Play is Powerful: A reflection on the Nature Play Corps experience

After coming home from a long day of exploring, den-building, and generally having a blast together out in nature, the Nature Play Corps interns often marveled at the fact that we got to play all day. 

But we weren’t just playing; we were learning. After all, what better way to emphasize the idea that people learn through play than to do so ourselves!

And boy did we learn! We learned that a chair is not just for sitting, and no matter what affordances you think you are providing, children will always find some that you never would have thought of. We learned the thrill of risk, of climbing trees and nets and balancing on rickety homemade bridges. We experienced how play facilitates social bonds. We learned that with a little imagination, a tree can become a ghostly pirate ship and some pinecones and shells can become a delicious feast. We rediscovered our connections to nature, the feeling of mud caked onto legs and hands, the simple joy of lying back and looking up at the sky. We learned that all it might take to get kids playing outside for hours is the suggestion that there are ITs about or treasure to be found.

In short, we learned that play is powerful. 

Taking this internship was one of the best choices of my life. I played like a kid again and I got so much inspiration. In working with my teams each week to create play pockets I got to be extremely creative and view the world in a childlike way. I made 14 new friends who are fascinating, creative, supportive, fun and generally awesome playworkers/designers/people. I learned a ton from all of the staff and got to know them well enough that I felt comfortable asking them questions and having discussions outside of work hours. The network that we have created is truly incredible and is one of the most useful things that I will take away from the internship.

Watching the kids enjoy our play pockets and knowing that they were actually sad, as we were, that Friday was our last play day, I could see the results that we achieved. We put out the best products that we could and I'm so proud of us and our work. The Nature Play Corps experience, what I learned from it, and how it excited and energized me about future possibilities can only be seen as a success, and I know all of the rest of the interns would agree. 

To everyone who made this possible for us, THANK YOU! We know that it took a lot of behind-the-scenes work and caused some logistical nightmares but everything came together so well. 

I am so fortunate to have worked with all of you and I miss you all!

In betweens! Here and there!

Sarah Safley

The Lost Islands Map

The Lost Islands Map, a photo by Nature Play Corps on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Illustrating the pathway and play habitat locations for Week Two of the Nature Play Corps. The real question is: where is the treasure?

Be Great, Migrate!

Michael picked up a stick and waved it in the air.  He walked around the frame of the child-sized bird nest and promptly tossed it in.  He then ran back to the pile of sticks, struggled to lift one that was over twice his height, and began swinging it in the air.  When asked what he was doing, Michael didn't respond verbally, but instead looked around and pointed to something using the stick he was carrying.  He was entranced by the natural beauty surrounding him and, even though he wasn't more than a year old, found a way to communicate his interest in the natural world around him without verbalizing his thoughts.

Building a bird's nest in the Be Great, Migrate! play habitat

Just prior to his interest in nest building, Michael had crawled under nets, leaped over string "power lines", and acted like a bird with his two older brothers.  He was able to interact with and investigate the play habitat freely.  It was amazing to see how quickly he and the other children became interested in the bird themed play area and actually played the role of birds on a migratory journey toward warmer weather in the south.  Michael, in particular, proved that age is no obstacle when playing in and connecting with nature.

Assir Abushouk, Stephanie Rustem, and Debi Sabo

Picture This!

Children entering our pocket found picture frames scattered about the forest floor and on trees.  Some were small enough to hold, and some were large enough to get inside!

A view of some discovering frames , through a suspended frame.  

A cool moment of meditation.

Observation through the window provided by the frames led to discovery of some interesting things, like this rotten log!

 Children were also given disposable cameras to use to document their observations through the frames.  Here are some of the photos that developed out of those cameras:

Molly, Kara, Britani

I Spy: Through Animal Eyes!

The final week of our Nature Play Corps adventure brought Amelea, Kaitlyn, and Terry together and allowed them to see through animal eyes.  This actually means that they decided to create a play habitat for children to observe wildlife, interact within wildlife habitats, and build their own creations with natural materials.

