Nature of Things Documentary: The Power of Play

 Video

Nature of Things Documentary: The Power of Play [44:09 mins]

Key Segments

If you would like to break up the viewing the following are the key segments to focus on:

· 0:00 – 15:08

· 15:09 – 25:54

· 25:55 – 44:09

CBC Gem

An alternative is to watch the documentary online via CBC Gem (Links to an external site.) . Note, you will not need to sign-in to view, however your viewing is interrupted with ads.

https://gem.cbc.ca/media/the-nature-of-things/s58e12

Overview

The purpose of this assignment is for you to further explore the role of play in supporting young children’s health and well-being. In this assignment, you will watch and provide a response to the Nature of Things documentary “The Power of Play.” To further build on your learning from the documentary, you will search for two related scholarly works and share your findings. The format of this video response is a 4–⁠6 page written assignment.

Requirements

There are two parts to this written assignment: (a) response based directly on “The Power of Play” documentary; and (b) independent research write-up inspired by the documentary. Where relevant, please draw on and reference course material.

Your written response to the video response should be:

· 4–⁠6 pages in length (+ references)

· 12-point font

· Times New Roman font

· Double-spaced

· References and in-text citations should align with  APA 7 guidelinesLinks to an external site.

Part 1: “The Power of Play” Response

Suggested Length: 3–⁠4 pages

Please watch the Nature of Things documentary “The Power of Play.”

1.

0. You can access and view this documentary in a variety of ways:

· Watch the  entire documentary on curio.ca (Links to an external site.)  which is licensed for educational use by the UBC Library. You can log-in using your UBC student email. 

· Watch the  Nature of Things Documentary: The Power of Play   key segments as listed on the previous page.

· Available online via  CBC Gem (Links to an external site.) . Note, you will not need to sign-in to view, however your viewing is interrupted with ads.

1. As you watch, make note of:

· Key ideas that stand out to you;

· Connections to the course material and to children’s health and well-being; and

· Key play researchers and their work.

2. Then, write a response to each of the following four prompts:

·

·

· What was your overall impression of the documentary? (e.g., What are your general thoughts about the information presented? What did you think about the variety of research explored? To what extent do you think the documentary conveyed information clearly and effectively?)

· What three big ideas about play resonated with you and why?

· How do these big ideas connect to young children’s health and well-being and to the ideas explored in Module 3?

· What three researchers and their work stood out to you and why?

Part 2: Independent Research Write-Up

Suggested Length: 1–⁠2 pages

In Part 1, you identified three researchers and their work that stood out to you. In Part 2, you have the opportunity to further explore this work by doing a library (UBC library) and/or internet search (e.g., Google Scholar) for two related scholarly works.

· Scholarly “works” can include peer reviewed journal articles, books, or book chapters (e.g., chapter in an edited book or handbook).

· This work should either: (a) include at least one of your identified researchers as an author (e.g., Sandseter); or (b) build on the focus of your identified researcher’s work (e.g., Sandseter’s work on risky play).

· Once you have accessed and read two scholarly works, compose a brief write-up about each article/book/chapter. Your write-up should include:

· A full reference of the scholarly work, in alignment with APA 7 (as you would write it in a reference list);

· A brief description of the scholarly work and the key findings/ideas being presented and explored; and

· A brief description of how this work has shifted/expanded/changed your thinking about children’s play in relation to children’s health and well-being.

,

MODULE 3: Learning Objectives

Play, Health, and Well-Being

Duration: 2 Weeks

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

· Describe what play is and why it is important for children’s health and well-being;

· Identify various ways that play connects to and supports children’s health and well-being;

· Offer suggested strategies to support play in early childhood settings.

Play, Health, and Well-Being

Introduction

Play is an essential part of childhood and critical to children’s holistic development, health, and well-being (Hewes, n.d.; Province of British Columbia, 2019a, 2019b). As an early childhood educator, it is important to recognize that play is vital for young children and should have a central role in their lives “from infancy into middle childhood and beyond” (Province of British Columbia, 2019b, p. 5). Within the province of British Columbia, the importance of play is reflected within the vision for early learning and embedded within the Early Learning Framework principles (Province of BC, 2019a).

Early Learning Framework Principles

· Children are strong, capable in their uniqueness, and full of potential.

· Educators are researchers and collaborators.

· Early years spaces are inclusive.

· People build connection and reconnection to land, culture, community and place.

· Environments are integral to well-being and learning.

· Play is integral to well-being and learning.

· Relationships are the context for well-being and learning.

· Learning is holistic.

— Province of BC, 2019a

 

More broadly, play is explicitly recognized within Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (Links to an external site.) , which states that all children have the right to leisure, play, and participation in cultural and artistic activities. The UNCRC was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on November 20, 1989. Canada signed the UNCRC in 1990 and ratified it in 1991.

 

Self-Reflection

Before we dive deeper into this topic, let’s begin by taking a moment to reflect on our own childhood play experiences. In this reflection, we will tap into one of our personal play memories by engaging in an exercise outlined within the  Play Today handbook (Links to an external site.) .

The Province of British Columbia (2019b) suggest:

“The experiences of children’s play have a profound impact on all areas of their growth and development. Memories of play can be vivid and detailed. These memories often have a treasured place in our hearts and minds” (p. 2).

