Czikszentmihalyi goes further. Pink reveals that thirty years ago, the social scientist wrote, "There is no good reason to believe any longer that only irrelevant 'play' can be enjoyed, while the serious business of life must be borne as a burdensome cross. Once we realize that the boundaries between work and play are artificial, we can take matters in hand and begin the difficult task of making life more livable." (Qtd. in Drive, 128)
Pink also quotes Czikszentmihalyi on how children "work" and "play":
"A little kid's life bursts with autotelic experiences. Children careen from one flow moment to another, animated by a sense of joy, equipped with a mindset of possibility, and working with the dedication of a West Point cadet. They use their brains and their bodies to probe and draw feedback from the environment in an endless pursuit of mastery.
Then--at some point in their lives--they don't. What happens?
'You start to get ashamed that what you're doing is childish,' Csikszentmihalyi explained.
What a mistake. Perhaps you and I--and all other adults in charge of things--are the ones who are immature. . . . Left to their own devices . . . children seek out flow with the inevitability of a natural law. So should we all." (128)
We need to make school a place where students are in a state of flow and where they feel like the boundaries of work and play are blurred!
In the book "From Play to Practice" the authors Nell, Drew and Bush talk about the importance of play and creativity across the life cycles. They address just what you are proposing and they stress that play is one of the most natural ways for human beings to learn. Yet, as you have said, they say "that play in learning lessens as students mature". They say that "We have to relearn that play enables children, as well as adults, to learn and interact in positive ways. Play is for keeps and is central to human growth and development in all stages of the life process." It is an honor to help support play and creativity at Real School!
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