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Spring 1984 Volume 9 Number 3

LUTHERAN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

MONOGRAPH SERIES

B"Y REINHOLD PIEPER MARXHAUSEN

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Reinhold Pieper Marxhausen

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A STIMULATING SET OF STATEMENTS AND IDEAS

DESIGNED TO CAUSE SCHOOL PEOPLE

TO RE-THINK AND REACT

IN ORDER TO RE-SHAPE, RESTORE, REVAMP AND REVIEW

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Professor Reinhold Marxhausen

ProfessorOt'Ait

Concordia College

Seward, Nebraska

BLESS KIDS with rich, multi-sensory learning environs

Graduated withBA from Valparaiso University, 1950with major in biology.

In 1961received Master of Fine Arts degree from Mills College, Oakland, California.

Also has studied at:

Dunwoody Industrial Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Mankato State Teachers College, Mankato, Minnesota

University of Pittsburg

Ray-Vogue School of Art

Art Institute of Chicago

State University of Iowa

California College of Arts & Crafts

Once There Was A Little Boy And He Went Outside

Outside is a b ig world which inc ludes the s tars and univer

Outside is fu ll of quest ions with few answersOutside is r isky

Outside has thousands of languages

Outside has magic and mystery

Outside has things not yet put together

Outside is dangerous

Outside is fu ll o f f oo ls and dreamers

Outside has l ife and deeth

Outside grows and changes

Outside each moment is reconsidered

Outside has bronze plaques

Outside i s full of God

Hesaw mil itary service in the Pacif ic and the Far Eastduring WWII.

Came to Concordia asits first art instructor in 1951. Was appointed Professor of Art in 1968.

Accomplishments include:

+ Two mosaics in Nebraska State Capitol.

+ Windows of SI. John Church, Seward.

+ Many other commissioned sculptures.

+ Sculptures in many art exhibits around the country.

+ A sabbatical year spent as "artist-in-residence-to-the-church"

+ Has acontinuing arrangement with Bankers Life Nebraska asan "Artist in Residence".

+ Has been featured in f ilms "A Time To See," "Find ings," "Time Lines," "The Koenig

Connection."

+ Has had numerous articles published ina variety ofjournals.

+ Has received numerous prizes for his work.

Ins ide is the opposite of outside

Inside is tradition

Inside is t ruth

Education is insideMarxhausen holds and postu la tes a special t heory regarding the integra tion ofinstruct ion and environment. Some of his theses are:

It can be

OutsideThe total school environment affects the educational process.

• Lef t b ra in -r igh t brai n physi ology t ell s us t hat t he l ef t b ra in hand leslogical and informat ion learning whi le the right brain handles sensory,art is ti c, and intui ti onal l earn ing. Both are important for the educationof the whole person.

• The phys ical and aest het ic a rrangement s of c la ssrooms , ha llways ,assembly places, and outdoor spaces significantly aff ect thelearning process.

• Children learn through all aspects of the school situation, class-room teaching, informal socializing, and recreational play.

• Teaching should be a pr ocess where ever yt hing in t he t ot al schoolenvironmen t shoul d be t aken i nt o considerat ion i n st ru ct ur ing t hechild's learning experiences.

Anonymous

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CONSIDER PLAYBOUT LEARNING SPACES

Play is the way ch ildren lea rn about themse lves and the wor ld they l iv e in. In the process

mastering famil ia r s ituations, learn ing to cope with new ones, the ir intel ligence and persona li ty

g row as wel l as thei r bod ies. P lay is a p rocess and is the way chi ld ren deve lop intel li gence.

Play is impor tant t o the psychological development and maturing of mankind and a chil

becomes comp le te ly human when he p lays .

The community we ca ll s choo l should be as varied, as humane, as stimulating and creative

as the geog raphic possibi li ti es and pe rsonal it ies o f i ts leaders w il l a ll ow . The re isno p lan for

s chool . The school commun ity i s a t ime and place where we fac il itate and nurture the chi ld 's

natural cur io si ty to his interes ting wor ld o f wonder and magic. How does the wor ld work and

what can we do to par ti cipa te in i ts adven tu re is the quest ion .

P lay leads to p roduct ive work. I t st imu la tes act ivi ty, develops sk il lf ul hands , agi li ty, l ive

senses, good natured d isposi tion and also regenerates intel lectua l powers. Without p lay ther

ispoor imagination, nervousness, chi ld ren who are irr itab le , a craving for enterta inment, wast

o f spare t ime agg ress ive and rowdy behavior .

The school env ironmen t may be a series ofboxl ike spaces where information is d ispensed

and recess is a chance for a break. Or i t c an be a p rocess of l iv ing and working and play ing in a

continuum of experiences where every th ing matters . Learn ing isconstant and seldom begins

and ends. Chi ld ren learn as much f rom wha t we do as f rom what we say, and they also lea rn

f rom each o ther . For a chi ld , p lay is a lso learn ing.

