The Excavators on the Playground

Children express themselves in interesting and imaginative ways

BY LISA CATTERALL

I spent three years involved in writing and defending the California Preschool Foundations. State-sponsored preschool is a marvelous concept, and there were hundreds of well-intentioned people who needed to have a say in what the curriculum ought to be.

The meetings required microphones and convention centers to accommodate everyone who knew about preschool. I was proud of the results, and very happy that all preschoolers in my state would have strong art, science, physical education and SEL (social-emotional learning).

Years later, specialists in our county were making a learning plan for my preschool daughter with special needs. They pulled out the books I helped write to decide what her goals should be in all eight subjects deemed necessary for preschool.

I had just come from watching my other daughter at her private preschool. She had not let me take her home until I tasted her pizza. The pizza was an old plate with a carefully smoothed down pat of mud. She took it out of a faded plastic play oven, and she and her friends carefully added rocks and grass for toppings.

“Mmmmmmm, pizza! Thank you so much. May I pay you?” They nodded. I solemnly handed them a leaf.

Up the embankment on the playground, there was a happy buzz floating up from a small group of preschoolers digging and sculpting mud on the slope.

They had buckets of water and some old play trucks, and occasionally, they would drive the trucks over their tiny world and dump water down their carefully sculpted river. “They are my little excavators. They love the rain –this time of year is wonderful for kids,” advised their teacher. I thought about the cleanup she might have to do before their parents came to pick them up and I was quite impressed.

I thought about the years I taught college preparatory physics and eighth grade physics. When I got to the coefficient of friction, I would always ask kids to picture playing with a toy car or truck. “You know, when wheels turn, there’s no sliding. There’s a new static surface every second. So. You have to picture that play when you choose which equation to use.”

What if kids stopped playing?

In high school chemistry, there’s a big difference between solutions and suspensions, and special math about how light goes through colloids.

I watched my daughter as she skipped happily over to her mud kitchen and began to mix me a dirt smoothie.

The sunlight shot through swirling motes of dirt in her play cup.

I was writing a new curriculum last month to find new and exciting ways to have kids learn the Next Generation Science Standards in elementary school. One of the most difficult units I encountered was about erosion.

It’s something fourth graders are supposed to learn, and schools must impart more knowledge of the changing earth than I learned in my college geology class.

I thought about the excavators and the pizza makers, sliding cakes of dirt and mud around for fun.

There is no manual we wrote for preschool that gives instructions for play. And yet, I’ve never seen anything to make me think it isn’t the single most important thing to support for preschoolers. Play that is independent, creative, free, and safe. I wonder sometimes if the best use of funds for state preschools might have been spent keeping the ratio of teachers low and the play-yards and classrooms beautiful, safe, natural, and full of interesting and imaginative ways for a small person to investigate their world independently.

Educator and historian Diane Ravitch famously said that to improve American education, give every child a musical instrument.

I wonder if we should give every preschooler a messy hill full of mud, a shovel, other children, and a kind and watchful adult.

I know that all of that curriculum we wrote has enormous value, but I know that children also need to explore the world with all of their senses on their own terms. It’s not easy for an institution or a government to see the connections that something like mud play makes to how humans learn later in life.

The best preschools, however, seem to do it all. There are letters, numbers, art, science, and vocabulary for the taking, but there is plenty of time and space for messy, unstructured play. No matter what, young children never stop learning, no matter where they go or what they do.

Lisa Catterall teaches STEAM, math, science, and art at Mount Madonna School and is a senior associate of the Centers for Research on Creativity. She lectures and trains teachers and administrators on innovation in education in Beijing, China. Lisa has five children and lives in Santa Cruz County.

THROUGH 4-14

Downtown Fridays Enjoy live bands at two or more locations along with events and activities at several downtown locations. Fun for the whole family.

Fri 3

Sat 4

Gateway School, K-8th Open House

9-11am Meet our Kindergarten and 1st grade teachers, visit our classrooms, and learn how Gateway School inspires children’s innate curiosity and sense of wonder through daily exploration, discovery, and hands-on experiences. Visit www.gatewaysc.org to register.

Tues 7

Gateway School, K-8th School Day Tour 9-11am Come and learn how Gateway School inspires children’s innate curiosity and sense of wonder through daily exploration, discovery, and hands-on experiences. Visit www.gatewaysc.org to register and experience all that Gateway has to offer!

Thur 9

Marine Photographer Lecture 4-7pm

Marine Photographer Marc Shargel will Speak at Sanctuary Exploration Center across from the Santa Cruz Wharf. Shargel has 40+ years of marine imagery and ocean observations. The family-friendly event is free. Beverages and craft activities for all ages will be provided. The exhibit will be on display through Feb. 28.

Cabrillo Youth Strings The Cabrillo Youth Strings Program, with 3 String Orchestra groups, will begin a 9-Week String Orchestra Program on Friday, February 3. Auditions and Rehearsals will take place at the Music Building, VAPA 5000. Auditions for Festival Strings and Cabrillo Strings will be 3:45-4:15 prior to the first rehearsal that day. Festival Strings will be 4:15-5:45 and Cabrillo Strings will rehearse 4:15-5:55. 4th-6th Grade Beginning Strings will not hold auditions and will rehearse 4:00-5:15. Students may register through the Cabrillo Youth Strings Website of through Extension, extension.cabrillo.edu or 479-6331 through February 3. There will be a Concert on Friday, April 14, 7pm at the Samper Recital Hall.

