http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/schemas
BBC (2015) Twirlywoos - Schemas: How children learn through play. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/schemas (Accessed: 24 September 2015).
24/09/2015
22/09/2015
Play Matters
By Miguel Sicart
Chapter 3: Toys
Page 35:
"We discovered toys, and in that relation we slowly became who we are".
"When we grow up, toys change, but we never out grow them, because toys are the purest things for play".
Page 40:
"When we turn an object into a toy, we make it an instrument for with playing or a playful attitude. When we are playing anything can become a toy".
"Playfulness makes the world a toy".
"Toys are instruments for play and playfulness".
Page 41:
"Mechanical and procedural toys are fascinating because they don't require us; they seem to be playing on their own. We play with them to see how they behave, how they react. Sim City is a magnificent spectacle, a toy that can operate on its own while tempting us to tinker with its parameters to both see and understand what happens and all the while, creating a feeling of otherness, a playful microcosm that we, as the observers and tinkerers, want not to inhabit but to observe".
Page 42:
"Historically the toy has slowly evolved from a communal object for play to an individual source of pleasure".
Page 45:
"Making a toy requires understanding a play situation and creating an object for it, a process that can be performed by a professional designer but also by a child".
Page 45/46:
"Toys play a fundamental role in our sentimental life. they embody time past, of childhood, and also of times we played with others".
Page 46:
"The materiality of toys is important to understand how the object is experienced and what type of relations they establish with the context of play. Materiality is an important element for understanding affection and emotion".
"The physicality of toys need sot be accounted for in order to understand the experience of play".
"The manifestation dimensions of a toy focus on its physical materiality: the material its made up of, its technical platform, how it feels when we grasp it, how it becomes part of our memory".
Page 47:
"Toys seduce us anchoring us in time and space, they trigger emotional responses, play a role in memory and culture, and help us devise situations so that play can take place".
Chapter 3: Toys
Page 35:
"We discovered toys, and in that relation we slowly became who we are".
"When we grow up, toys change, but we never out grow them, because toys are the purest things for play".
Page 40:
"When we turn an object into a toy, we make it an instrument for with playing or a playful attitude. When we are playing anything can become a toy".
"Playfulness makes the world a toy".
"Toys are instruments for play and playfulness".
Page 41:
"Mechanical and procedural toys are fascinating because they don't require us; they seem to be playing on their own. We play with them to see how they behave, how they react. Sim City is a magnificent spectacle, a toy that can operate on its own while tempting us to tinker with its parameters to both see and understand what happens and all the while, creating a feeling of otherness, a playful microcosm that we, as the observers and tinkerers, want not to inhabit but to observe".
Page 42:
"Historically the toy has slowly evolved from a communal object for play to an individual source of pleasure".
Page 45:
"Making a toy requires understanding a play situation and creating an object for it, a process that can be performed by a professional designer but also by a child".
Page 45/46:
"Toys play a fundamental role in our sentimental life. they embody time past, of childhood, and also of times we played with others".
Page 46:
"The materiality of toys is important to understand how the object is experienced and what type of relations they establish with the context of play. Materiality is an important element for understanding affection and emotion".
"The physicality of toys need sot be accounted for in order to understand the experience of play".
"The manifestation dimensions of a toy focus on its physical materiality: the material its made up of, its technical platform, how it feels when we grasp it, how it becomes part of our memory".
Page 47:
"Toys seduce us anchoring us in time and space, they trigger emotional responses, play a role in memory and culture, and help us devise situations so that play can take place".
Getting Head Together
Recently I have been getting myself quite stressed about the whole dissertation. I feel like I need to make a plan and be clear about what I want to talk about.
The Importance of toys as part of learning and recreational play.
Areas:
- Babies and children. Development and growing up.
- Animals
- Adults
- History of toys and play
- Disabilities. Autism.
- Modern Toys vs Old Classic Toys
Research tools:
- Videos: DVDs, YouTube and television documentaries.
- Books
- Websites
- Talk with children within mine and my boyfriends family; his sisters child has autism so can talk to him and his parents about the importance and effects toys have on his life.
- Surveys
The Importance of toys as part of learning and recreational play.
Areas:
- Babies and children. Development and growing up.
- Animals
- Adults
- History of toys and play
- Disabilities. Autism.
- Modern Toys vs Old Classic Toys
Research tools:
- Videos: DVDs, YouTube and television documentaries.
- Books
- Websites
- Talk with children within mine and my boyfriends family; his sisters child has autism so can talk to him and his parents about the importance and effects toys have on his life.
- Surveys
19/09/2015
Importance of fidget toys
Autistic Genius.
(2015). The Importance Of Fidget Toys. [Online Video]. 08 March. Available
from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5KH00P5TVg.
[Accessed: 19 September 2015].
18/09/2015
Toys, Play and Child Development
Edited by Jeffery H. Goldstein
Page 9:
"Repetition compulsion".
(scan in table on page 10)
"Schemas" - Research into this further.
Page 13:
"The child who plays at pretending is finding out many things that sort of look like others, can be manipulated and played with, and eventually learns that many things can be played with in the privacy of the mind".