Learning to observe wildlife from the tree house

In "I Spy Through Animal Eyes", the children were given free range within a network of trails that connected to five different experiences.  These included:  a pine straw nest, vine-lashed tunnel, small loose parts habitat creation, large loose parts lean-to construction, and a wildlife observation tree house.  It's important to note that our series of paths/play pockets included a central island with seating for parents to congregate while their children engaged in free play from pocket to pocket. 

I spy... a blue snake!

Our play habitat generated many many many fun memories, one of which we'll share here: Jimmy came trundling down the main trail with the force of a thousand rhinoceroses and decided to turn left at the first fork, following a secret path leading to a 4 foot high tree fort, constructed of fallen timbers, rope and disguised with foliage camouflage.  He was happy to be the first one up, where he immediately grabbed a pair of binoculars and peered over the railing, anxious to spot some "wildlife". [Prior to the program, representational images of local wildlife were placed in and amongst the surrounding trees.]

Coming through the tunnel

Instantly, he exclaimed that he saw a slithering "cobra" snake on the ground.  Soon, Jimmy hopped down and rambled back down the path to discover something new.  The trail took him to a tunnel in the underbrush where he felt inspired to slither and Ssssssssssss like a snake until he reached the end.  The exit led him directly to a smaller pocket, which had appropriate loose parts for digging and building miniature habitats.  As he was vigorously digging a snake hole, he overheard some other children crowing like birds in a nearby 3x3 foot nest.  This piqued his interest, and he quickly joined the jubilant baby bird congregation.

It was awesome to see a child take a continued hold of his imagination with minimal prompting in this foreign wooded environment.  The trail system afforded children the opportunity to freely explore their environment through self-directed play.  Success through animal eyes.  

Habitat Manor (Week 3)

Cooking mac & cheese in the homestead

It was bittersweet for all of us today as our last day together in Manteo. We were challenged throughout the week and the overall product ended spectacularly!

In the Habitat Manor the children first explored an open home complete with a table set, books, and windows through makeshift wallpaper from tablecloths. Carly (later named "Mom") welcomed them in followed by Will who came upon them exclaiming, "I see you have found my home!" The kids jumped into exploration of the rest of the path just a few minutes into the half hour slot. They crossed the path to a half dome beaver dam with a seashell entrance. In front of them pointing to the right read a sign that warned, "Danger!" Some were hesitant, others dared onward. Not far down the path they came across Courtney, a worried and lost bird watcher who claimed she had been lost for 2 days after being frightened from a mysterious growl. The children immediately guided her back to their home, where spaghetti (pine needles and leaves) and water (an empty mug) were provided for her care.

Some remained to take care of the lost birder, while Carly and Will helped them search for the unknown creature, later to be determined a bear. The second group was especially creative and excited, continuously racing up and down the trail running from bears and seeking refuge in the homestead. We all made loud noises to ward off the bear (played by the 4-H caretaker ). When the bear threatened to attack again some children hid the birder under a tarp and others bravely went to fight. The play continued with massive amounts of energy and it was hard to move the children on to the next pocket.

HONEY BEARS ATTACK!

One of our final prototypes for the pilot program was a trail system of bear tracks leading up to a bear den. It was fascinating to see the different approaches each group of children took when arriving at our site. Upon their arrival, the children were asked if they wanted to become "real bears" and received paw prints on their hands to make it so.

Bear paws

The children then were given free range of the "play habitat," which allowed for 1-5 kids to occupy the den space, and afforded the other children to discover various bones, and sticks, to forage for food, or to become bears themselves.

Ferocious bears in their den

It's about ten minutes into our third play session, and a little girl is staring me down.
"Honey Bears are vicious. They are mean to all the other bears," she says. "I'm a Honey Bear, and you are the other bears." Her glare melts the log between us, giving me a hint of what is about to unfold.
"Uh-oh, what does that mean for me?" I ask.
"RAAAAAAAWWRR!"
Suddenly, I'm being clawed and hit. I collapse over the log, clearly dead. No matter, a magical bumble bee helmet brings me back to life, so that I can properly enjoy being bound. Ahead lies being a bench, a log, and a horse. It's a good day.