NEWNESS IS A FACTOR

The look of the classroom ref le cts the personal it y and phi losophy of the teache r and may be

as personal as walking into someone 's k itchen unannounced. Teacher Z has a room which

d isplays o rder , neatness , i s rathe r emp ty and seems tobe wai ti ng for inst ruc tions for the next

move . Mrs. K 's room ismore l ik e a process ing p lant ful l o f teach ing a ids, show-and-te ll i tems

educat iona l informat ion, books , resou rce mater ia ls, d isp lays , computers, storage areas:

supp lies , b lackboa rds, chi ldren 's ar t and c ra ft s, cu rren t even t informa tion , pape rs in pi les ,

I tems f rom na tu re , plus the teache r and her ch ildren .

Chi ldren g row up obsessed w ith the possess ion o f things and are insensi ti ve to the wo r

abou t them. Not everything can bebought . Not eve ry th ing begins new. There a re many thing

one can a ffec t. Things can be bui lt , rebui lt , renewed, changed. Ugl iness and b ligh t may be th

r esul t of neglect and disinterest wher eas l ivi ng in active, l oving, cari ng surr ounding ma

p roduce beau ty . Our society i s consumer or iented where toys, enter ta inmen t and food a

bought new. When items break they are merely r eplaced wit h the new. We are const antl

deali ng wit h something outsi de of us we call I T.

Lea rn ing may occur inboth spaces , but i t i s d i fferen t. Which isbet ter? Does i tmat ter? Does

t he chi ld l earn because of or in spite of t he t eacher/envir onment? Both, of course, affect it.

The physica l set ti ng of lea rn ing envi ronment does make a d if ference and con tr ibu tes to the

child's behavi our and learning. Every aspect of our world af fects us in some way. To be a

tunct ic riei part o f a place where one spends a lmost the f ir st two decades of one 's l ife should

indeed promote a sense of belonging and sel f wort h. The vi sual envir onment may be dull,

s timula ting, provocative , order ly , junky , beaut iful , ugly. Which env ironments can be or should

be cont ro ll ed v isua ll y and which should not?

IT i s the wor ld w ith al l the p roblems.

IT is t he t hi ng we always want or need.

IT is the latest fad.

IT wi ll make us happy.

When somet hing does not work, we bl ame IT

When we break something, we blame IT

When we are bored, we blame IT

WE can make a dif fe rence.

WE can af fec t and change.

In the second art ic le we confess tnetCoo has g iven us our reason and or senses. For many,

reason st il i has precedence over emot ion, senses, feel ings, and intui ti on in educat ion. When

we emphasize the use o f the lef t b ra in ( logic, math) a t the expense o fa lso using the r igh t b ra in(feeling, arts) we develop only a portion of the potential capabil ity o f the chi ld . Creat ive energy

needs t o b e channel ed for good, or it wiil be used f or evil.REGARDING CHANGE

Seeing, smell ing, tas ting, hearing, touch ing, being aware, hav ing the sense ofd iscovery are

char acteristi cs found more in chi ldr en than in adult s. Children who use all the senses t heir

own imagi nation and i nt ell ect, are more likely to become capable, self- conf ident,' self-

discipl ined adults. Bet ter asethetic surr oundi ngs hel p people make bet ter and cr iti cal

j udgements about things in thei r own l iving envi ronments. Lea rn ing spaces should be r ich.

multisensory env ironments with changing s timuli .

Li fe wou ld be much eas ie r i fa ll unique individuals we re asked tocon fo rm to a sing le pat te

A ch ild should have a chance to change h is sur round ings and be in con trol o fexper iences

manipulat ing mater ia ls that respond: pushed, pounded, spi lled , carried , thrown, col lected, c

sift ed or floated. I n unrest ricted play the child can shape or reshape his wor ld, explor

d is cove r, bu ild upo r tea r i tdown byusing too ls and mater ia ls . The re shou ld a lso beexper ien

ces for all the senses; thi ngs t o smel l, t hings t o make sounds, r ough and smoot h, and use

different materials.

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WHAT ABOUT COLOR? .any parents and teachers have experi enced the nerve-wrack ing sounds that come f rom a

chi ld practi ci ng ona c la ri ne t, vi ol in or p iano for t he fi rs t time. But i t i s import an t' to prac ti ce and

to fil l the space with noi sy sounds. Wi th patience, love, and control there will be order and

acceptable sound.Who picks the colors for the classrooms, hal lways, l ibrary, or off ices?

Does it matter?Where i nour educat ional syst em do we a ll ow our chi ld ren to pract ice creat iv ity? When our

natural resources have been depleted, we may have to rely upon the creati ve abili ty of our

cit izens. How do we develop ingenui ty, ini tiat ive, and resourcefulness? There needs to bet ime

and space where materi al s are explored, i deas examined, a .tri al -and-error approach to

problem solving in our schools.

