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. . . Imaginative Play : DIY Game Workshops . . .
Scenes from Historic Games : Ancient Egypt : Hounds and Jackals. Students create and play test a takeaway game, based on an ancient story and racing game that intersects with their studies of ancient civilizations and culture.
Scenes from an ‘After School Games Club’ where students collaborated to create their own takeaway games to play with friends and family, inspired by Slumbering Dreams and fairy tales. All game elements were made from recycled watercolor artworks, made by the children.
Scenes from an ‘After School Games Club’ where students collaborated to create their own takeaway games to play with friends and family, inspired by Slumbering Dreams and fairy tales. All game elements were made from recycled watercolor artworks, made by the children.
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Based on my reflections of playing with others throughout my life, I began to explore biography work in relation to creating games. I serendipitously encountered the exceptional work of photographer Wendy Ewald; two of her remarkable books, I Dreamed I had a Girl in My Pocket and Secret Games really made an impression on me. I gratefully had the opportunity to interview Wendy for Feminist Media Studies. I learned a lot from Wendy’s heartfelt work with children of all ages, which was inspiring for me in the creation of educational game workshops I uniquely instructed for Cranbrook Kingswood Middle School for Girls, Ravinia Elementary School, Louisa May Alcott Elementary and Middle Schools, Urban Prairie Waldorf School, and the Chicago Park District. In these creative DIY game making sessions, we explored fairytales, fables, folklore and poetry together, in which the children were engaged to share their own life experiences, as part of the game making process. It was a cathartic experience for them to tell their own stories from a world of their making–the imagined and the real. Some of their tales were of awe and wonder, some brought up fears and concerns, while others were reminiscent of cherished times with others. Additional playful activities included seasonal puppet plays that engaged younger children with celebrating the rhythms of nature, created for City Garden and Four Winds Waldorf Schools. These examplars reflect the empowering nature of games and play.
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Please enjoy an excerpt from our interview:
”We are all dreaming, but in the morning when we open our eyes the dreams are all gone.
Last night I dreamed I had a girl in my pocket.”
–Koli Patel Hasmukh
(cited from pg. 28)
JF: Describe your process of working and insights you have you discovered about human nature?
WE: When I began, I divided my work into two streams: one when I was taking pictures and one when I was handing the camera over to others. I wanted to confuse people and make them think about whose picture is a picture – what role does a subject play, what role does a photographer play? I started mixing photographs without including an author to make that point. I would collaborate on the photo set up or I would give them a negative to work with. I would structure a conceptual idea for a project and ask people to interpret it, which is relevant to games because it was always like playing a game where there is no predetermined outcome. That’s what’s exciting and gives you layers of meaning.
I worked with institutions that connected me with their community. Adults are actors in some of the photographs, and by kids having the camera changes the power dynamic. I asked what they wanted to take pictures of, to hold and look through the camera. I showed them pictures and asked what they could see, what they liked or didn’t and then we started to understand each other. Learning how to use the camera is a bonding experience.
Developing the film was done together. In India, we built a darkroom. We built a building. We had an inauguration ceremony for it, planted a holy basil plant in front of it and said prayers. There was a lot that happened. I learned a lot about humanity and the main point over and over is how strong people are, how resilient and how great the human experience is, whether you have a lot or not very much does not change your creativity, intelligence, strengths, or originality. What people are able to handle is so much greater than I would’ve imagined and what they are able to do.
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“All winter long, he walks over the earth– showering snow drops and snowflakes– to cover the ground that protects Mother Earth!“
“Wake up! Wake up my children dear! Spring is coming, spring is near . . . ”
Scenes from seasonal puppet plays, retelling the story of King Winter’s parting to make room for Mother Earth and her children’s arrival in spring. All characters were made from locally grown, organic wool, while set design included natural elements, like tree stumps, acorns, pine cones and hollow squash. It was a magical and tactile experience for the children, as if a fairy garden came to life, unfolding before their eyes, from the fading of winter. Afterwards, the children enjoyed their outdoor play until it was time to go home. Some of the children reenacted their own versions of these plays, and set up their own stage with imagined props. It was very special and inspiring for everyone.
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Busy Bees-After School Games Club : Fairy Tale Game Making Workshop : Oak and Stars
Who are your favorite fairytale heroes and heroines? Who are their friends who help them on their journey? Brothers Grimm fairytales offer soul food for children of all ages to grow through life’s hurdles for developing inner strength. In this special after school game-making workshop, participants create their own personalized, take-home version of the enchanting Quills! Fairytale Edition Game. This delightful cooperative green game explores the fairytale journey heroes and heroines make with friends and helpers they meet along their way. Activities include guided discussion, roleplaying, writing, painting, and more.
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From left to right: “Few words, endless meanings,” a player ponders his poem at the Westchester Township History Museum. Photo by Heather Eidson, courtesy of the Times of Northwest Indiana. College Prep students create unique poems drawn from nature with Prairie Prose in celebration of Earth Day in Chicago’s Wicker Park, organized by Doug Wood. Courtesy of Elaine A. Coorens, Our Urban Times. Used with permission.
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My personal exploration of Waldorf education deepened my understanding of the importance of unstructured free play–both indoors and within nature–being foundational to one’s overall healthy development, from our early childhood years into adulthood. It is through our play that we come into our consciousness as individuals and as a humanity, and is how we learn how to express ourselves. Spacial Dynamics and cooperative musical games are also part of the Waldorf curriculum that supports creative expression alongside healthy social interaction. In fifth grade for example, students recreate the beloved Pentathlon. I often wonder, what our world would be like if we all experienced Waldorf education?
I have also explored eariler times in our history, in which cooperative play has its origins, and was fundamental to a matrilineal society that was creative, cooperative and peaceful, co-led by women and men– living and working together harmoniously. They lived together by the rhythms of nature and experienced real joy! It is awe-inspiring to reflect upon our ancient ancestors, who charted a peaceful, fulfilling path we can still tread together today as co-creators and stewards of our Mother Earth, with equal presence, participation, partnership, and effort.
There is much healing that is needed in our world today, for Mother Earth and our humanity to evolve into our fullest potential. I have faith in our humanity, we can heal our ancestral wounds of the more recent past, by shifting the games we play together to make the world a better place for all. When we are truly engaged in that moment of play in the purest sense that expands our hearts with joy, we touch the human spirit, which uplifts our consciousness into a higher place, for ourselves and each other. It is a sacred moment that brings more light into the world and unites all living beings.