Wild Rumpus, in the Wild (one-off outreach events)

We did two Saturday neighborhood festivals this year.  The first was at West Fest and my two favorite happenings from the day involve a series of short videos of some siblings playing with the innertubes:

So much joy!!

The second favorite happening was observing this young building making a bridge.

I love his "I did it!" at the end of the first movie and I just want to point out that if I had given in to the temptation to "help" him make a stronger bridge, two things would have been different -- #1, the end result bridge wouldn't have looked like this and #2, I don't believe he would have had that amazing gleam of pride when he finished.  In fact, I'm guessing that he might have followed my suggestion, found that it worked, then shrugged his shoulders and walked away because he would have assumed that my solution was the only "right" one.  What a tragic loss that would have been!  Instead, after he completed his first bridge, he continued working on that same structure for quite awhile, coming up with more ideas of ways to improve it.

May you all find an opportunity to observe play quietly in order to be amazed by what kids can do.
Please note: "Anji Play,” refers to a specific philosophy and comprehensive approach to early education developed by Ms. Cheng Xueqin in Anji County, China. I use the term "Anji Play" to describe my programming and throughout this blog with the explicit permission of Ms. Cheng because our programming has been developed as part of a close collaborative relationship with her and her team of Anji Play educators. If you are interested in learning more about how you can bring Anji Play to your community, please visit www.anjiplay.com