Outdoor Play in the Middles
We read the book Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran at the start of each school year. It’s a book that has traveled with me through my teaching years in various urban and rural schools. The picture book describes a scraggly hill the neighborhood children call Roxaboxen. The hill is dotted with wooden boxes, ocotillo plants, and cactus. The hill looks unassuming, but to the children, it’s a magical place that comes to life each time they are there. Roxaboxen transforms into a bustling town with stone-lined streets, a town hall, and ice cream shops. There are imaginary cars, a jail, and battles, all accompanied by galloping stick horses. Though it was just a hill in the desert, Roxaboxen became a special part of their childhood, a place that lived on in their memories for years. Roxaboxen is a real place in Yuma, Arizona— there is even a park now named after it.
Enter The Center School—with a campus nestled between forest and wetlands in Greenfield Massachusetts. Just outside the 4th and 5th grade classroom lies a big grassy hill. In the fall the grasses grow tall, with blue wood aster, goldenrod, and red rocks that dot the ground. This is the perfect place for a new version of Roxaboxen. Our woods spots become a mini microcosm of society. Each time before we enter the Woods spot, we share announcements. This lets us know what's happening that day. Center School 4th and 5th graders play out town meetings, make decisions together, disagree, agree, build homes, develop businesses, and so much more. We look for building supplies and resources from the forest surroundings. Currently, acorns and quartz are currency. Just last week we had a town meeting and there was some courtroom drama too! Sometimes businesses fail, or new places sprout up suddenly— everyone plays a role. It’s beautiful and sometimes messy.
Play is a powerful component in childhood. As children get older, play tends to get pushed aside for other forms of learning. Being outside is essential. Play is essential. How lucky we are to play.