"Not all children grasp this concept. Leslie proposed that autistic children, who rarely play imaginatively, seem never to be able to make the step toward metarepresentational thought".
Page 15:
"The ability to think in the subjunctive mode of 'might this be'?".
Page 22:
"Toys can serve multiple functions seem to have the longest play life and are used more extensively in children's development of story materials".
"The miniaturisation of the adult world into manageable entertaining stories".
Page 38:
"When they play with realistic toys, their play relates to the theme of the toys and is more context bound. Play episodes with these toys, however, are long and involved. In contrast, play with less realistic props tend to be more varied, and the language surrounding this play episodes with ambiguous toys tend to be shorter".
Page 9:
"Repetition compulsion".
(scan in table on page 10)
"Schemas" - Research into this further.
Page 13:
"The child who plays at pretending is finding out many things that sort of look like others, can be manipulated and played with, and eventually learns that many things can be played with in the privacy of the mind".
"Not all children grasp this concept. Leslie proposed that autistic children, who rarely play imaginatively, seem never to be able to make the step toward metarepresentational thought".
Page 15:
"The ability to think in the subjunctive mode of 'might this be'?".
Page 22:
"Toys can serve multiple functions seem to have the longest play life and are used more extensively in children's development of story materials".
"The miniaturisation of the adult world into manageable entertaining stories".
Page 38:
"When they play with realistic toys, their play relates to the theme of the toys and is more context bound. Play episodes with these toys, however, are long and involved. In contrast, play with less realistic props tend to be more varied, and the language surrounding this play episodes with ambiguous toys tend to be shorter".
17/09/2015
Jigsaw Puzzles
http://hampshireculturaltrust.org.uk/content/victory-puzzles
Victory Puzzles (1929) Available at: http://hampshireculturaltrust.org.uk/content/victory-puzzles (Accessed: 17 September 2015).
Victory Puzzles (1929) Available at: http://hampshireculturaltrust.org.uk/content/victory-puzzles (Accessed: 17 September 2015).
Worry Dolls
"The Legend of the Worry Dolls
Worry Dolls are tiny, hand-crafted dolls from Guatemala. The dolls are clothed in traditional Mayan costumes and stand
one-half to one inch tall.
one-half to one inch tall.
Guatemalan artisans bind pieces of wood together or twist together short lengths of wire to create a frame and fashion a torso, legs, arms, and head. By winding cloth and yarn around the frame, the artisans give the doll shape. They use scraps of traditional woven fabric to make the doll costumes and wind more yarn to create the head, hair, feet and hands. Sometimes, they add a tiny woven basket or other traditional implements. Finally, they place a set of 6-8 dolls in tiny wooden boxes or cloth pouches for sale.
The indigenous people from the Highlands in Guatemala created Worry Dolls many generations ago as a remedy for worrying. According to the Mayan legend, when worrying keeps a person awake, he or she tells a worry to as many dolls as necessary. Then the worrier places the dolls under his or her pillow. The dolls take over the worrying for the person who then sleeps peacefully through the night. When morning breaks, the person awakens without the worries that the dolls took away during the night.
A variation of the legend instructs a person to tell the dolls her worries then place them in their cloth pouch or wooden box before going to bed.
Read more about Worry Dolls."
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~mcdo0151/legend.html
I remember as a child my sister used to have worry dolls as she used to worry a lot. I think that they're such a sweet and lovely idea. I like that they are so simple and can be used by all ages. I think they show how importance and helpful some toys can be.
I remember as a child my sister used to have worry dolls as she used to worry a lot. I think that they're such a sweet and lovely idea. I like that they are so simple and can be used by all ages. I think they show how importance and helpful some toys can be.
McDonnell, S.
(2008) Worry Doll Legend. Available at: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~mcdo0151/legend.html
(Accessed: 17 September 2015).
Toys Are Us
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1985/6/85.06.04.x.html
Gorman, B. A.
(2015) 85.06.04: Toys Are Us. Available at:
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1985/6/85.06.04.x.html (Accessed: 17
September 2015).
Feedback
This is a relatively concise proposal form, which lacks much detail, and therefore is difficult to feedback on in any great depth. However, the topic itself seems viable and I was really pleased to spot that you intend to focus your research towards actual educational organisations. I recommend that you make contact with Gisele Bone, who runs the Saturday Art classes for children at the college. She could possibly put you in touch with specific organisations to work with, and also has a good personal collection of Child Psychology and Child Development books. Perhaps an idea for an illustrative project, to complement your research into toys, could emerge from these discussions.
There is a short essay by the semiologist Roland Barthes called ‘Toys’, in his book ‘Mythologies’ which you should definitely read. There are also a number of Cultural Studies type text books in the library (745.592) concerning the cultural significance of toys which may be of some use. However, form your proposal, it seems that your project is going to be driven by primary research conducted with children and schools so it would be a good idea to look at some books on educational research / research methodologies before you start (371.3).
If you want to work with children as part of your research you will need to have the relevant safeguarding checks done first (perhaps this will be arranged as part of your role as ambassador?). You will also need ethical clearance from your course leader before you start.
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