Play Today in the Primary School Playground: Life, Learning and Creativity. - book review

Folklore, April, 2003 by Ian Russell

Edited by Julia C. Bishop and Mavis Curtis. Foreword by Iona Opie. Buckingham and Philadelphia: Open University Press, 2001. 204 pp. Illus. 16.99 [pounds sterling] (pbk). ISBN 0335-20715-4

As an idealistic primary head teacher, in the days of comparative autonomy before the imposition of the National Curriculum in England, I remember organising an in-service training day on the importance of children's play. As a staff, we were concerned that our comparatively modern school provided a barren environment for play. Our conclusions were pragmatic: on the one hand, encourage the children to be involved in planning their own play environments; and on the other, leave the children to direct their own play--behaviour, health and safety permitting. Although our professional intuition was along the right lines, such conclusions would have proved so much more powerful had they been informed by the excellent research contained in this fascinating collection of papers from a range of international contexts--Australia, Canada, France, Israel and Britain.

Over and over again the time-honoured myth that children's play is in a state of terminal decline is roundly debunked. While it is true that contemporary play is dynamic--constantly demonstrating new adaptations, permutations, and innovations--many of the older traditional games provide just as vital and meaningful modes of play today as they did for our parents and grandparents. As the editors astutely note: "Adults only tend to notice play when it becomes a problem" (p. 8). In an introduction that has teeth, Bishop and Curtis give the reader a thorough grounding, by providing both a helpful definition of play tradition as well as a comprehensive taxonomy, which distinguishes play according to its tendency for high verbal, high imaginative, or high physical content. The subsequent chapters move from two different perceptions of play, through a series of empirical studies, to three contributions that explore different aspects of play--how it can contribute to formal language acquisition, how it can work across generations and cultural divides, and how it can promote spiritual and psychological well-being.

All but one of the contributions to the volume originated from an international conference, "The State of Play: Perspectives on Children's Culture," which was convened by the editors on behalf of the Folklore Society and the National Centre for English Cultural Tradition, and held at Sheffield University in Easter 1998. These papers have been reworked so that each shows an awareness of the contributions of others and there is a real sense of order and cohesion, which are qualities often lacking in such publications. Not only do the editors introduce each section and provide a conclusion, but the whole work is well referenced, has an impressive bibliography, plus two useful indexes, one to games and one general.

Essentially the book is about first-hand knowledge and experience by scholars who have taken the trouble to observe and record children's play for themselves and have not relied on mediated sources that may have other agendas. Thus, when Australian folklorist June Factor rounds on the myths perpetrated by certain social scientists, who maintain that the concept of childhood is essentially a cultural construct, and that play is therefore unimportant and of no significance, there is overwhelming force to her argument. Marc Armitage's extensive play audits in Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Nottinghamshire demonstrate volubly the richness and variety of play, as well as the consistency and innovation it exhibits. His conclusion emphasises the relevance to children of layout, places, and features in the school grounds in nurturing play.

In the middle set of four studies, the reader is able to explore certain aspects of play in detail. Curtis reflects on the complexities of transmission of this largely oral culture, stressing the significance of friendship groups. A multicultural school with forty-one languages in Sydney is the setting for Kathryn Marsh's 1990-96 study. She recognises that the school's policy of classroom integration encouraged inter-ethnic friendship groups, which had ramifications for play. Elizabeth Grudgeon's in-depth studies of girls' individual playtimes in two Bedford schools not only reveal a vibrant oral culture, but emphasise the importance of break-time in the school day, which allows the children to explore the boundaries of their gendered experience within a safe conservative environment. Andy Arleo, in his intriguing study of the saga of "Susie," maintains that its widespread popularity lies in the tragic-comic narrative that deals with the universal issues of growing up, sexuality, love, motherhood, ageing and death, which are hugely relevant to girls.

There is an optimism about the final three studies, which cannot be ignored. John Widdowson's champions children's linguistic sophistication with its alternative "three Rs:" rhythm, repetition and rhetoric. I was truly heartened by Simon Lichman's account of his "Traditional Creativity through Schools" project, which explores how children's games can become a positive instrument in promoting understanding between Arab and Israeli schoolchildren. In her study of boys' ice hockey in Canada, Carole Carpenter contends that the loss of play for fun has not only contributed to the demise of the national game, but also led to disillusionment and depression among young males. The recent re-emergence of the folk game of "Shimmy" is recognised as a sign of hope. Carpenter concludes that children ought to have the right to play and to choose what they play--to find their "dreams in action" (p. 179).