Captive Benji makes an excellent bench for honey bears.

Katie Johnson, Benji Palmer, and Sarah Safley

Nets, and more nets!

Hi guys,

I have been having a chat with a UK net and rope manufacturer today who would like Eden to collaborate with them on making nets and rope courses (like the one we used in the woods for Sky Island), on the basis that we'll test them, gather visual material for publicity and promote them on our website. So if you have any good ideas for net designs, or rope based play materials, let me know.

Phil x

We made the news!

Things have been so exciting for us lately with all the work we have been doing. It was exciting to discover a news article on our work here!!! Check it out!!

http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2011/06/15/features/feats200.txt

Well done, gang

Well done to you all for your playday with the children, sounds like you all had a ball. Wish I could have been there!

As promised, I am going to send attachments to emails to Robin and Nilda some of the articles I have written about play that highlight some of the things we covered.

Yours playfully

Phil x

Turtle Island Extravaganza

It’s dark. And damp. The pine needles are poking my forehead, getting caught in my hair. The hemp string is not staying attached to my arms, making it more comfortable to sit in child’s pose than any other position. Nobody seems to have noticed the massive box in the corner, distracted by the glitter and glue and mom’s instructions for how to apply both. Ah, it’s my time. I poke my head out, here come the arms… voila, I am a box turtle. Mom laughs. And keeps laughing.

Getting to know Mr. Box Turtle

The first group of children entered Turtle Island timidly and were greeted by three turtles of differing species. The girls ranged in age from about 4 to 7 and, after a brief moment of hesitation, were excited to begin their transformation from children into turtles. They each tried on a shell for size and proceeded to slather paint, glue, and glitter over the cardboard pieces in various designs. As they began to finish their shells, the girls were led into the woods by Mr. Box Turtle toward the Enchanted Forest.

A turtle parade through the woods

Britani Lolley, Benji Palmer, and Stephanie Rustem

Sky Island

Coming in for a landing to report success for mission "First Flight" on Sky Island.

We taught many a baby bird to fly in our suspended trawl net fastened 5 feet high with rope and webbing to surrounding trees. After the baby birds learned to fly in the sky net they were then free to explore the island via branches (logs on the forest floor setup to act as balance beams) and help build a person-sized nest. Children of all ages (2-10) quickly took on the role of becoming birds and allowed the net to challenge them at their own personal level. Some were content sitting in a low area whereas others flew to the highest points and slid down for landings, both bumpy and smooth.

Baby birds trying out different "landing" techniques

It was important to assess the risk of the net, how it was suspended, and minimizing the possibilities for toppling over the edge. Phil Waters of the Eden Project is experienced with rigging up nets for similar play purposes, and was an inspiration as well as a key risk assessor in the construction of the net. After several adults tested the net (and didn't want to leave), we knew the children would have a beneficial, safe, and fun experience.

The net crew: Courtney, Amelea, Phil, and Sarah

The net afforded multiple levels of challenge in allowing the children to adapt and learn about their own mental and physical limits as well as interact with other children in an inclusive and civil manner.

  Kids of all ages learning to fly

The adults matched the children's collective enthusiasm for the net, each parent/chaperone expressed this by exclaiming that they would set one up in their backyard for the kids!

Note: No actual birds were harmed in the making of this play habitat :)

Courtney, Amelea, and Sarah

Hideaway Cove

Turtles exploring Hideaway Cove

Upon first arrival to Hideaway Cove, this particular group of girls were seemingly uninterested in the beach environment we had created for their play habitat. Lining up side by side, they stared at us, hoping for some sort of prompting regarding their actions within this strange place. Giving in, we decided to introduce them to the numerous bird nests around the island, which afforded them the opportunity to notice the brightly colored, large eggs found within each nest. This was clearly something that excited the girls, and one by one they decided to collect all the eggs found in and around the Cove. When they had collected them all, and piled them in the central area, one of the girls noted that the momma birds would not be happy to see their eggs missing! Hearing this, the girls decided that putting the baby bird eggs back in their nests would make momma bird happy, as she could then have baby birds to raise and care for when they hatched.