I na cont ro ll ed c lass room which i s t eacher -o ri en ted , col or i sver y import an t and can set

tone. What shoul d the tone be? Col or is a force that can achieve any result that i s need

Examples:

To pl ay spontaneous ly wi th col or s, shapes, i deas, new re la ti onshi ps , to make impossi bl e

ar rangement s, to express the ri di cu lous, t o shape wi ld hypotheses, to t ransl at e one form into

another and to dea l wi th wi t and humor can make educa ti on exci ti ng. A. The tall nave of a new church i s s eldom fill ed with l oud sound. The

people whisper, the sermon is muted, and there is seldom loud

singing. The bui lding commi ttee decided that worship ismedi tation,

and the archi tect pai nted the wa ll s a neutral purp le gray . It works I

ROOM CHANGE B . The two- room restaurant was i dent ical i nevery way except t ha t oneroom was pai nted i ncool col ors (b lue, green, purpl e) and the o ther

was warm ( red, ye ll ow, o range). Customers coul d choose to eat i n

either room. Resul ts: Inthe warm room there were more customers,

t hey had l arger appe ti tes , consumed more food , se lf om left f ood on

the ir p la tes , and always tal ked l oud ly wi th much j oki ng . In the cool

room, there were fewer customers, they ate less food, lef t more food

on their plates, and talked in whispers.

Classrooms need not change only when the teacher changes or when the room is

repa in ted. The whol e room may bedesi gned around atheme for the enti re year so that a ll t he

l earn ing i scentered on tha t theme. The theme coul d dep ic t some h is to ri c decade orcen tu ry or

even be futuristi c i n look and emphasis. It could also explore various principles such as

movement, contrast, pattern and coul d relate them to all the subject matter areas. The

s tudent s themsel ves can aff ec t the room change i n t he way they dress.

C. The brand new school was exciti ng with a solid wall of glass block

faci ng the south. But teachi ng was impossi bl e wi th the hyper chi ld -

ren, high noise level , discipl ine problems, tensions, aggressions,

disrespect, and uncontrolled hi gh energy. When al l attempts for

cont ro l fa il ed the teacher go t permi ssi on fr om the school board to

change the color of the three walls. They were repainted, and the

children became angels. The three bright red wal ls are now blue.

The bul l fi gh te r i s nothi ng wi thout hi s red cape.

Have everyone in school wear some red for a day.

Have everyone wear b lue another day.

Have everyone wear whi te.

Have boys wear green and gi rls red.Are there two wh ites or greens tha t are exactl y al ike?

How was the learning experience when there was red and green in the room?

Did thi ngs go bett er wi th j us t b lue?

Wear smooth text ured materi al s f or a day.

How did t ha t f ee l?

Let all but one wear green; have one wear red.

Does he become the outs tandi ng person fo r the day?

How something appears is always a mat ter of relat ionships

between two or more elements.

The choice of color in Miss K's room may not be that important since her children

energi zed by all the materi al s al ready in the room. The room color could be more neutraeven cool to produce a calming e ffect i na p lace that i sv isua ll y busy . Co lo rfu l does not m

put ti ng bri gh t co lo rs everywhere when they merel y cancel each o ther , ou tand c rea te cha

Color is always relat ive.

If t he co lo r i s t oo warm in the con trol led c lass room, the chi ld ren wi ll feel con fi ned and u

s tress. Gymnasi ums need to be pai nt ed wi th warm col ors , espec ia ll y i n t he l ocker room

gray orcoo l co lo r i n the opponents' l ocker room) Some areas need to beneutra li zed and so

h ighl ighted. Co lo r i s t oo important a f orce to bechosen by i nexperi enced peop le ormere ly

what i s on sal e.

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USING MOBILES

Bui ldings with tal l cei lings and stairwells have large, empty spaces that C9.nbe art iculated

wi th graceful , slow moving mobi les whi ch are activated by the traffi c of the students. Wel l.

desi gned mob il es are ra re yet a re easy enough for p re -school chi ld ren to make. Bal ance does

not mean putt ing equal i tems onthe ends o fa st ick and a s tri ng i n t he midd le . Bal ance means

tof ind the fulcrum on a stick regardless ofunequal s ize and weights. (A father may teeter tot ter

wi th asmal l ch il d i f the fu lc rum i s i n t he r ight p lace .) Remember a lso that a mobi le i smade from

the bottom to the top. A lways. Example :

A. Begi n wi th a stick and tape some metal wei g~ts or washers on one end.

B. Find the fulcrum wi th your finder and ti e string at that point.

C. Tie that string to end of second stick.

D. Find ful crum of second stick and ti e stri ng at that point.

E. Tie string to end of third stick, fi nd ful crum, tie string.

F. Tie string to fourth, etc.

A

When you get t o the top , al l wi ll be i nasymmetr ical ba lance , and the mobi le wi ll move with

grace and el egance. Mobil es can be made wi th many materials and in many ways but the

assembli ng has to be from the bottom to top.

