Doing All the Things

Last summer was tough. I remember sitting in my kitchen in early May in tears, as I realized that the summer we had been planning (Athan had spent hours on Pinterest pinning enough crafts and science experiments to last twelve summers) was not going to happen. Instead, I would spend almost every waking hour at Sego Lily School getting our new campus ready for Fall. I needed a break, and wasn't going to get it.

But oh, this summer... we are only 2 weeks in, and have already done more in those two weeks than we managed in the entire summer last year. We've played in the water, and gone to the fair, and camped in the yard, and played in more water, and gone to the splash pad, and watched a movie in the park, and done crafts, and built a water slide in the back yard, and played at the park, and gardened and enjoyed our house, and taught the 13 year old to run the riding mower, and barbequed and seen friends, and done a workshop at Sego Lily, and played in the water some more.

Taly in his pool

Taly at the splash pad

Ahhh... sun on my skin!

Taly had SO much fun on the carnival rides! He looks worried, but he smiled most of the time!

"Driving lessons"

Home-made water slide

Gardening bounty

Movie in the park

And even though that sounds like a lot for 2 weeks, it hasn't felt busy at all. In fact, it has been very relaxing, and I have also found time to clean my house and write and work.

We recently overhauled Sego Lily School's Open House presentation. We still cover the basics about how our school works, and the hours we are open, all of those things parents need to know to make an informed decision. However, we also spend about half of the time talking about the importance of PLAY and why it is such an integral part of what our students do all day. While I am talking, I tend to use several examples to make the various points in the presentation. Usually, these examples include are a toddler learning exploring her environment, a group of 8-10 year old children playing an imaginative game in the yard, a mixed-age group playing a board game, and an adult pursuing some interest. It's easy for people to see the value of toddlers and young children playing, but using these examples they begin to see how play is essential for older children in teens, and the ways that play shows up in their own lives as well. Adults play in different ways. Some of us play video games or board games, some of us explore new technology, or educate ourselves about things that have nothing to do with what we NEED to know (though when those things can overlap, life can really be fun!). For some adults play is social gatherings, for others it is the solitary act of completing a Sudoku puzzle. Regardless of how we play, we all need to play.

That was what was missing for me last summer. It wasn't simply a matter of taking time off from work, it was taking time out to play that was missing. Even things that I enjoyed, like working in my garden, became work instead of play, mostly because I was cramming them into short bursts of time when I didn't really want to be doing them. Playing these last two weeks has been restorative at a level I cannot even put into words.

Of course, the kids are playing, too. Both Athan & Gabe have taken on reading challenges for the summer, which is amazing, and I think it is having the time to play that has given them both a desire to take down time for reading as well. Suffice it to say, I have a lot of happy kids around me right now.

There is more I could say on this subject, but I have to get ready for a birthday party and then a night in the mountains. I'm too busy playing to sit still for too long! And that feels like a beautiful thing.