In a notebook or word document, please work through and record your answers to the following prompts. You can also find these questions on page 15 of the Play Today handbook.

· What is your earliest memory of play?

· What occurred?

· Who else was involved?

· Were you fully and deeply engaged in play?

· How old were you?

https://padlet.com/UBC_ETS/fi69le0eui21vcz5

Sharing with Discussions

Remember, you are NOT required to create an account when using Padlet, and you are encouraged to exercise caution whenever providing personal information.  For example, you can log out of your Google account prior to contributing to the Padlet. To protect your privacy, you may wish to use private/incognito browser and, if asked to include your name, use first name or initials only or, with permission from your instructor, a pseudonym. As this Padlet is embedded in a Canvas Discussion, you may opt to participate using the discussion thread at the bottom of this page as a more secure option.

What Is Play and Why Is It Important?

Play is integral to children’s health, well-being, and optimal development. The benefits of play in children’s lives have been well-documented by researchers and the power of play has long been recognized by early childhood educators in practice (Hewes, n.d.).

In the following document, Dr. Jane Hewes provides a foundational understanding of the role of play in young children’s lives and addresses the questions: What is play? Why is play important? Once you have read through this article, please take some time to review the three infographics highlighting some of the many benefits of play. Finally, finish by reading Dr. Patrick Lewis' critique of the erosion of play across four areas of childhood.

 

 Readings

Read the following materials which are linked or can be accessed via the Library Online Course Reserves (LOCR). As you read the following documents, please make note of the key ideas and concepts being presented, as well as any thoughts and/or questions that emerge for you.

· Hewes, J. (n.d.) Let the children play: Nature’s answer to early learning (Links to an external site.) . 

· Infographics

· Infographic 1: “5 Key findings on unstructured play & mental health (Links to an external site.) ” 

· Infographic 2: “What research tells us… Unstructured play benefits healthy child development (Links to an external site.) ” 

· Infographic 3: “The benefits of outdoor play (Links to an external site.) ” 

· Lewis, P. J. (2017). The erosion of play   Download The erosion of play. International Journal of Play, 6(1), 10-23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21594937.2017.1288391 (Links to an external site.)  

Playing for Health and Well-Being in the Early Years

Just as it nurtures children’s holistic development (Hewes, n.d.), play helps to foster children’s health and well-being throughout childhood and beyond (Brown, 2009; Whitaker & Tonkin, 2021). Similarly, play provides children with a supportive context to develop life skills such as self-regulation and resilience, as well as cope with stress and severe and prolonged adversity (Solis et al., 2020).

Among children, play is intimately connected to health and well-being. In fact, play researcher Stuart Brown (2010) suggests that “the opposite of play is not work — the opposite of play is depression” (p. 126).

 

 Readings

Read the following materials which are linked or can be accessed via the Library Online Course Reserves (LOCR).

· Whitaker, J., & Tonkin, A. (2021). Infancy and the early years   Download Infancy and the early years. In Play for health across the lifespan: Stories from the seven ages of play (pp. 33-52). Routledge.

· Whitaker, J., & Tonkin, A. (2020). A place for play: Creating playful environments for health and wellbeing   Download A place for play: Creating playful environments for health and wellbeing. In A. Tonkin, & J. Whitaker (Eds.) Play and playfulness for public health and wellbeing (pp. 160-174). Routledge. 

Connection to Practice: How Can We Support Play in Early Childhood Settings?

The Province of British Columbia (2019b) suggests that early childhood educators have a “special opportunity” (p. 2) to consider what kind of play memories they hope to nurture for the children under their care and guidance. Recognizing the connection among play, health, and well-being, it is important to consider how we can support children’s play experiences within early childhood settings.

In the following video, injury prevention and outdoor play researcher Dr. Mariana Brussoni highlights three key ingredients for supporting children’s outdoor play in practice. Then, Dr. Jane Hewes discusses the role of children’s free play in promoting social and emotional health within early childhood settings and shares some experiences from practice.

As you watch and read the following resources, please make note of the key concepts being discussed and suggested strategies and ideas for practice.

 

 Video

3 Key Ingredients For Supporting Children's Outdoor [3:52 mins]

https://youtu.be/Z0CQxL38RE4

3 Key Ingredients for Supporting Children's Outdoor Play | Dr Mariana Brussoni (Links to an external site.)  video by Storypark (Links to an external site.)

 

 Readings

Read the following materials which are linked or can be accessed via the Library Online Course Reserves (LOCR).

· Hewes, J. (2014). Seeking balance in motion: The role of spontaneous free play in promoting social and emotional health in early childhood care and education (Links to an external site.) . Children, 1, 280-301. doi:10.3390/children1030280 

 

Self-Reflection

At this time, please take a moment to think back on your personal play memory explored at the beginning of this module. With this memory in mind and having worked through the module up to this point, please take a moment to consider:

· What play experiences do I want to nurture among the children with whom I work?

· What types of environments do I want them to have access to?

· How can I go about supporting positive play experiences for children?

This may be a good time to revisit our class Padlet and revisit/review some of the play memories shared by your peers.

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