SAGE PLAY
By : Sage Karp
For my Capstone I developed a sustainable, interactive play workbook for early educators. Sage Play breaks down a learning environment by adding playful accents to the day, empowering the body, mind and soul. Following these holistic instructions you can redesign your classroom into a community. Through active play lessons students cultivate a sense of self identity, self regulation and community member etiquette. We can build these skills through social-emotional discovery and conflict management. Children will learn to think outside the box, cultivating a greater understanding of themselves and the people who surround them. Together we can create a soft learning environment and rebuild connection in a post-pandemic world. To create these instructions, I gathered materials from my time at Champlain College, my time in quarantine, my internship experience working with young children, research of modern day psychology, Covid-19 news articles, and insight from my own educational career.
We can all think back to the first time we heard of the Covid-19 lockdown and where we spent our quarantine. During my time in isolation, I contemplated the society I had parted with. One of the first memories that comes to mind is sitting in my parents garden listening to Pink Floyd. Because I had all the time in the world during quarantine I would listen to music more mindfully as a pastime. I can remember a time listening to Dark Side Of The Moon an album Ive heard many times since I was a child, but never listened to as carefully. Each song in this album brings to light aspects of the working world that are easy for us to get caught up in, to dwell on, things that can drive a man mad. Work and education is reflected in Breathe, death is reflected in the Great Gig in the Sky, Money reflects corporate greed and our own personal stash we keep for ourselves. Us and Them reflect war between members of a community and the struggle of remaining an individual while extending ourselves as members of society. Time then discusses how there just doesn’t seem to be enough time in life, so use it wisely. I believe Pink Floyd accurately depicts our experience of being a member of our society in a poetic, mystical way. In the song Breathe, which is referenced throughout the workbook David Gilmore is speaking to a young child. He narrates that our experiences in life will develop our sense of self, how to view others, how to behave, how to remember, how to absorb life itself and to live in the moment. The song reminds me of Nature Vs. Nurture, how our personalities and behaviors can be based on our experiences in life.“Run, rabbit, run. Dig that hole, forget the sun. When at last the work is done, don’t sit down, it’s time to dig another one.” (Pink Floyd, 1973) This line especially spoke to me when developing this workbook. In these songs children should learn not to fixate on negative feelings, or intrusive emotions, or any of these distractions in life. They should learn how to not dwell on conflict, or any of the challenges we face but to cope, manage, overcome and keep going. This way children do not waste their precious days and headspace, to keep moving forward, to keep working, to keep digging and enjoy life around us, because we will never get this time back. During a child’s school day, the time should be used wisely. Create memorable experiences. Experiences children share together to learn about one another, develop management skills, emotional vocabulary, self-identity, social skills and emotional regulation.
Experiences that help us understand large concepts were limited to what we had around us in our quarantine environment. That being said, a possible effect of this is a child growing a fixed mindset. The overall risk factor is the inability to think outside the box from their own interpretation. In the field of sleep and other psychological research Allan Rechtchaffen was a pioneer, he expressed that when we pull back our projections and our own emotions, we see the world as it is rather than as we’ve imagined it to be. When we do this we cultivate what is called discernment, the ability to judge well. Having exercises where children collaborate together and discuss perspective, they learn consideration. The students have the ability to expand their cognitive flexibility. These activities have the potential to condition one to think more open-minded. When children develop cognitive flexibility, this contributes to the way they comprehend their academics. They have the skill to understand complex situations, word problems, literature, the use of new vocabulary and create their own rational. As an instructor of any kind, we find many challenges in this post pandemic world. In Sage Play you can create a soft environment for your learners, taking away life long skills.
When I focused my mind on the mystical, eccentric literature sung by Pink Floyd, I felt a realization. There has to be a new approach in education as we begin in person, post-isolation. I included excerpts from The Wall movie, as they depict the educational system a one factory, where students are just a number. “All in all, you’re just another brick in the Wall.” (Pink Floyd, 1979) It’s time institutions break tradition and provide a more fulfilling experience to its students. The Covid-19 global pandemic was a large-scale wake up call for the human race. As Roger exclaims, use your time wisely, before the time runs out. Appreciate our experiences and all we endure as it’ll come in handy later in life.
I couldn’t imagine experiencing the global pandemic as a young child. The long term effects on their emotional well-being, the skewed perception of the world, and understanding of one another with little to no experiences. As a more introverted person, I never imagined all that I would miss during social-distancing orders. As I embark on my final years in organized education, I want to be able to guide young children, as they begin their educational journey. I’m almost a college graduate and I can list the many executive functioning skills I wish I learned earlier in life. Skills that could have reassured many negative feelings, intrusive thoughts, ignorance or fixated perceptions growing up. A lot of my time was wasted in a negative headspace when I could have been enjoying the world around me. In this program, Sage represents wisdom, a more mindful way to think and act. I wish I had my very own Sage. Roger Waters was a large inspiration when creating Sage Play. He is a soulful, compassionate, creative, playful, fearless human being. Roger is a Sage to me, I hope to be a Sage to any instructors when guiding them through these instructions.
When I listen to certain Pink Floyd Albums like Meddle, The Wall, Obscured by Clouds I think of sitting in my parents garden in 2020. Now each time I hear the following albums, it takes me back to that point in time. This is an example of our working memory because it was a sensory-stimulated memory. Researchers I discuss in the Sage Play workbook theorize that an individuals memories are more likely to be stored longterm when working with our senses. Additionally, our working memory can be more active if we are learning in a way that best meets our needs. Comprehension, as well, is more authentic in a sensory charged learning environment. The advantage of sensory-connected memory is being triggered, or ‘retrieved’ more easily. Each of the instructions stimulates our working memory, utilizing our hands, feet, eyes and ears. Sage Play provides opportunities for students to learn and function in a way that works for them. As an educator in a post-pandemic world, we must break tradition and deliver these big messages in alternative ways. We can do this by integrating props, interactive lessons, and sensory experiences. I would say if this system operates well in your class the students are more likely to adapt to these skills in other environments outside the classroom and experiences later in life.
This inclusive approach is designed for any type of learner and personality. We aim to meet the needs of all members of the community, to be pushed to their full potential. Human beings learn so much through play, it’s the ultimate leisure. Sage Play implements these much needed executive functioning skills in an introductory manner. I’m very grateful you chose to indulge in this project and hopefully find it useful when managing your classroom. The best part of Sage Play is that it’s a tool for the students and instructor. When your first copy of Sage Play is filled out, you can use a new one for the next class community you have. Make sure to hold onto each copy, using all your notes from school years past as a reference guide. As mentioned, the culture of this program promotes sustainability. That being said, when the time comes that you don’t have a use for your Sage Play instruction manual any longer, make efforts to pass it down to other instructors. These don’t have to be teachers either, many different types of people can recycle this information. Therapists, parents, family educators, child advocacy workers, social workers, foster parents, after-school activity leaders, summer camp counselors, day care workers, psychologists in school or in private practices, HR workers in an office etc. If you cannot find a way to pass your Sage Play instruction manual down, donate it to a local thrift store. This way someone can discover your notes one day as a treasure, possibly adding it to their own treasure chest. If this is not accessible, discard in a recycling bin.
As you leave this experience, I hope to have provided your students with an innovative community environment, to learn a greater understanding of themselves and the people who surround them. I also wish that as an instructor you were able to learn something new about yourself, through your students’ Sage Play experience.