3, 15, 22, 24, 25

Santa Cruz Warriors 7-9:30pm The Santa Cruz Warriors, the G-League affiliate of the Golden State Warriors, will be at home at Kaiser Permanente Arena for five games in February. Come out and watch the action and see future NBA stars up close. santacruz.gleague.nba.com

The Foolish Doom 7pm Using music and mime, The Foolish Doom characters, Burnhart and Pippa come to Earth to tell the story about climate change and the human conflict about what to do about it. The piece conveys how confusing the many perspectives can be, and crucially, what action to take next. Scotts Valley Cultural & Performing Arts Center svctheaterguild.org

Spring Hill Group Tour 9-10am . Group tours are offered monthly from November through March. Individual tours are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:45am and 3:30pm. Virtual zoom meetings are offered monthly from November through March and include an opportunity to meet some of the teachers from 6pm-7pm. springhillschool.org/tours.

Kirby School Campus Tour 9:3010:30am. Take advantage of our weekly drop-in tour with Admissions Director, Emily Lamoureux. No registrations necessary, just show up any Thursday at 9:30am ready to embark on an approximately hour-long tour of campus. Thursdays aren’t good for you? No problem...Emily offers individualized campus tours at your convenience. Email admissions@kirby.org to set one up.

Sat 11

Regional Model United Nations Conference for Youth Mount Madonna School will host a Model United Nations conference. Titled Climate Justice for All: Addressing Inequality, this conference will focus on issues related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDGs 13, 14 and 15: climate change, ocean health and biodiversity and the natural environment. This conference is open to all middle and high school students in Monterey, Santa Cruz and south Santa Clara counties, including those who are homeschooling. The event will feature three committees and primary topics: Human Rights Council – “Promoting Women Leaders in Climate Decision Making”

United Nations Environment Program – “Sharing Green Technology in LeastDeveloped Countries”

Economic and Social Council – “Promoting Sustainable Tourism to Benefit Local Populations”

The cost to participate is $40 per student and includes conference materials and lunch. Scholarships are available, contact MMS Model UN coordinator Lisa Martin at 408.846.4029 or mun@ mountmadonnaschool.org to discuss. Mount Madonna School’s goal is to make this conference possible for as many local students as possible.

Introduction to Waldorf Early Childhood 9-10:30am Parents are warmly invited to learn about the world of Early Childhood at the Santa Cruz Waldorf School. Experienced Kindergarten, Preschool, and Parent-Child teachers will present aspects of our rich and child-centered curriculum to give you an understanding of our program offerings and how we meet the developmental needs of the young child at each stage. This presentation will be followed by a tour of the early childhood classrooms, play yards, and school garden. Adults and babes in arms only please. Attending An Introduction to Waldorf Early Childhood is a required step in the admissions process for our Preschool and Kindergarten programs. Contact enrollment@santacruzwaldorf.org to register. The event is free

Santa Cruz Montessori Open House 10am-noon Come see the beautiful campus and classrooms, meet the teachers and learn about the programs. 831.476.1646.

Tues 14

Couples Kickboxing Class 7-8pm Take your date to a romantic evening of kickboxing during this class at Lightspeed Martial Arts in Scotts Valley. lightspeedtkd.com. Cost: $20

Wed 15

Mount Madonna School Campus

Tour 10am-noon Meet the head of the school and faculty and interact with current students. Peek into classrooms and experience the campus. This is a family-friendly event. RSVP and more information at 408.846.4042 and MountMadonnaSchool.org.

SUN 19

Santa Cruz Makers Market 10am-5pm

Visit 40+ local makers and artists. Every third Sunday. Located on the 1100 block of Pacific Ave. between Cathcart and Lincoln streets Visit scmmakersmarket.com for the full list of participating vendors

FRI-SUN 24-26

Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival. 7-10pm Get off the beaten path and explore the edge of believable with exhilarating stories from the 46th Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival, coming to the Rio Theatre.

SAT-SUN 25-26

Clam Chowder Cook-Off Taste the best at the 42nd Annual Clam Chowder Cook-Off at the Beach Boardwalk. Sample chowder from Amateur Chefs on Saturday, followed by Professional Chefs on Sunday. Both days feature Boston and Manhattan Clam Chowder, and you can help pick a winner each day. Rain or Shine! Tasting kit proceeds benefit Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation.

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GUiSC will attempt to update the calendar listings as needed; however, it is the responsibility of the organization listed to provide updated information. GUiSC assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Readers are encouraged to check the accuracy of the information provided. Events that are free or cost less than $10 can be submitted for inclusion in the calendar. GUiSC does not guarantee that a submitted event will automatically be included. Preference is given for events of interest to children and/or parents. Calendar entries must be received by the 15th of the month prior to the month of the event. Calendar entries and photos will be selected by the Calendar Editor.