Playborhood Berkeley - Free Play On A Rainy Day

Berkeley General

Free Play On A Rainy Day

Posted: 03/07/08 02:15 PM

Children whose homes have backyards or who live near parks or undeveloped land have wonderful opportunities for outdoor free play, but there are many, many children who live in urban neighborhoods or in apartment buildings who don’t have opportunities for outdoor play. And when it’s cold and rainy, children (and parents) everywhere need indoor places that support free and open-ended play.

Children’s museums are one antidote for urban families. Most have plenty of hands-on opportunities and “loose parts” for child-directed play. Parents and caregivers can participate or relax nearby. At Habitot Children’s Museum in downtown Berkeley, our water play area lets children explore floating and sinking objects, use a variety of pumps, and pour water down a stream to make boats, fish and ducks travel along. Children in our pretend grocery store shop for multicultural fruits, vegetables and breads and act out being shoppers, cashiers, and grocery clerks. Children are allowed to use hands-on materials in imaginative ways. For example, when our Rocket Ship exhibit was installed, children regularly shopped in the grocery store area for food supplies for their trips to the moon.

Children’s museums are safe, enclosed spaces where social interactions between children are encouraged and facilitated. While many of our suburban and urban neighborhoods are often empty of children outdoors, children’s museums bring lots of kids together in one space and let them play together.

One of the surprising aspects of children’s museum programming is how adults are encouraged to get involved in their children’s play. At Habitot, we see parents ordering from the pretend cafe menus, and willingly being face painted by their children. While children’s play is good and necessary for its own sake, it is also wonderful for parents and children to spend playful moments together.

by Gina Moreland

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