Michael and Jane

I'd like to introduce you to Michael and Jane:

Yes, they resemble Abby and Elise very much in the face... the sparkling brown eyes... the pinch-able cheeks... the crazy hair. But they are very much Michael and Jane... from Mary Poppins. The girls had movie-night on their last overnight with Gran and Grandpa. Yes, we've allowed them to watch a movie... with some conditions, of course. None of the hour-and-a-half-animation. Something with actual actors/actresses. Singing, there has to be singing. And, on a sidenote, hearing the girls say "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" is not only impressive, but adorable. 

For the past two weeks, there has been so much imaginative play happening between these two - pretending to be Michael, Jane, or Mary Poppins, singing "Spoonful of Sugar", flying through the house with umbrellas. And tonight I came across this article from a couple of years ago: "Old Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills". This article is spot-on with my beliefs as a preschool teacher and as a mom. It's no secret that I'm struggling with how quickly kindergarten is approaching - I'm not ready to think about my babies being that old, but I'm certainly not about to send them off to sit at a desk with highly restricted outdoor time and into a world where "play" is viewed as worthless. And I love that the NPR article addresses the way in which "toys" changed the type of play children carry-out. It is absolutely true that, as a teacher, we are seeing an outrageous increase in children with self-regulation struggles and social-emotional needs. Wouldn't it be wild if we could alter that trend by simply playing, creating, and imagining with our kids?