The Pillow Fight Arena
We are onto something amazing, and it is only a matter of time before the whole world is engaged in our new favourite past time at REAL School: Pillow fights!
It all started with an enticing pile of pillows sitting unopened in a pile in our extension room, the REAL Zone. The students asked if they could open the pillows, after which they started to whack one another with the green squares. I had to call this off, because I was worried that somebody would get hurt. But, after some vigorous pillow throws to the face, I realized that as long as the person has let the pillow go, it was really hard to get enough inertia on the pillow to do any damage. So we started the first form of pillow fighting, one rule pillow fight area. The single rule was simple: you can only throw pillows at others.And… it worked amazingly well. We have had 6 year old kids playing alongside adults, both giving it their all without either person at risk of injury. Like any activity, as the kids became more proficient they developed technique and strategy. The fast throws evolved into discus like hurls, with the pillows turning into ninja stars as they sliced through the air. Still, we were happy to report zero injuries in our games.
The kids loved it. Not only did it get a lot of energy out, it actually served as a great way to have recess on a rainy day. Soon, it was requested for breaks, at the end of the day, or pretty much any down time the students had. However, some kids started to think how else we could use the REAL Zone.
Let me describe this space to you before I go further. First of all, it is big and open. It is carpeted throughout, with floor to ceiling windows along one wall. The other walls are cement, extending to nearly 4 meters. We built 300 box chairs, which we can line up on a wall as a neat pattern, but also use to build forts and whatnot. There are also a lot of flat packed cardboard boxes lying in a corner.
The first alternative we tried was a modified game we had played outside, called 123 Monkey. The concept outside is that the person who is it says these words with their back turned and the others try to sneak up. If they move after the person who is it has turned around, they are called out and must return to the start. We did the same, except instead of not moving we created a series of barricades using cardboard boxes, and the person who was it had to try to see those who were sneaking up on them. It was hard for us bigger people, but an enjoyable game for all.
The next idea was one in which we combined two elements of the REAL Zone: the pillows and the cardboard boxes. We created two small forts 5 boxes wide and 5 deep. The players had to stay inside their box and try to knock over all walls on the other box fort before theirs disappeared. This game worked really well with the smaller forts and fewer students, although it failed bitterly when we had a large group who just wanted to be rowdy.
Interestingly, there were a number of reasons why I encouraged the kids to modify and design new games. Naturally, there was the element of design in this. The kids had proven that this was something meaningful to them, and so I would not have to find intrinsic motivation to get them to think of new ways to use this space.
The design bit here is really interesting too, because setting up rules to a game we wish to play together is actually quite an involved process. Like many games, it only plays well when all understand the rules. To do this, we often create symbols, simple expressions, and test each others concepts through play and argument. We can also prototype the games easily, explaining the rules and then seeing how it works. We also looks for ways to scale our ideas to a simple version, and add complexity as we progress.
The other reason I encourage modification was one which was more based on perception and fear: that the original game of pillow fighting would be deemed violent. Who may consider these violent? Well, the kids agreed, but they were all for it. It was more the parents I was a bit worried about… what may they consider of a new favourite past time that involves throwing a soft thing at somebody else?
And this is part of what got me into a bit of trouble on Friday afternoon… we had thought that a pillow fight would be a great way to end the week, especially if the parents could join in the fun. However, as I waltzed the kids into the REAL Zone I was struck with a crisis on confidence in our plan. On the spot I unilaterally decided we should try the still in prototype box fort game. I was able to grab the kids attention for about a minute or two, but quickly they disregarded any form of organized play and just wanted to try out their tried and tested pillow battle techniques. The scene quickly devolved into a bit of anarchy as the end of school approached… our only saving grace was that the parents were engaged in a chat next door and did not witness this wildness.
After a weekend of thought, I decided I would share my feelings about the previous Friday with the kids. I started with an apology. I realized that in a school that promotes student agency, I had attempted to take this away without explanation. The kids were a bit wild, that is to be sure, but I recognized that I had not fully lived up to a commitment I had had with them: to have a pillow fight which the parents to get involved in.
That afternoon, we tried once again the fort building game, this time with the student buy in. I let ideals and design principles slack a little, not worrying about equality in fort sizes or how many pillows each side had. The kids loved it, and by the end of the hour we had all put away neatly without issue.
I guess the whole experience could be summarized into a few key learnings:
- Pillow fights are way too fun, for all ages!
- Part of student agency is explaining why best laid plans may indeed change
- When kids are motivated by their projects, they really work hard… and that leads to everybody feeling better about the learning experience.
