I am still catching up on posts. This post is for week of July 25th. In my earlier post I went into detail about Udo de Haes work. I had read the section on families and storytelling after this week had passed, but I started to tell less stories to the children while we are in the woods. They seem to have become addicted to them. Ironic, isn't it? The Waldorf School children who are exposed to little if any media, becoming addicted to storytelling. The actually were physically playing less in the woods while I told stories. At first, the stories could be background to their play there, but somehow that changed. Honestly, I love to tell stories, but never realized how much they take out of me. When telling a tale with a plot I have to start seeing the pictures in my mind as if I were reading a story to myself, then the words just flow. But until I reach that point, I am almost forcing the story from my lips by actively remembering what comes next. When the pictures come and I get lost in it, the story flows effortlessly...but I am still a bit depleted nonetheless. SO after the 5th story of the day...and telling Mulan counts for 3 stories...I was burnt out. So I whittled it down to one story in the morning...a story book before rest and one story in the afternoon. This seems to be a nice balance for me as a storyteller and for the children's play. I am curious for other readers to chime in with their experiences of telling faery tale stories and whether they feel somewhat spent after a good long telling. Please comment!
Anyway, I found when I denied their requests for stories in the woods, the play took on a new dimension. I encourage Curt to have R help him more in his work. we found a plastic bottle and all the children loved using this simple implement. They dug out "catchment" basins and filled them from the little stream. Curtis taught R how to do this and she loved filling them up. Everyone had to take extra care not to step on them. H (3 year old girl) joined us on Wednesday. It was great for R to not have to "play up" to keep up with the older children. She and H fell right back into their school play. H is a bot more dreamy than R (3 years) and still relishes the physicality of the existing space: the splash of the water, the squish of the mud, the frogs. R did try to draw her into more story play, but then fell in with H, into the nature of the place. It is nice to see R's versatility.
A joined us again on Thursday and Friday. (A is a four year old girl). It was interesting to see the different dynamic with A and R than with H and R. A and R spent almost the entire woods time running back and forth on the little foot bridge, role playing Sleeping Beauty. "Ok, now you be the price, I'll be sweet Faery Nutmeg." "Ok, now I'm the Princess." A didn't climb so much with Curtis this time, much to his dismay. I think the small thron she got in her toe last week put her off. But I was able to climb with him while watching the girls on the bridge. That seemed to satisfy him a little. But I have to say after watching play so intently this Summer especially, it is so poignant to me that adult/ child play just pales in comparison to child/child play.
As an adult parent, I am not a good playmate anyway. Some parents just are better at playing with their children than others. I won't win a prize for that. But I remember how I was with my Gregory, now 15 years. I really played with him. Matter of fact, I played with him mostly. The children and families on our block were not great families...they didn't share my values with their language, media use, corporeal punishment, etc, so since I had Gregory every weekend, I would set up wonderful adventure weekends for us. It would all be magical and wonderful. And as Gregory was into sport from a young age...full of soccer, baseball and lacrosse play at the local playground. Gosh I was fit then. In the New York Times on Father's Day this year, 2011, there was an article on the need for play with adults and children, such as horseplay and/or rough housing. This is a fun activity for boys and girls to get physical in a safe way with adults. The book is called In Praise of Rough Housing. Check out the article http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/in-praise-of-roughhousing/
One of my neighbors purchased it on Amazon and she praised it..actually gifted it to her husband for Father 's Day.
Things changed during my 2nd trimester with Curtis. Since then, I have not been "that" Mom. not the playing type. I am more the observer type. I miss the play a bit it's true, but I am able to see such depth and layering of play that Curtis engages in. Wow, that child can really play. Now, I just try to stay out of the way, facilitate, and provide damage control when necessary. Oh and I'm the art director.
Anyway, back to camp. This was the second block of Rainbow. I continued with the painting of rainbows in the morning. An actual story did not come to me, but I think the subtle influence was there. When the children would draw with crayons later in the afternoon, I was shown many rainbows that they created. All in all it was a good week.
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