A play buzz can be described best as a moment during free play when all is good, all is right, all needs are met and all are learning.
Play buzz happens often at Butterfly Hill and when it happens all of the teachers recognize what is happening. When this electrifying event happens, we know that children are learning. We know they are meeting their own needs and are completely comfortable in our environment. We know they are comfortable with their teachers and classmates.
When the teachers witnessed play buzz for the first time, we felt very weird. We felt like we should be teaching them something and we should be having conversations with the children. We felt like we were not doing enough and not teaching the children. In fact, we realized, the exact opposite was needed from us. During a play buzz, the children are able to solve their own problems because we have spent time modeling and teaching them language to use when conflict arises.
During play buzz, children are making their own decisions and are happy because they CAN make their own decisions. Teachers at Butterfly Hill allow children time and space to do this! As humans, we are much happier when we are able to make decisions for ourselves.
During play buzz, children are learning! They are drawing, painting, talking, pretending, examining, discovering, running, crawling, dressing up, role playing, gluing, cutting, singing, and so much more! They are constructing their own learning based on their own interests. Brain research shows that this is how all people learn best - through self guided discovery.
The teachers and I realized that our first play buzz of the year happened in October this year (5 weeks into the school year). I believe this is because we have mixed age classrooms and there are returning students playing alongside new students to our preschool. The young and new are learning great things from our returning students and the play buzz made an appearance much sooner than last year because of this! Last year, our first play buzz happened in February.
We love the play buzz. We trust that children are learning. During a play buzz, the learning that takes place is enormous.
Trust us. Trust your child. Trust that your child is learning everything they are ready to learn!
