During some spiritual reading recently I came across a meditation on the freedom we have been given by God. In God's infinite freedom, He makes a space for us, a stage if you will, for us to exert our own finite freedoms. As a Montessorian, I immediately thought of the prepared environment of the classroom. This is a stage created for these young people which gives them the things they need to explore, to succeed, and to push up against the limits of their abilities. At recess recently, the meditation struck me all over again in a new way. Our school is blessed with one of the most amazing recess settings I have ever seen. By giving this wide expanse to the children, and providing just the right amount of control and supervision, we give the children the space to practice their own correct use of freedom.
One day recently there were a few students visiting with the chickens. An older student was showing the others how one safely picks up a chicken. It was a powerful experience for them. Later that day four of our younger students approached me and asked if they could retrieve the eggs the next day. Many of the students had a big game of gaga ball going. The competitive juices were flowing, which attracted the older kids. This allowed some of the younger ones access to the best fort-building material on the edge of the woods and unimpeded visits to the huge one beyond the former goat enclosure with the walls of grass and mud.
My personal favorite though was a diverse group of six or seven younger students engaged in a very interesting work of group storytelling. A few weeks ago, a couple students saw, or thought they saw, something in the pond. It was like an eel. Or a snake. It had black eyes. At least it did at first. Now "the creature" as they called it only had a single, menacing eye. With the wet weather creating a constant stream of runoff, there is no knowing where the creature might be. Most concerning is the fact that no matter where you are the creature can see if you have mud on your boots. Only the clean of shoe are truly safe...
There is something special whenever girls and boys who normally wouldn't say much to each other are suddenly creating a compelling story detail by detail.
You likely don't have such an expanse in your backyard for your child and their friends to play. How can you capture the magic? First, realize that it is not yours to capture. One day the children are all playing tug of war. The mood is wonderful and supportive. You want them to do the same activity the next day, but they are all doing something else. One can't force it. This is the nature of unstructured play. In our classroom, the students learn skills like turn-taking, negotiation, and handling friendships, but so much of this half of a holistic education happens in "the down time": the game of UNO during dismissal, recess, or lunch. One of the best things you can give your child is unstructured time with siblings or friends. When nothing else is going on, the gears of childhood spin swiftly.