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Wisdom of playing
A successfully constructed kite is given a test run on the drive in front of the Nature House. 00.01.09/ Temperature: -1C/ Weather: Partly cloudy/ Wind Direction: W
Current Location: Kawaguchi Nature House, 35 52 34 N 139 43 18 E
Distance Traveled: 0 km (Rest day)Close to 30 people, including members of the Nature Kids of Saitama, local Green Volunteers, and participants in the Ecosystem Conservation Society-Saitama's craft workshop gathered to experience and think about the wisdom of playing outside and making things from nature.
"Greg has been traversing Japan on foot for quite some time looking for wisdom. Today we are going to share some the wisdom of what all of you are good at," said Mrs. Nishio acknowledging that there is something that the Nature Kids are really good at. "What are all of you good at?" asked Mrs. Nishio. Members of Nature Kids looked a little puzzled standing in the dirt clearing in front of Kawaguchi City's Nature House . It took a little prying but we finally got an answer. I was to spend the day learning about the Nature Kids' wisdom of playing.
Before I knew it close to 25 of the day's participants had split up into two separate groups, jump rope making and bow and arrow making. Kids from my group appeared out of the Kawaguchi Nature House carrying several pieces of bamboo to make our bows. Several girls were quick to start softening rice straw for rope. Rather than having adults lead, Nature kids decided on their own what to make and pulled adults in to help when necessary.
Nature Kids members dash out into marshy fields upon hearing news of a spotted rabbit. If you look closely you can see the bows and arrows in their hands. My bow and arrow group didn't seem to need any adult help so instead I took the opportunity to learn from the young bow masters. "Crack!" went the bamboo in the hands of one of the group's veteran boys wielding a hatchet. While our bows slowly made shape, girls from the jump rope making group had also started braiding their ropes.
The afternoon continued with a Japanese kite making session, an arrow-shooting contest, a half-hearted rabbit hunt (no one really thought they would catch anything), and much, much more. Mrs. Nishio commented about the value of playing in nature. "In the old days, playing used to be a way for kids to enjoy themselves at the same time it prepared them for future work." Apparently jump rope making used to prepare young girls to be able to make straw rope. Bow and arrow making taught young boys how to use a hatchet. Kite making also furthered craft skills that used to be essential in Japan's farming lifestyle. I tried to imagine how such playing would be made use of in Nature Kids members' lives.
Over the years I have spent in Japan and growing up in the United States, I have seen few other types of entertainment that bind young and old as well as create an attachment to the environment. The smiles and sparkling eyes of both young and old attested to this today.
Watching the young nature adventurers I thought about the impact that this experience may have in their lives. Remembering my own childhood playing in the narrow bamboo forests when I lived in the city, climbing trees, and wandering through the woods once I moved to the country, I wonder how much these memories have affected me. If one doesn't have any memories or idea of how fun nature can be, it may be difficult to even consider returning nature to its original state.
I can't help but think that somewhere in the back of my brain the small excitements and curiosities which nature has given me have influence the way I live today. Fun in nature may eventually lead to a will to protect it. Fun in nature may eventually lead to new ideas about how we can live more wisely with our environment.
The wisdom of playing in nature includes learning how to be a part of nature. I also have high expectations that it may start small flames which will create some wisdom for our future. I look forward to watching the Nature Kids' flames spread.
Greg
How do you spend most of your time playing? Do you think it will help you in the future?
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