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<h2>This weeks EcoTrain Question, put forward by the awesome @solarsupermama, is all about play, why it is important and the various ways in which we do play.  If we are to remain well, physically, mentally and spiritually, it is important that we make time for play throughout our lives.</h2>

<h3> From the time we are born, it is through play that we begin to explore the world, it is through play that we begin to form, to create  our own world around us. Play is the first step towards  creation and what are we, if we are not creators?</h3>

<b>My children tend to play most of the day, they don't go to school and they decide how to fill their days. So play it is and what exactly does that entail. Well for one, they are in charge of how they spend their time, they listen to themselves and follow their natural desire for learning. Learning through play. And what do I see, I see my girls engaging with the world around them, with the people around them. They are happy to sit and talk with both  children and adults. They are constantly practising the skills that they have learnt, skills that they need in order to live. They both have such a great skill for learning, each in their own way and each confident in how they do just that. Surely having the skills, to learn is the most important thing. This is very different than been shown how too and being forced to learn something. For me as an adult who is unschooling herself, it is very much like remembering how to play again.</b>

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<b><i>Children learn those skills through play. Everyday my girls are problem solving, experimenting, building their physical and social skills, using their imaginations and actively engaging with nature. They care very much about the world they live in, because they are actively engaging with it everyday. I heard my daughters sing to the trees and the mountains, I see how they are learning to read the weather, because they need to. It is very important for them if they want a dry den. I see then construct villages out of earth and sticks, and dens from whatever they find lying around and I see the huge amount of pride they have from doing just that, by themselves with no interference from me. I watch them sew, create, care for one another all whilst having fun and playing. I also see them writing and reading within their dens. I see them fully interacting with their environment, navigating their way, learning all the time and all through play.</i></b>

>Play is the foundation on which we begin to create ourselves, create our visions of the world. 

<b>Yet it is something that is given very little value, today children are being put into schools at younger ages. The amount of time they have to play is greatly reduced, they freedom they have to chose how they wish to spend their time is now also greatly reduced. What is this saying to our children. They are being forced to learn, instead of being trusted to learn for themselves. Learning becomes a chore instead of something fun and exciting and children are slowly becoming more and more dependant on others to show them the way. Surely, we all  want confident children, children who learn because they want to, who get to grow and learn amongst nature and are allow to hold onto their instincts. Their instincts that speak of our connection to the natural world and that drive their passion to protect that relationship. </b>

>Surely if we wish to create a better world, it is the way in which our children interact with that world that is important.


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<center><a href="https://playvolutionhq.com/ecwiki/free-to-learn-quote-01489/"></a></center>

<h1>How I Play?</h1>

<b>Play is just as important when we are adults, I certainly don't have this life thing all figured out and how could I. Things change all the time, that is the natural way of the world. The world changes, we change, constantly moving and evolving. How do I make my way through all that, why through play of course. I have written before how I use my imagination to help me move forward, where at times in my life when I am feeling overwhelmed or upset,  I imagine myself as a river and allow myself to open up and let all those things that are dragging me down, to flow away. I draw on all the things I have learnt through play to help me. I sing and I dance, I open myself up to the creative force that is inside of me. I connect with the wild that is inside of me, that inner child. Allowing myself to experience that child like wonder and awe at the world around us. I can happily say that i have always been able to do that, for me it is like breathing.</b>
 
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<b><i>So the fun things I do, well I have 3 daughters and that comes with lots of fun, joining in their games, seeing things from their perspective that all brings me so much joy.
I love to sing with others, especially impro. That to me is the perfect type of  play, improvisation. There are a few people around me whom I like to get together with, every now and again, because we have so much fun with one another, we all seem to feed off one another's energy and we can be found singing about some of the most obscure things sometimes. But oh the sense of freedom and flow that comes with that. Anything that I can get lost in, is a lot of fun for me. The same can be said with making music, I do love a good jam, my instrument is the Bodhran an Irish drum, but I have been known to pick up an accordion and cello and make some interesting sounds come out of them.</i></b> 

<h3>I also love to dance and I do that almost daily with my girls or by myself, again it is something that I can get lost in, another thing  that I really feel free doing. 
Creating ceremonies are also fun for me and they usually always incorporate music and singing as well. Playing with my dogs, growing food in my garden, walking in the mountains and harvesting nuts especially when I climb trees. Hell, even hand washing my clothes can be fun at times, especially if I am at the river singing. Having fun is an important part of my day. Yes life is what we make of it, so make time for play and see how much healthier you feel. </h3>


<h2>What Fun Things Do You Do?</h2>

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<h1><center><a href="https://steemit.com/tribesteemup/@kennyskitchen/the-8-pillars-of-tribesteemup-clarification-refinement-and-re-casting-the-spell">8 Pillars of TribeSteemUp</a></center></h1>


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