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You
are here: Playing, Learning, Being Inspired
in Just-
spring When the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame balloonmanwhistles far and wee
and eddieandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it's
springwhen the world is puddle-wonderful
the queer
old balloonman whistles
far and wee
and bettyandisbel come dancingfrom hop-scotch and jump-rope and
it's
spring
and
thegoat-footed
balloonMan whistles
far
and
weee.e. Cummings
I often ask myself why this poem has stayed with me for more than thirty years, since I first heard it in elementary school. I immediately became immersed in the travels of the balloonman, smelling, feeling, and enjoying this spring image. From this, I learned the power of the written word, and the scenes they created in my mind. I realized the effectiveness of spacing words, and most importantly how playful you could be in writing. For me, these words allowed me to create a real environment from my imagination.
I use this poem as a metaphor to explain the way I have learned and lived such a rich life, and to show how The Children's Museum, Seattle makes learning through play so powerful, meaningful, and a long lasting memory to build upon. In my own childhood I had the resources of art, nature, music, dance, and a trusted environment to create within. And create I did! I was fascinated with creating environments for real and imagined people or animals. Along with a preoccupation with spaces I loved children, and began trying to help children find their passions.
These early experiences quickly grew and evolved into an Early Childhood degree from The University of Vermont. I found the most profound engaging learning experiences came from creating a stimulating immersive themed environment. Simply setting the scene, such as Outer Space allowed children to begin imagining their connection to this little known environment. It became a place where they could test theories, develop ideas and contribute to the simulated outer space. It was there, where I understood the importance of deepening the learning experience through setting the scene, staging the environment, and making physical transitions between spaces. Another experience emphasized the importance of full sensory immersion, after bringing mud into a 10 ft. by 10 ft. section of the room, and allowing children to take off their shoes and play, you could see a whole new level of understanding and appreciation for the natural world emerging.
Shortly after college I felt a compelling need to understand how other people lived, how they experienced learning, and what made their lives rich. With that in mind, I lived in West Africa for two years training elementary school teachers about teaching methodology. This experience furthered my belief that young children and adults throughout the world need to have experiences that connected them to their passions and interests, and are meaningful to their lives, in order to learn. It was also clear to me that children and adults in the United States needed to understand that children and adults in other countries had the same needs and desires as all of us. The common needs included, wanting the best for their family, food, shelter, and a sense of community. I also witnessed a universal connection between play, story and making art. I remember the children on my porch telling stories, playing games, playing music, laughing, and making toys out of found objects day after day. Cars made from cans and metal pieces filled the dirt walkways as children pushed them along with a long stick.
Soon after, what allowed me to translate some of these powerful learning experiences from Africa, and simply being with children, into a unique learning environment, where play was the most important tool for learning, was joining The Children's Museum, Seattle in 1987. The depth of learning that happens at The Museum, is best exemplified by the words of a three-year-old boy, who had visited our Japanese exhibit several times. When a guest came to his home bringing sushi, she expressed her doubt that he would know what sushi actually was - to which he replied " I know what sushi is, they have it in the Japanese exhibit at The Children's Museum". This story represents the experiences that take place daily at The Museum. It is frequently a place where someone has tried something for the first time, and later, this learning is reinforced in their daily life activities.
The Children's Museum, Seattle prides itself on creating a space where children and adults learn through interactive activities, which provides connections with children's multiple ways of interacting with the world. It immerses children and adults in imaginative physical experiences, which highlight a richness of humanity. On a daily basis children and adults can exercise their cognitive, social, and artistic skills, and are encouraged to express themselves. This learning and knowing happens because it is a space designed to excite children, with special attention given to their interests, their abilities, and their passions. Almost every child runs through the entrance, past the front desk, leaping ahead of their adult, and immediately engaging themselves in whatever they are drawn to on that particular day.
I have found that no day is like the day before at The Museum, and no learner is like the other. On a given day a child and adult may visit The Museum's art studio and discover a guest artist working in paper making, printmaking or some other medium. In the paper making process I was delighted to witness the enthusiasm expressed by children as they touched the paper pulp and screamed with excitement when the pulp was transformed into a shape, by the mold it had been pressed into. A child's ability to see beyond adult boundaries is frequently exemplified. Time and time again I walk through the Museum, and hear children exclaim with excitement and fascination, that the cooperative 15-foot sculpture made from recyclables, is a Tyrannosaurus Rex! I think how did they know that? To me it possibly looks like a dinosaur, but through the child's eyes, and through their experiences, a recognition of lines, shapes, and using their imagination, they know!
The Museum connects communities with ties to ethnic traditions and celebrations. I remember two adopted children from India who attended a traditional Indian dance performance, which was performed by children in celebration of the Diwali Festival. These adoptive parents had brought the two, wanting them to gain more of a connection to their heritage. These families were so inspired by the performance that the girls joined the performance group, and fourteen years later, they are still performing.
Sometimes The Museum makes connections between people and solving problems. I remember well, a family who complained that Cog City, based on cause effect relationships, frustrated them because they had to cooperate with other children and adults they did not know, in order to make certain things work. I was delighted with this complaint because it exemplified our design intent in this exhibit, which forced people to cooperate in completing a task. At other times the Museum encourages physical challenges in a simulated outdoor environment on our Mountain. We designed a horizontal climbing wall where visitors could safely scale across the mountain, this horizontal climbing action happens naturally without words or directions about how or where to climb. Setting the physical environment with all its natural wonders and physical clues is all children need to go back and forth, time and time again till they get it right (by their standards)!
Thirty years since imagining myself as the balloonman and seeing the world as mud-luscious, I smile at the opportunity; to provide an environment that inspires the minds of young and old, provides a stepping stone to lifelong learning, and provides opportunities for positive interactions between adults and children, children and children, and adults and adults.
Charlotte Beall graduated from The University of Vermont with a Degree in Early Childhood and Human Development in 1983. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone, West Africa from 1984-1986, and has been the Director of Exhibits and Education at The Children's Museum, Seattle, since 1987. She serves on the Council of Children's Museums. She has evaluated and consulted with local and national museums. In 1998 was awarded an International Partnership Exchange Among Museums, and traveled to The Costa Rica Children's Museum for a joint project. She is a docent of African Art at Seattle Art Museum, and most recently was invited to be on the Program Committee for The Association of Children's Museums.
The Children's Museum, Seattle is located at Seattle Center in the Center House building. It is open from 10-5, Monday through Friday and 10-6, Saturday and Sunday. Visit The Museum web site at www.thechildrensmuseum.org, or call 206 441-1768.
Copyright © June 2002 New Horizons for Learning
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