Bugs, boundaries, and butt cracks: A study of children’s play
Battor, Maria Zoey
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/105829
Description
Title
Bugs, boundaries, and butt cracks: A study of children’s play
Author(s)
Battor, Maria Zoey
Issue Date
2019-07-16
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Dyson, Anne H
Department of Study
Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp
Discipline
Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.A.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
Adventure play
children
bugs
consent
play
Abstract
During World War II, kids in England began building their own playgrounds on bombed out properties. The idea spread across Europe as grownups caught on, allocating empty lots with raw materials for kids to play in, referring to these as “Adventure Playgrounds.” I completed this ethnographic study of child culture at one of the few Adventure Playgrounds in the United States. I observed 44 children and three playworkers for 103 hours across three weeks of camp, seeking to answer the question, “What do children do when no one is telling them what to do?” I found that many of the children at my site interacted empathetically with bugs; that they largely showed an understanding of respecting each other’s bodies and boundaries; that the impact of the supervising adults on children’s experience is significant; and that, when allowed the opportunity, children tend to spend some of their playtime on taboo topics. Implications of my findings include that grownups need to understand that, as children play, they are doing intense, complex work. Educators, especially, would do well to understand and build on what children are making instead of erasing children’s untrained beginnings when teaching a new concept.
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