Day Thirteen: Teach the Grown-Ups Well

My blog entry today is inspired by my Grade One and Grade Two students. 

Six and seven year old children. 

Ever notice kids?  You let them loose outside and they literally run like the wind.  Kids skip, run, jump, slide, climb, walk, swing, pull, push, tug, grab, twist, dance and glide.

I remember watching my kids growing up, whether they were attempting to ride a two wheeler, fill up endless buckets of sand or kick a ball way off centre, they were  always having fun!

Kids don't need a reason to be active.

 Nor do we. 

Our bodies were built to be physical machines.  Mammals, we are bred to have periods of activity and rest. Some of  us may be built like gazelles, others like clydesdale horses or panthers.  Yet we evolved around the laws:  survival of the fittest. 

So what happened?   Somewhere between graduating from highschool and hitting  various stages of adulthood, we've lost the ability and interest to be on the go without having a specific purpose.

Breathing in fresh air, feeling our heart beat, the wind in our hair and against our face,  running freely on any  green space.

We need to learn to play again. To add some fun into our lives. 

Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen have a Real Age email blog and their entry on March 27th is entitled, "Find a Hobby and Have Some Fun!  All Work and No Play.....".

 Taking time out in our lives to play, to have fun by doing something we enjoy (which does not include abusing our health) is an asset for our health, mood, mind, job, and - most  important -relationships. 

The weekend will be here in a few more days.  Let's get ready to carve out some time for play! 

 Remember the song, "Teach Your Children Well", by Graham Nash? 

Sometimes, my students help me learn by by pointing me on to a  path in a new direction, finding a path that I did not know existed.

What constitutes play? 

Oz and Roizen spell it out,

"Anything counts, from enjoying a silly moment with your spouse to taking an afternoon walk in the woods to cooking up something crazy in the kitchen.  As long as you're floating free, happy, and totally absorbed, you're in playland (and taking a mini vacation from deadlines, bills, and your crazy-busy schedule)."

Let's roll up our sleeves and get ready to P L A Y !
 
                 "Teach the Adults Well.......
                 To Believe and
                  Make a World We Can Live In".