USING MURALS

Murals can do much to enrich a wall or large area, and there are many types of murals;mosa ics, i nd iv idua l o r g roup pa in ti ngs di rectl y on the wa ll , penc il , co ll age, chal k, cerami c,

working f rom overhead projectors, cardboard rel iefs, rel iefs done with boxes, and others.

Mura ls are not j us t pai nti ngs o f s to ri es, al though they can be. They may al so be abstrac t

shapes of colors that relate to the subject matter and may go from fl oor to cei ling wi thout

havi ng to be f ramed. Abs tract shapes can be over lapped and i nt er locked.

Murals are good group activiti es and give chil dren a sense of ownership in the learning

space. Empty spaces above the wal l lockers inthe hal lways are always wai ting for excitement.

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~

MURALS'ON PAPER SQUARES

Murals done from photographs relate to the real worl d. They i nvolve the whole class

. each person doi ng a small sect ion, each secti on bei ng important to t he to tal l ook. It hel ps

chi ld ren to see tha t the whol e real is ti c worl d i s made up of l it tl e abst ract desi gns depen

upon how we look at it.

The photo shoul d have the same re la ti ve proporti on as the wa ll space . Turn i tover. Rule

back i nto one i nch squares. Number and l etter on the back, then cut as marked. (see fi

Each chil d gets one small square and a larger piece of paper possibly 8" x 8". Accura

enl arge the small square to the large paper by using whatever medi a you wi sh. Chalk

pas te ls work we ll . No ti ce the var ie ty o f col or , shapes , text ures, l igh ts and darks, and

(black paper works very well ) When the squares are comple ted, p lace the number and

on the back, making sure they are not sideways or upside down. The squares can now

assembled on the wa ll byus ing mask ing tape l oops i n t he corners o f t he reverse si de. Suc

of the mural is dependent on intense personal observation rather than art is ti c ski ll or imag

tion.

A1 A2 A3 A4 A5

81 82 83 84 85

C1 C2 C3 C4 C5

01 02 03 04 05

E1 E2 E3 E4 E5

F1 F2 F3 F4 F5

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WALLS FOR LIGHT

When l ight comes through a window and enters the room or hallway, it makes a pattern of

light on the surface. If the surface i s empty and blank anyway, why not al low the chi ldren to

t race around the l ight shapes or the l iqht -edqes?

Do i t every hour, once every day, o ra l l year a round. Noti ce how the uni verse changes and

that yes te rday i snot l ike today. Itw il l bea pl ace toobserve and to part ic ipate i n. When enough

l ines have c rossed over to make shapes , fi ll i n t he shapes wi th col ors and make a mura l. The

mura l wi ll change and change as new shapes are pai nt ed and repai nted.

On the p layground there may be shadows on the aspha lt c reated by a tree or a baske tbal l

post. T race the shadow wi th pai nt o r chal k every hour or every day fo r a year. These shapes

are a part o f t he real worl d and hel p us to noti ce and observe . Pai nt the shapes wi th permanent

paint.

MAKING PEOPLE MURALS

Getti ng hi s name in t he paper makes a person fee l good. Gett ing h is pi ct ure i n t he paper i s

less satisfying because few people like the way they look. .

When you stand against a wall and a beam of l ight i s f ocused on your body, the resul ting

shape can bet raced wi th a penc il d irectl y on the wa ll . These fo rms can overl ap , and they can

be painted with a simple single col or. Each year the class can be painted on the wall in the

hal lway ou tsi de the c lassroom. And each year the emphas is can bep l aced on the posi ti ve and

negative forms and shapes. Since the forms are more general and abstract, they are more

acceptable than a detai led por trai t, yet recognizable. Make the poses a par t of the personali ty .

8

PUTTING A WALL TO WORK

Mo-sthouses or schools have a blank wal l ina hal lway orbasement that att racts f ingerprin

and i shard to keep c lean anyway. Every house needs a wal l that can beworked on. Ever s in-:

we had ch il dren, we have had a wal l' fo r t hem in the basement . The wa ll i s8 f eet by10 fee t l o

where pa in ti ngs , scr ibbl es drawings, bi rthday wi shes, cartoons , dood les, a re sandwi che

between l ayers of papi er mache and coats of pai nt. When the wal l became saturated w

images and words, a fresh coat of pai nt or paper made everything new again for new wor

and feelings.

