Remembering Play

Many things come to mind when I hear the word recess. I remember my elementary school days at Sunset elementary school. I looked forward to recess both before school and after lunch. This was a time to socialize and play with my friends. The recess time I had was spent playing in the dirt, on the swings, slide, and monkey bars creating a world of fun with my friends. Children today are rarely given the opportunity to participate in this type of “free spontaneous play”. The recess time when I was a child has been replaced with a structured play time or has diminished so much that one would not recognize the time as recess. Children are not given the chance to explore their world in their own way.