Collections of treasure are brought to the center of Hideaway Cove

This was a poignant moment for our play exercise, because it showed us that children already have the concepts of conservation and protection of wildlife in their imaginations. This is important because it shows us that we created an effective environment that fostered imagination as well as interaction and conservation within the setting of the coastal environment, which closely matches the goals set forth by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Terry Welles, Kara Oikarinen, Katie Johnson

The Enchanted Forest: From the Trees

Today was our second prototyping experience with children.  Our play pocket encompassed an "Enchanted Forest," containing very old talking trees!  We placed our pocket in a clearing containing several dogwoods-- the largest we've ever seen!  The space was naturally magical already, so we did little work to it besides clear low brush and thorny vines, and remove Poison Ivy.

When the visitors met Will and Assir (some of the talking trees) they interpreted the voice of  his tree stump friend: his birthday was today!  They sang happy birthday and even counted the rings to see how old he was!

Assir and our friend reading a sign pointing them down another trail.  It says HELP!

The children met Mother Tree (a HUGE 4-trunked dogwood, and Molly), who told them the little known fact that trees actually need children to play with them to live!  They also found a swing!

The talking trees: Will, Molly, and Assir

Sound Island

*Clink* *Clank* *Ring* *Tap* *Crunch* *Howl* *Growl*

Some of our "animals" that inhabited the island :)

Sounds of the forest that resonated though our play habitat, Sound Island, this week. We set our stage with a multitude of "instruments" - a harp: fishing line strung up in between two trees; Castanets: shells clapped together; Wind chimes: silverware found along the beach strung up from a tree; Drums: old containers; Maracas: Tupperware containers filled with sand, sea glass, and sticks; Drumsticks: sticks and silver ware; Guiro: carved notches into a tree branch; Ocean collage chimes: part of a crab buoy, shells, and sea glass strung up on a piece of drift wood. So many things to create our animal orchestra!!

Ocean Collage Chimes :)

But an animal orchestra needs an animal choir to accompany it! We encouraged the kids to use their voices and anythings else they could find in the woods in addition to the "instruments". They howled and growled and on occasion, we heard howls back! The kids were in awe!! To help the kids envelop their new animal persona, we painted out faces like animals!

The kids loved it! They even were inspired to become artists themselves and painted our faces too!

Then some treasure hunters discovered our island! They were searching for treasure that a note they found on the Hidden Cove said would be with the wolves (indicating our island). We had no gold, be we did have the treasure of music that we were more than happy to share with them!

Kaitlyn and Debi after face painting :)

-Kaitlyn, Debi, Carly

The Trawl Net Adventure

The team preparing the net

Sarah, Amelea, and I (Courtney),or formerly known as the "First Flight" or "Sky Island" people, went on an adventure to Wanchese Thursday morning. More specifically to the Fishing Industrial Park. This was not just a random adventure out, but yet we were looking for a trawl net with the grand idea in mind that we could suspend it from branches and create a "springboard" for our kids on Friday.

It took a few phone calls on Amelea's part to find Faron Daniels who runs the Wanchese Trawl and Fishing Supply store. She spoke with him on the phone and he invited her to drop by because her slow accent over the phone was too much of a distraction. She told him we would visit with the promise that she wouldn't speak so slowly when we got there. We ventured out and had an experience that will be kept in our memories for quite some time.

Net success!

