ZOOM Play Experience #1

On August 1, 2020 I presented a Hands-on Virtual ZOOM play workshop. People chose their own open-ended materials, played with them during the session, journaled, shared images, and told stories about their experience.

Here are three journal reflections shared by participants.

Cortland Mazzotta

I play with my kids that I work with a lot so it’s interesting and so I had an impulse in the beginning to kind of turn off my camera. Oh, this is kind of private but I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and put myself in their shoes of having an adults watch you play. You know and whatever that means and feel that sense of maybe judgement and wanting to somehow measure up even though it’s play. 

So, it’s just really interesting to perceive even though I enjoy playing, that sense of like, Oh, I have eyes on me and what am I going to do? Is this going to measure up, even though I know there is no wrong way to do it? I know that. So that was really interesting way to get into their shoes and how they might feel a little anxious having to play in front of an adult they don’t really know. 

OUTCOME: This play experience Informs and sharpens the professional practice of the participants.

Terri Alexander-Cox

We just got back from being in the mountains for 10 days so we were surrounded by the wood and beauty. I imagined fairies everywhere. So, we collected materials and I just made fairy things. I made a fairy ring, I had mica, I made a little swing and I stuck it in a flowerpot. The thing that was really evocative for me was just this morning I found these little pods and I remembered when I was a child, I would get strips of leaves off mimosa trees and make little play food. And then also I made a fairy wheelbarrow, so I put them in my fairy wheelbarrow. It just brought up a lot of memories and it also kept the feeling of being in the woods with me.

OUTCOME: This play experience rekindles memories of earlier times and nourishes the participant’s sense of peacefulness and gratitude. 

Alex Yang, Project Liaison 

Play advocate and trainer 

Orange County Department of Education, California 

I was anticipating this morning because I knew it would be a nice moment to be calm and reflect before I started my day. As I was playing, I realized its been a while that I actually took some time and play on my own. Like I’ll sit and play with my kid and I’ll talk with teachers and other coaches about play but to actually be lost in the moment was a nice reflection to have. I then noticed I was playing and the time went by pretty quick, less than 10 minutes. It seemed like 2 minutes. It was just nice to be able to play quietly before the craziness approaches.  I thought it was nice to be able to hear music, to get lost in time and just relax. 

OUTCOME: This play experience quiets the mind and helps to prepare us for approaching craziness.

Lynn Hartle, Ph.D Professor of Education  

Penn State Univ, Brandwine

NAEYC Play, Policy and Practice Interest forum Liaison, 

Former PPP Connections Managing Editor https://pppconnections.wordpress.com/

The complexity of the world

& how pieces fit together

Some standing up

Some on their side

Some flat 

Some darker

Some lighter

& yet together 

This complex structure works 

If people learn to pay attention through play

OUTCOME: This play experience summons creative expression that reveals complexities and ways of overcoming impediment.

Children, teachers and parents are facing huge demanding transitions going back to school and adjusting emotionally to troubling uncertainty that exists in the world today. Use silent, solo self active play as a medium for generating creativity and insight, while relaxing and relieving associated stress and anxiety. This is especially helpful as an instructional play practice with young children. (To view Zoom recordings visit Walter Drew YouTube Chanel)