The wal l was for everyone i n t he fami ly andal so i ncl uded the chi ld ren i n t he nei ghborhoo

who d id no t have a wa ll i n t he ir own home. It g ives a person a sense o fpower t o beabl e t ow r

on a wa ll and i t i s not d iff icul t fo r anyone to unders tand why there i sg raf itt i on the subways

New York. A home ora schoo l wi thout a wa ll to work on i sdepri vi ng i ts i nhab itants o fa pri vi le

that even primitive man had when he drew pictographs on the wal ls of his cave.

The pure wh ite wa ll s i nour house have never been v io la ted by the sc ri bbl es o four ch il dr

because they knew that t hei r wa ll was i n t he basement. A very young chi ld can be taugh t th

there is a place for such acti ons IF the parents provi de it. Otherwise a child will stakehi s/ her c la ims to t he fami ly l ivi ng space by maki ng a mark on the l iv ing room wall space for

t osee . I heard o fa chi ld who scri bb led on the l ivi ng room wall paper wi th a quarte r pound ba

but te r. The urge to BE, i s i ntense .

ABOUT GRAFFITI

A wall i nOmaha had been covered wi th messy graffi ti , so i twas covered wi th fr esh pai nt

the young people inthe communi ty. The graff it i wal l was the resul t ofan uncontrol led act iv ity

was not p lanned, i t b roke rul es, i t added to t he nei ghborhood l ook, i t i nfr inged onthe pr ivacy

o thers, i twas cal led vandal ism. A ll of these may be true. Why does i t happen?

1. There i s r isk invol ved

2. It feels good to do somethi ng that may affect others in some way.

3. It allows one to strike out.

4 . It g ives one a chance to prove that we exi st when we wr ite our names ona wa ll f ive feet

5. It gives one the feeli ng of power.

6 . It i s a c rea ti ve expressi on .

Ri ski ng, r espond ing, expressi ng , c rea ti ng, feel ing good about onesel f, bei ng someonhavi ng power are al l good a ttri bu tes fo r young and adu lt a li ke . (The poor use gra ff iti and

r ich use bronze p laques.) These needs must be ful fi ll ed i na pos iti ve , permi ssi ve way so t

t here i scont ro l, reason, s truct ure . And when the need i s met, the graffi ti wa ll can be pai nt

over and the bronze p laques remain.

The wal l is important. The wal l is ugl y onl y when it shows neglect and indi fference.

g ra ffi ti a re real ly beau ti fu l when you thi nk o f t he func ti on they perfo rmed fo r t he peopl e w

created them. Negl ec t i nany form produces shabb iness and j unk, whether i t be an unpai nte

bui ld ing or unl oved person. Educat ional envi ronments need a graf fi ti wa ll .

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COLOR LIGHTPLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT AND STRUCTURES

A prism creates magic on an adjacent. wall when light passes through it. Check the

wi ndows and li ght sources in the school buil di ng and determine how prisms could be used to

c reate ra inbow patt erns i n the empty and bori ng stai rwe ll s. Use natural l ight i f possi bl e.

Having material s to rearrange gives one a sense of power and a sense of bei ng able

a ffect the wor ld . Unpred ict ab le resul ts from unpred ic tab le materi al s creates i nt erest

cur iosi ty . Empty wooden boxes, o ld mach inery, empty beer cans, st yrof oam, l eft -over c

struction mater ials, rope, barrels, rocks, factory rejects, old t ires, telephone poles, ladders,

wooden spools are all mater ials that chi ldren could have avai lable to enhance their opportu

ity to affect thei r play environments. Good pl ayground structures will have the followin

a variety of surfaces; creativity, fantasy play, ambiguity, and use of imagination; gro

interaction yet a chance for privacy; oppor tuni ty to use muscles, exercise and release ener

var iation; r isk, challenge, AND safety.SING LEFTOVER BILLBOARDS

Outdoor adver tising companies who put up bil lboards have ext ra signs lef t when the project

i s f in ished . These are ava il ab le and can be used crea ti vel y i n t he school s. They can be cu t up

and used as a col lage. Let te rs , images o fpeopl e, anima ls , l andscapes , can be rearranged so

the commerc ia ls are e limi na ted . Great fo r b lank wa ll s, s ta irwe ll s, and gymnasi ums.

USING VERY LARGE LETTERING FOR NAMES AND ROOMS

The school j an it or smi led and hummed a ll day . He tal ked more than usua l and seemed to be

more f riendly. The small , hardly vis ible, plast ic name plates were removed f rom the classroom

doors and repl aced wi th l arge, co lo rfu l, 9 i nch, super graph ic l ette rs t hat fi ll ed the whol e door,

spe ll ing out the names of t he teachers and employees. The names Da le Leader , P ri nci pa l, and

Phi l Sweeper , Jan ito r, were now large and the same s ize.