Our first introduction to Faron was through a very intense, verbal argument he was having with a customer that had not paid his bill in over a year. Faron firmly told him that if he wasn't making enough money then he shouldn't be fishing. The man angrily left as Faron turned to the three of us, where we were awkwardly posed in old fashioned chairs, and asked, "What do these boys want? Which one of you is Ohio (Amelea)?" He was friendly, in a very southern manner. If you're not from the South then this style of joking is usually very bold, can sometimes be taken as rude, from an already burly, inherently intimidating man. He guided us to the warehouse where all of the rope and nets are kept. A skinny dog tied to a rope wagged her tail and growled at us. Very mixed signals. He kept asking what size net we wanted, but we still weren't even sure he was just going to give some to us or if he expected a discounted price. Even when I asked him, he didn't give us a direct answer. In the end, he donated to us 20 feet of brand new net, and offered his son up for marriage. We kindly declined and went on our way but not until after he asked us to return for a visit. We definitely are and with pictures to show him.

A baby bird learning to fly on the trawl net

The actual net is suspended a few feet off of the ground. Although we have fit 7 adults on it at one time the plan is not to have more than 3-4 kids "learning to fly" on it at a time while we spot them from the edges.

Eden links

Hi guys, hope you're having a restful weekend. A couple of things. Many thanks for a great week. You are all fun people to be with and I have enjoyed every minute of your company, so thanks for having me.

For those that haven't explored the Eden play website, here's the link:

http://www.edenproject.com/mbyt/what-we-do/changing-the-state-of-play.php

Check out the few pages, a couple of films, and I think, an article from a magazine. Over time we hope to add and expand the entire MUD website to demonstrate other things we do. For example you may remember me talking aboout a project called Muddy Shorts, a partnership between Eden and a children's charity called Barnardos - we enable all sorts of play experiences for disabled children in natural environments.

Also, I have two film projects being completed, one by film students who are making comedy clips based on the two extreme viewpoints about risk taking - those children who take risks beyond their capabilities, and those that are so overly protected they grow up with no risk taking skills. Eventually we hope these clips can be downloaded and used by anyone to prompt discussion. Keep an eye out later in the year for these.

The second film project is called Play Memories, whereby we've been collecting oral histories of people who have grown up in Cornwall; how they played, where they played, etc, etc. We want these films to help connect generations - children to their grandparents, so that play can be a vehicle for reflection, as well as memories becoming a vehicle for families to share play stories. Again, keep an eye out.

I'm also developing a small booklet for a company about our H20 Challenge project, whereby children construct structures for transporting water about in a playful way. I'll let you know how this develops.

I'll continue to add to the blog, both reflections from the week I spent with you, but also suggestions for a good read - in fact, here's my first, check out No Fear by Tim Gill, http://www.gulbenkian.org.uk/pdffiles/--item-1266-223-No-fear-19-12-07.pdf - it's a UK based perspective, but that perspective is similar to the States right now, so a good read.

Keep in touch, and keep playing

Phil x

If you go down to the woods today you'll be in for a big surprise...

Bouncy mud

Bouncy mud a video by Nature Play Corps on Flickr.

This is probably the team's favorite spot on the whole site - variously known as the bog, the moving earth, the swamp, the mud kingdom... you get the idea.

It's a dense mat of damp, dark organic material (future peat) that creates the springy, muddy surface.

Tuesday, June 14th

Today the ITs attacking us with full force! They are a lot bigger then yesterday and much more cunning, our Guard-its can do very little against this group of ITs. We the innocent interns are left out in the open with no defense. Our challenge today given to us by Phil was to create a "den" (fort), that can hold all 15 of us and be able to protect us from attacking ITs. We immediately discussed possibilities to where the den could be placed. We decided on a location that had 3 fallen trees that created a triangle and had natural defenses such as Devil's Walkingstick. We cleared out the center of the triangle, set up booby traps to catch the its, made sure we had escape routes incase things started to go downhill. We also built a roof for our den out of tarps that protected us from flying ITs. The ITs sent a small attacking force made of two old ITs to try and destroy our humble abode. The first IT made it through our first line of defense but got boxed in a clever trap that included a beautiful skylight. The second IT evaded all our defenses but our escaped routes were used to our advantage. Needless to say our den was very successful.


