Hellobee

We believe that children have an inherent drive to actively investigate and make a positive impact on the world around them. When presented with stimulating and engaging experiences, children intuitively take full advantage of the opportunities to learn. – PlayfulLearning.com

Just when I was worrying about what I was going to do with the little Sk8ers all summer, I picked-up Mariah Bruehl’s book Playful Learning: Develop Your Child’s Sense of Joy and Wonder. The cover caught my eye immediately with all those colorful pencils and stickers (I pretty much swoon in stationery stores; I imagine it’s how some feel in a shoe store) and oh, boy after reading this book I’m excited to get summer and play-time rolling!

Playful Learning was written by Mariah Bruehl, an educator and mother of two who was influenced by a framework called Teaching for Understanding, which comes from the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero. The method is based on the philosophy that kids should learn through engaging, enjoyable, hands-on, active play versus some traditional methods of direct instruction, which teaches children to retain information on specific topics and subjects.

The objective of Playful Learning isn’t to make your child “smarter,” but, something much richer – to help them achieve understanding by engaging with them in their interests, and ultimately to, “Create a family dynamic where learning is a joyful pursuit, something that will last a life time.”

Don’t you just love that last quote? Talk about family life goals.

This book contains 58 practical, playful-learning experiences to try in seven subject areas (writing, reading, math, science, art, global awareness, emotional intelligence), all broken down into various stages (recommended for ages 4-8). Some of the activities are too advanced for my boys, but I read that you should skim through the whole book and when the right time presents itself, like cloud gazing, you’ll recall the project. I think what I loved most about this practical guide is that Bruehl provides pictures, material lists, supplemental reading resources (love these book recommendations) and even printables. The whole lesson plan is prepared and packaged. You should order your copy today; I promise you’ll thank me later. It’s an inspiring resource for all families who want to connect with their children and supplement their little one’s learning process.

As a mother to a wiggly kid, I fully support active, hands-on learning. I’m already plotting out opportunities to share these joyful learning experiences with my boys. In fact, I liked the idea of journaling so much that I pitched the idea of a summer picture journal to the boys (okay, G is just three, but he really likes drawing circles and loves being included). It will be fun to look back on all our adventures at the end of summer. Today, D had a chance to draw his own version of van Gogh’s A Wheatfield with Cypresses (it included some dinosaurs and possibly a treasure map).

Journaling at the Met (FYI, markers are forbidden…oops)

What I saw when looking into my young daughters’ eyes is that the curriculum of life, as experienced by children in their homes on a daily basis, is the most revolutionary teaching and learning that can take place. – Bruehl, pg 2.

If you would like more information and inspiration visit playfullearning.net or follow playful organization, global child , and Playful Learning on Pinterest.