Super l ette ri ng can do much to enri ch a l arge wa ll and act ivate the learning space. Cut large

l etters out of constructi on paper and attach to wal l with masking tape loops. Use as many

colors as you wish as l ong as the colors are either all dark or al l li ght. Let the wall s speak out:

Cover the ent ire wal l w ith scr ipture:

PLAYGROUND MANAGER

There are so many re ti red peopl e who have ski ll s of all k inds. Many are also lonely and h

t ime. Every playground needs to have a volunteer playground supervisor who wil l be incha

o f o rgan iz ing, maki ng avai labl e, and cont ro ll ing t he l imi ts and amounts o f " in te resti ng m

ri al ," I twoul d a lso hel p i f he had a pi ckup truck to bri ng i n t he mater ia ls AND to take them a

when they are no l onger usabl e.

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A poor ly designed playg round shows tha t adul ts don 't ca re and that recess is just a b reak .

Playgrounds can be f rust rat ing places since the ch ild canno t have much a ffec t on the f ixed

and immobi le env ironment . One can expec t vandal ism and dest ruc tion as a way tooutwi t the

adu lt wor ld wh ich seems so host il e.

USING PLAYGROUNDS

lsjhe educat ional evironment preparinqchil dren tor the real worl d? I f i t is, why is it that

e liminating danger and risk are the f irst considera tions when plann ing a p layground? Eliminat- ,

i ng r isk develops carelessness and gives chi ld ren a false sense o f secur it y.

The new playground inSeward, Nebraska, u ti lized telephone poles , t ires , cement cyl inders ,

and many interwoven b ranches t rorn dead t rees. The pa ren ts opposed i tand c laimed tha t the

ri sk was too high. The children l ove it .N o one has been hurt, and the chil dren may be more

physical ly and men ta ll y aler t hav ing to dea l w ith ambigu it y and surpr i: ze .

Recent ly a rchi tec ts and pa rents designed and bu il t a p layground using large t imbe rs tha t

wer e bolt ed toget her. They thought that this was what was needed. In just a short t ime the

chi ldren had taken the who le s tructure apar t piece byp iece, and proceeded to bui ld the ir own

playgr ound using the parts. Was this vandalism, or was i t a lack of ident ificat ion with the

finished work?

The rocking horse atthe supermarket, concrete turtles , merry -go-rounds, s lides, swings are

an insul t to the intel li gence and gene ra l cur io si ty o f ch ildren. They may be popu la r because

being on a loaded merry-go- round may be a social encount er rather t han play. A chance to

touch. It is looking busy, looking like fun, but it's really acting like fun. No decisions, no

surpr izes The objec ts are predictab le , inf lexible and produce s ingle d imension act iv it ies.

Bor ed chi ldr en are more prone to accidents because they ar e careless. Boredom al

pr oduces vandalism, delinquency, and petty crime. There i s not hing to inspire interest

cu riosi ty. Chi ldren are no t l ike paren ts , and they invent o ther things to do such as using t

sw ings to do bat tl e, sw inging the swing over the top , seesawing , ca tapul ti ng, jumping o ff t

seesaw and wri ti ng obscene remarks on the asphal t.

What wil l exc ite the chi ld to rush back to school the next day? Are there h idden possibi li ties

personal choices, new i deas to share, discovery, f antasy, r isk, real play that will attra

interest? Wil l there be room for the ch ild to g row?

Can or should the school be like a Disneyland of learning? Or is even Disneyland t

predi ctabl e, organized and only for adults and people who cannot play by t hemselves a

need someone to prov ide and p romise FUN?

A good playground shou ld have a va riety o f learning si tua tions avai lab le dea ling wi th bo

rea li ty and fantasy. P layg rounds are ex tens ions of the class room, an oppor tuni ty to have

visual commitment to out side environment. In play, the pr ocess is more import ant than

f in ished product. There should be opportuni ty to push, l if t, run, balance, c rawl, jump, skip, p

hang, bounce and to si t.

To be ab le to choose is the beg inn ing o f the decision making process, and discr im ina tion

learning.

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JUNK USING WET CEMENT

There was a time when junk and garbage had a negative meaning. These terms have a

d if fe rent meaning today . We a re a was te fu l society and need to recyc le . But w ith junk the re is

fear of injury. Junk i s d irt y and messy, and there is a lack of neatness.

We have al l s een ch ildren p lay w ith ca rdboard boxes o rscraps o fwood and may have even

been imp ressed wi th the ir i ngenui ty . What wou ld happen i fwe b rought junk in to a g iven space

and allowed organ ized p lay, c reat iv ity, and problem solving to happen? Order-and control can

be maintained by having rules such as:

I fpaving cemen t i s to be instal led nea r a school , p lan ahead so tha t i tmay become a pa

future play or education. All of us have the i rresist able ur ge to make a ma.rk i nwet ceme

Li nes can be placed in the cement so that var ious games or puzzl es can be played when

dry. Object s may be embedded t o cr eate designs or pat terns. Hop scotch court s and n

s idewa lk games inven ted by the ch ildren may tempt even adul ts to dance a skip when no

is looking . The walking pa th a round our house and s tudio i smade o fchunks o fcement wh

still show t he wonder ful words and cr ude drawings made by two young sons who are nadults.