In the afternoon we traveled to Pea Island National Refuge, our trip was great. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, and there was a sense of joy in the air. Little did we know that the Air and Sea ITs were creeping on us! Brave our expert IT tracker noticed them creeping about and informed us about their dangers. Phil issued a challenge to create a talisman that would deter both the Air and Sea ITs at the same time. We attacked this challenge from many different angles, some went to the top of the dunes to search for drift wood. Some took tools and attacked the sand to create a trench to protect from the Sea ITs, this also doubled as a deterrent fro the Air ITs because we placed shells to make it look like a mouth.

Working together to create the talisman

Some of us went to the beach front and created a path for the ITs to follow out of the water out towards the sand dunes and then back into the water. Doing this would confuse the small brained ITs. We also created sand people that could be used as bait. The coolest thing we created that deterred the ITs the most was a series of tall pieces of drift wood stuck into the ground and then having a pattern drawn in the sand around them. It looks like a face from the air so the Air ITs will definitely not want to attack this area. The biggest challenge we had was putting into the sand a LONG LONG piece of drift wood that was taller then any one piece of wood that I have ever seen before. It took an act of congress to get that wood into the sand.

it stands alone

After this wonderful experience we all sat in a circle along the beach and reflected, spoke freely, and enjoyed each others company. Today was absolutely wonderful, we grew together as a team, worked through two challenges that we completed with flying colors, and most importantly no one got attacked by an IT.
-Assir Abushouk

Monday, June 13: Red Wolf Howl

The Play Corps team went on a "Wolf Howl" as night fell at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. Read the blog post I wrote about it on my personal play work blog here.

Molly

Monday, June 13

Week two of the Nature Play Corps program kicked off bright and early Monday morning, June 13. The morning seminars kicked off with a very interesting and relevant seminar led by Nilda Cosco, focusing on affordances for children within the natural environment. She focused specifically on the ways in which the structure and events within an environment contribute to the overall perceptual experience of the children. She offered a psychological aspect of the natural experience, and explained how objects with both conventional and unconventional affordances can contribute different affordances to each individual. She also introduced a concept called ART (Attention Restoration Theory), which explains the characteristics of a successfully designed environment for child-interaction and growth. The characteristics include: being involved in an environment that is different from the everyday experience, allowing the child to remain engaged throughout the experience, holding the attention of the child effortlessly, and fitting in with what the child wants to or is inclined to do. Overall, it was a very engaging seminar, which allowed us to hone in on the various characteristics of successful environments.

Phil introducing us to Guard-IT's

Next up was a rousing introduction to Phil Waters, visiting Playworker from England! He works with the Eden project, which has successfully launched a whole segment of the English population into the mindset that playwork with children is indeed important for their well-being, growth, and development. He was obviously very excited to be in the United States, and even more excited to give us all his take on the playwork profession. One of Phil's main points of emphasis was the concept of invitation within the environment. He explained that, when involved with playwork, it is the role of the playworker to provide an invitation for children to have a meaningful experience within the environment. While some of us had cooked up elaborate schemes to involve children, nearly forcing certain experiences on the children, Phil explained that it can be something as simple as saying "I hear there are monsters out there!" and leaving it at that. What I took away most from his presentation was that children do not need much of a jump start when it comes to engaging themselves within a narrative or play environment.

After lunch, we traveled to the Gateway site, and uncovered the story of the 'its.' Apparently, there are 'its' everywhere, and must be avoided at all costs. One of the best ways to stave them off is through the creation of a 'guard-it,' which will use its special powers to hold the 'its' at bay. Made with modeling clay, loose parts, and elements of the natural settings around us, our 'guard-its' had several magical powers which fended off the nasty 'its.'

Here is a Guard-IT!

After the creation of our 'its,' we were tasked to group up, and create a community for our 'its' to live in. Two groups were formed, and quickly small cities appeared within the woods. Highways, homes, schools, fire stations, playgrounds, ponds, and other community pillars were constructed for our 'its,' and we very much enjoyed showing our community to the other group of developers.

