A week or so ago we took our son to see the MONSTER TRUCKS! when they came to town. We got to see, hear, and feel the trucks in action. (We were right behind where the trucks parked, so when they started up we could feel the stands vibrating.) In the small arena, every already bone rattling sound was amplified. The trucks are truly a feat of engineering!
We watched as the trucks crept up to the starting line and gunned the engine to make the trucks fly around 30 feet in the air! We watched as the monster trucks jumped and drove over the cars. There was an anouncer that interviewed various drivers as they won the different challenges set before them. (Chris and I decided that monster trucks are the professional wrestling of motor sports.)
We even had the opportunity to see the tow truck that comes and assists the monster trucks when one flips/tips over. What a show!
Ever since our trip to see the monster trucks live Miles has taken every opportunity to pull Chris and I into playing monster trucks with him. He carefully lines up the cars and his monster truck that he got for Christmas makes run after run over the line of cars. He makes the noises, jumps, and lands the truck with a bounce just like in the real show!
The experience guides his play. He knows about monster trucks because he had a live/personal experience with them. He got to hear, feel, smell, and see the trucks in action. He has taken this experience and now guides his play. Miles could have seen it on the TV and started to play monster trucks in a similar manner, but I like to think that when you watch him control his monster truck that he now has a better basic understanding of Physics. He knows that "what goes up must come down." He makes the truck jump a little higher when it goes over an angle as opposed to along a flat surface. Children often play what they see, hear, taste, smell, or touch. How does your child make their real life experiences come alive during play?
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