1. Chil dr en must have permissi on to bring stuff in and i tmust be clean.

2 . Chi ldren must respect and share proper ty and no t inter fe re wi th anothe r.

3. Space must be allocat ed and t hey must have permission to borrow belongings.

4. Obsolet e machi nes may be brought to be t aken apar t.

5. The area must be rest or ed and cleaned up after the activity is finished.

OUTDOOR BANNERS

When you look upand watch a moving f lag, you r sp ir it s a re raised also . Have some outdo

banners you can run up the flag pole. Use paper, simple cotton cloth, strips of plasticespecial ly mark an event w ith a f lag f lowing in the b reeze . Celeb ra te the wind and the b ree

Fill the air and space with the joy of color and movement. Let the children decide wha

special enough to cel ebrate. Design a special symbol, or let t he color and material bemessage.

USING AN OLD PIANO

In a litt le school in Wichi ta, Kansas, an ol d pi ano was ready to be thrown away when t he

teacher rescued i t. The ch ildren brought w renches and screwdr ive rs f rom home and spent

weeks taking it apart, piece by piece. The hammers, keys, and f el ts, were assembled i nt o

sculpture forms of a ll kinds which were enjoyed and apprec ia ted by the pa rents. Imag ine what

was lea rned about physics , s cience , music, sound, and a rt '

OUTDOOR ART

Most classrooms are l im it ing when i t comes toa r t act ivi ti es. Sowhy not use the ou tdoo rs

p layground in the spr ing , winter and fal l.

FOUND SOUND

Col lect and draw insects

Draw by observing na tu re o r man -made s truc tu res

Make a col lage f rom junk found on the playground

Make rubbings of tex tures

Make a composi ti on o f the textures

Draw wit h sticks and ink

T ry to imi tate the textures you go t by rubbing

Do sculpture in the snow when it is just r ight

Collect leaves

Draw on the aspha lt w ith chalk

Make sculpture using st ick s and masking tape

Ti e sti cks and twigs toget her wi th str ing and create forms to play in

Paint with water colors

Pose for each othe r and d raw outside

Draw animals such as hor ses and dogs

Fi nd seeds and pebbles t o make mosaics in t he mud

Draw an object in t he morning and again after lunch to see how the li ght changed

Everything makes a sound. Xylophones a re made of wood and metal , and p ianos use w ires.

Any object makes a sound when i t i s st ruck w ith anob jec t. Why not assemble a va riety o f junkand suspend t he pieces wit h str ing ont o a square framework of 2x4's in the playgr ound.

A rrange the pieces insome k ind o fo rde r and make some sounds o r p roduce mus ic. Tune the

playground.

Ident if y the note each ob ject makes . Suspend the objec ts so tha t the no tes can bea rranged

to playa tune. Walk on t he outsi de while dr agging a stick across t he sur face so t hat a tune is

played ( li ke walking a long a p icket fence and d ragg ing a st ick ). Ano ther pe rson on the inside

can begin a bit later so that a r ound is pl ayed. The tune can be changed every day.

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17

USING SANDMixing sand with the feet changed to using our hands to make crater-like forms

scooping and patting . Dr ibb ling and pok ing . Two adul ts p laying in the sand box in

. middle of the day was embarrassing. But the feeling soon disappeared as Char

giggled and made chi ld-l ike sounds of del ight .he lit tle sand box has been vacated by the two university-bound sons and the sound of

small chi ld ren no longer f il ls the back yard. Unused sand boxes can befor fathers . By ins ta i' inq

a lawn chair and wett ing the sand one can tr ansform the set ting from Nebraska t o a Florida

beach. Sw imming t runks, a good book, and a lot o f imagina tion are a lso helpful .

The giant crater got ta ller and ta ller as sandmaking ski ll s improved. The inside w

made very very smooth as the pa lm of the hands caressed and gl ided s lowly across

sand surface. The feet were cool and the hands and heart were p laying .

Sand is magic

Sand can make a person young again

Sand wi ll make you g iggle

Sand is coo l and the st ick ing is tempo ra ry

Sand holds s ti ll j ust long enough for admirat ion and not long enough for cr it ic al ana ly si s

Sand is fo rgiving and has no memory

Sand and water a re lovers

Sand and pl ay can renew and make us begin agai n.

Suddenly the bad words came tumbling out in confessions and secret plans

meeting a brother this night and running away from wives and children to a faraw

place. Then there was quiet. The only sound was the heat o f summer and.thoughts

running away with a problem not solved.