Here is a home for one of the GUARD-ITS!

Monday evening contained our visit to the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, where we explored their successful Wolfhowl program. In this program, the refuge has taken a nearly extinct species, the Red Wolf, and nursed them back into existence through an intensive recovery program. See below posts for a more complete description (and audio) of our visit, which was easily one of the coolest things that any of us has ever experienced!

Terry

Creating "Adventure Theater"

Adventure Theater

“Make a fairy garden,” was a prompt that our group of three interns was given by Jess Hoffmire, a guest facilitator to Nature Play Corps from NC Zoo. On the second day of our internship, Courtney, Terry, and I were assigned to work together and we ventured out in the woods to search for the perfect spot for a fairy garden. We found several trees that formed an archway off of the main trail that we previously created and all agreed that this was a great place to create our garden. 

Some of the children performing in the theater

The three members of our group reminisced about our childhood experiences in nature while sitting in the fairy garden. We felt a connection with the location, which eventually became the site of our play pocket. After exploring the space further we found an area where several trees had fallen that was a wonderful place to sit down and admire the woods. We created a trail that looped through the woods and back to the entrance. During our ideation we discussed that incorporating dramatic play into our play pocket would be an open-ended way to connect children with nature. The theme of our play pocket transformed into “Adventure Theater” so we created a stage at the entrance to our site. We made a curtain by draping a net that we decorated with pine cones, leaves, and pine needles over the archway. We arranged logs to be the seats in the audience. 

 Small groups of children rotated throughout the play pockets that the interns created. We explained to the children that they would be creating a play and encouraged them to find inspiration and props for their play along the trail. 

Connecting with nature ourselves through play helped us to develop a nature play experience for children.

 "Adventure Theater" was a space for children to explore and develop a personal connection with Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. The play pocket supported cognitive, social, emotional, and physical domains of development. Through dramatic nature play, children took on multiple perspectives, practiced fine and gross motor skills, language skills, and negotiation.

The Great Fire Escape

The scene was set: The fire at Alligator River has resulted in the mass movement of animals from their homes to a new area of refuge. But how would these animals survive? Sure, there is plenty of food and water available, however, the animals lacked homes in which they could thrive. It was up to our nature helpers to build new homes for the animals that had been displaced or become the animal travelers themselves.

Building new habitats

The initial group of children with whom we nature-played were between the ages of 5 and 8. They quickly took to the idea of the movement of animals and were inspired by the natural elements within the context of the play pocket. The children moved small, fallen branches in order to build forts and swung from tree limbs. They took on the roles of animals that might thrive in the environment and were willing to build new homes for the homeless animals. A few children travelled down a path within the confines of the play pocket and discovered a “pond” in which lily pads floated and “frog” children hopped. Instead of designing a new home for the animals that had been displaced, a number of children saw it fit to dig through a decomposing tree and discovered a world of insects that lived below.

Discovering what lives in the pretend "pond"

The forest was alive and the children were immersed in its beauty.

Will Ericson, Kara Oikarinen, Stephanie Rustem

Creature For A Day

Creating creature masks

Throughout the week, we have been taught and re-taught how to play and use our childlike tendencies while in the woods. Today, we got the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of children and it was inspiring to say the least. The children we engaged with today really enjoyed the opportunity to use their imagination within nature while making their animal masks. One group of children all decided if given the opportunity to be an animal they would all be different species of rabbits; jack rabbit, bunny rabbit, and a cotton tail rabbit. After they finished making their masks, they thought it would be fun to play a game and pretend to be those animals in the woods.

Creatures!

The children later suggested adding another animal to the game, a bear, where it would chase the rabbits around in the woods, much like reality. A different group with more children had a more diverse set of animal masks, ranging from a cat, dog, baboon, and a girl monkey. They let their imagination take over and created their most favorite animal.

Assir Abushouk, Katie Johnson and Britani Lolley