We Play With Swings
My kids are right into swings at the moment. You see, we have inherited an old A frame swing set. Apparently it is doing the rounds of the neighbourhood and we are its third owners. The children in the house behind us grew up, and passed the swing set onto the family beside us. Now those children have outgrown swinging too, so the big blue A frame was passed up and over the tall wooden fence once again. We only have a tiny patch of flat ground in front of the rock wall, and the swings take up the whole flat area, but the kids are delighted.
I loved watching my daughter take her knowledge of swings inside this week. While her brother was napping I suggested she create something with a cereal box. Look at what she came up with! She did all the cutting herself, and punched the holes for the string. I needed to tie the string on for her, and loop it over the curtain rod.
She was thrilled about pushing Buckingham (the teddy her Daddy bought for her while I was still pregnant with her… awww) but soon discovered a problem. He fell out easily after one or two pushes. I asked her how she would like to solve that problem, and she came up with a safety bar which you can see her attaching in the photo.
I love looking for opportunities to encourage independent problem solving through play. I could have told her what we were going to make with the box. I could have fixed the problem with the bear falling out. I could have done a lot of things for her, but where would the learning be in that?
(PS – have you entered my Hi-5 Giveaway? Super easy to enter… 3 DVDs to be won!)
Fantastic! My girls use their swing set every day they can get outside. It lives in what my husband calls The Kidzone and the girls call Fairy Corner – alongside the sandpit, just back from the tramp, and next to the tiny cubby.
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great post! and I love the photo of the bear in the swing she did a great job
.-= Philippa´s last blog ..We Play – Thank You Eco Toys =-.
Cute bear
What a clever girl to do that by herself!
And why is it that every time I sit on the swing next to my daughter at the park I feel dizzy within moments? I am sure I loved it once upon a time …
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Kids are so darned innovative, aren’t they? Good cutting out, too. One happy child AND teddy….AND Mummy!
Last week I said to my 5 yr old, You’ll get the hang of swinging one day, no rush. Next day and ever since, She’s been swinging, so seeing this post on Twitter was rather timely. Thanks
.-= Christine Holroyd´s last blog ..Kids Say The Darndest Things. Go On, Have A Brag =-.
and swinging is so good for children too…. I still love to swing!
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That’s so clever and you are so right, sometimes we just HAVE to step back and let them work it out.
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That is brilliant
She is very clever and so is mum for knowing when to stand back and let her child create.
Swinging is one of my girlies all time favourite activities and our swing set is also a hand me down. Such a blessing!
Your big girl has done a wonderful job creating a swing for teddy. The mind of a child never ceases to amaze me!!
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Beautiful! Love the problem solving that was encouraged
. Our trampoline did a similar pass-around-the-neighbourhood thing.
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I love the history of this swing, and also I fully agree with you about letting your child make her own swing and sort the problem out herself. Too many times, parents jump in and take over, and I think a lot of children are getting a clear ‘I can’t’ message from this sort of vibe.
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I love that this swing set has a history. Oh the stories it could tell! Happy swinging.
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Ha ha ha! For whatever stupid reason, our insurance company will not allow us to have a swing set at the preschool. Seriously! That said, the kids are constantly making their own swings from ropes they hang from our monkey bars or tree branches. Yesterday, a couple of boys were swinging on a string of vinyl belts they tied together. Our stupid insurance company gave us a problem and the kids solved it!
I echo Joyce’s comment — I love that the swing set has a history!
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This is awesome! Love her creativity!!
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Love this! Such sweet pictures, and such a great learning opportunity. She obviously has a kind heart, too, sharing her love of swinging with her favorite teddy.
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Immy loves to swing but I haven’t decided if we will buy one for the yard or not, there really isn’t quite enough space for an a frame set, maybe our lemon tree will grow really quickly and we can hang one from the tree LOL. I love that your swing set has been loved by many children before yours.
.-= Christie – Childhood 101´s last blog ..Fever. Vomit. Runny Nose. When Children Get Sick =-.
I think when I used to be on a swing i used to feel like was flying ~~ set free like a bird…
“I love looking for opportunities to encourage independent problem solving through play. I could have told her what we were going to make with the box. I could have fixed the problem with the bear falling out. I could have done a lot of things for her, but where would the learning be in that” could not agree more with you here…
My subject this week that I covered was this ~~ http://romanticflairoriginal.blogspot.com/2010/06/clownsentertainingdramatizingrelating.html
It is brilliant, not only is the girl, but also the way that you educate you child. Thinking independently and being creative that the kids will benefit from are important characters. Good job, little cutey.