom (fabric scraps, blank paper, blocks) have more affordance. Affordance refers to the different functions each material can serve, or, afford (Fjørtoft, 2001).

For example, a stick can have a large affordance, and be used in pretend play as a wand, a ladle, or a cane. It can also be used in more game-based play as a baseball bat, or an obstacle in a course. When allowed more flexibility with materials in spaces with more affordance (i.e in natural outdoor spaces), children tend to engage in more complex pretend play. It is worth considering that the play that occurs in greener, more "natural" spaces can be different, and possibly more complex and developmentally beneficial for young children. When natural, outdoor play areas are not available to you and your students, consider bringing some open-ended, natural materials to the children in the space you do have (fabric scraps, rocks, seashells, ribbon, leaves, tote bags). You will be amazed by how different their play can become with these organic and/or undefined props.

According to the philosophy of Reggio Emilia, the learning environment is the "third teacher" in early childhood education, after the two classroom teachers (Edwards, Gandini & Forman, 1998). This environment should include not only the indoor early childhood classroom, but also the outdoor environment. The environments where children play have an effect on them and the quality of their play.

A study of a Forest School, a school facilitated completely outdoors in England's Mersey Forest, found that it helped children connect with and learn not only about their natural environment, but also grow in "social skill development, confidence when interacting with the natural world, understanding, interest, motor skills, and leadership skills," (Ridger, Knowles & Sayers, 2012).

Having taught for many years at an urban preschool with very close access to nature (Prospect Park in Brooklyn), I was able to see firsthand the social-emotional, physical, and cognitive benefits of unstructured play in a natural setting for the children I worked with. When taken to the more open, natural setting in the park, the children's pretend play was dramatically more complex and sustained than when they were taken to the nearby playground. Children's conversations were richer, the groups of children playing together were larger, play scenarios were more sophisticated and were sustained over multiple days. The children collaborated, negotiated, and created complex scenarios and characters together.

In New York City, many early childhood centers rely on contained yards or nearby constructed playgrounds for outdoor physical activity, if they are provided the regular opportunity to be outdoors at all. Very few NY public school students have access to actual natural settings (i.e., uncontained spaces with trees, grass, or wildlife). In some schools, children may go days or weeks without spending any time outdoors at all, much less within natural elements. Disparate access to nature while in school is just another example of broader inequalities in our education system and our society at large. However, with the right resources, all children in urban areas can have opportunities to interact with nature (taking field trips to forest preserves, large parks, or similar sites)-investments that will shape the future of our city and the promise of its youngest citizens.

Pretend play is a sacred part of childhood. Furthermore, it has been proven to aid in children's development in many areas. Outdoor play, a scarce opportunity for many children living in urban areas, can provide even more benefits for children's development-physically, socially, and emotionally. With all that hangs in tenuous balance in our country, we as educators, caregivers, and parents must be even more vigilant about every child's human right to play in the great outdoors.

References

Bergen, D. (2002). "The role of pretend play in children's cognitive development." Early Childhood Research & Practice, 4(1). Retrieved: http://files.eric.ed.gov.ez-proxy.brooklyn.cuny.edu:2048/fulltext/ED464763.pdf

Edwards, C., Gandini, L., Forman, G. (1998). The hundred languages of children. Westport, CT: Ablex Publishing.

Fjørtoft, I. (2001). "The natural environment as a playground for children: The impact of outdoor play activities in pre-primary school children." Early Childhood Education Journal, 29(2) 111-117.

Hoffman, J., Russ, S. (2012). "Pretend play, creativity, and emotion regulation in children." Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Art, 6(2) 175-184.

Li, J., Hestenes L.L., Wang, Y.C. (2016). "Links between preschool children's social skills and observed pretend play in outdoor childcare environments." Early Childhood Education Journal, 44, 61-68.

Mackett, R.L., Paskins, J. (2008). "Children's physical activity: The contribution of playing and walking." Children and Society, 22, 345-357.

Ridgers, N.D., Knowles, Z.R., Sayers, J. (2012). "Encouraging play in the natural environment: A child-focused case study of Forest School." Children's Geographies, 10 (1) 49-65.

Copyright © Exchange Press. Reprinted with permission from Exchange magazine. All rights reserved. Visit us at www.ChildCareExchange.com or call (800) 221-2864.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Importance of Pretend Play in Natural Settings

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Importance of Pretend Play in Natural Settings