Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Kids!

Yesterday, my youngest girls played with Barbie dolls in the pool, which is still filling. It was extremely hot, so I let them wade and play while we tried to fill it to a reasonable height. Katie watched them and then mentioned to me that when she was 3-4 years old, Amy would only play Barbies with her if Amy was allowed to chose how they played. Amy is 5 years older than Katie and had just read The Diary of Anne Frank. Poor Katie was forced to play "Gas Chamber" with Amy. Their dolls were always hiding from the people who wanted to throw them in the gas chambers. Katie just realized that she had been playing holocaust.

I'm always amazed at the amount of carry-over from lessons or readings that my children bring to their play. After all these years, I should be prepared for these glimpses of learning, but they always surprise me. I should also do a better job of seeing what they are playing, especially when it's quiet.

3 comments:

Barb the Evil Genius said...

My eldest used to pretend that she and her friend were Christians hiding from the Romans.

Bikermom said...

Wow! Sobering play acting. Obviously they knew what was happening from what they learned. Sigh. Thank you for sharing. i think some people would be shocked but I do understand the learning here that happened and your appreciation for their living some of it out in their play.

Karen said...

It's a little disconcerting when I notice them pretending with a dreadful time in history etc., but the kids are finding a way to work through the information and emotions that come from learning about scary times.

Barb: It's nice to know that other children do the same types of things. I sometimes feel that some of my kids are "odd" in their knowledge and understanding of some subjects.