By let ting the watery wet sand dr ibble between the finger tips , a fancy decorative

was added a long the upper most crater r idge of our joint c reat ion.

Why were the large sand boxes sopopu la r w ith the teenagers a t the You th Gathe ring inNew

Orleans? It was because someone gave them permissiont o do somet hing which by itsel fwould have been emba rassing , to p lay .

The talk was gentle as the problem seemed less and less of a problem. The crater w

viewed with pride as cool fresh water wass lowly poured over sand covered hands afeet.

The gri tty fee ling was gone and the soft d ry towel was the f ina l touch of comfort .

socks were pul led on. The shoes were tied as the fantasy lingered a bit before fad

away.

Sand is dif ficul t to wor k with, and it takes time and skill. But wit h pati ence and t he sense of

play, t he successes will outwei gh the failures. There can be momentary admir ati on for the

successful r esul ts, and the f ai lur es can be dest royed immediately. Sand i s t he perf ect

recyc led mater ial , and the same amoun t i sa lways there. Play helps us to see ou rselves, and

the p lay can renew and make us beg in again. Cr ime, vanda li sm, dest ruct ion a re the opposi te

o f c reat ion . Those who w il l not o r cannot c reate wi ll dest roy .

The s tep was l ight and the d irection strong in the walk back across the s tree t wh

the anger fi lled bedroom was again an attractive and possible opt ion .

Li fe i san ongoing p rocess. To exper ience l ife i s to have acted o r reacted to i t i n some way.

The hot, si len t Friday af te rnoon was in terrupted by the sounds of crying and yel ling

from across the street. July tempers were short and stress was not new for the

newlyweds-Charles and Nancy. A CONCLUDING STATEMENT

There had been fighting on the disheveled bed and all talk seemed futile. I asked

Charles to leave the room and come with me.

T ime marches on and the pace quickens . Fads for chi ldren and adu lt s last but a sho rt

and a re qu ic kl y forsaken. Our ch ildren are subjec ted to an over load o f expe riences each

which ar e usuall y competiti tve and ther e is lit tle t ime for pause, wonder , explor at ion,

leisur e t o scheme, dr eam, tast e, see, savor, t he worl d i n which they live. Our children

shaped by school , peer groups, and the mass med ia . TV p rovides endless b it s o f informaand de ta il s which numbs the senses and gives a false sense o f rea li ty. The mach ine and

use o fmachines w il l make us more and more dependen t upon them for en te rtainmen t, f il li n

empty t ime, and for answers .

In our back yard Charles lay in the hammock to cool off. I sat in my sand box.

The time seemed r igh t to tes t the influence that sand and p lay can have on the human

personality. So I invited the large, angry, pouting grown-up young man into my sand

box. We both sat on the st rong wood beams as we slowly unlaced our shoes, pul led off

t he socks and rol led up our b lue jeans.I n educati on t here is litt le t ime for the t rial and err or met hod of l earning and t o al low

intui tion to funct ion. Yet most ideas surface onthe intui tive level and not the rat iona l. Creat

is an att itude and an approach where r aw materials can be shaped and chosen t o produc

bet ter way, to make o rder f rom chaos, and achance to turn the o rd ina ry into something spe

and extra-ordinary.

A bucket of cool water was poured on the sand as we watched the dry sand quickly

suck i t up . Our fee t were pressed into the gri tty wetness wi th a walking movement aswe

both remembered moments of running on beaches or walking along a lake in our

chi ldhood. Our feet were coo l. So were our heads.

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Childhood needs to be a time for exploration, self-discovery, and an openness to the world

for all children and not just for the gifted. Giftedness may actually be a burden because the

pressure to perform is intense and all they have to look forward to is perfection. Giftedness is

usually based on traditional standards of performance and perfection rather than uniqueness.

and originality which usually threatens authority. Few gifted people have contributed new

ideas to society. Most great ideas have been produced by ordinary people rather than large

corporations or specialists. These ordinary people were able to look beyond their narrow field

of interest and to see new connections no one else ever thought about.

The old, the handicapped, and the very young may be the people with the most potential

for being creative. They have to adapt to the world that is not "normal" for them. Some

handicapped people are making great strides when they are being wired so that their bodies

can perform well with the help of computers and modern machines. It could be that the

handicapped people of the future will be the "normal" people who tend to function on minimum

effort and usually when the conditions are the most comfortable.

In the future play and the arts will become more and more important in the lives of people

who continue to use less and less of the huge potential of their unused minds. If schools are

truly to be learning centers, they need to provide an atmosphere which attracts curiosity,nurtures intuition and condones playas a valid activity in which children become a part of

creation rather than being spectators.

R. Marxhausen

Additional copies are available upon request from

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River Forest, Illinois 60305

Price: $1.50 for each single copy (20% discount for

LEA members on the single copy price only.)

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