Stories from the Classroom: The Role of Play
STORIES FROM THE CLASSROOM
With Grace Luu
Charlotte Mason has something to teach all of us. Ambleside teachers share their unique experiences in teaching with Mason’s methods in the classroom, with special emphasis on applications for parents.
“Boys and girls must have time to invent episodes, carry on adventures, live heroic lives, lay sieges and carry forts, even if the fortress be an old armchair; and in these affairs the elders must neither meddle nor make.”
– Charlotte M. Mason
Since the beginning of the school year, my students have spent moments creating and acting out stories. As you well know as parents, children don’t have to be taught this behavior. It’s born within them.
At recess, they’re busy acting out of dramatic wars, complicated family trees, hunting, or being hunted. The moment they get outside, they go from being children who are peaceful and attentive to conquerors, rulers of kingdoms, and observers of nature.
Once I heard my name called and a child ran up to me exclaiming that someone had found a snake and saved all of their classmates from its fearsome presence. The story was shared over and over again, and the thrill of this discovery as a class was palpable.
Another day, after one of their breaks, they came inside, sharing that they had been turning over logs and found a mouse family. The mother mouse had run away at the sight of the children, so out of concern, the students asked Mr. Hayes to take good care of the baby mice when they were relocated.
Fascination with nature is often the focus of their time spent outside. Some of my students had been interested in gemstones and, upon reading about them, made up their minds to go digging for rocks in search of treasure. This took diligent effort, and some were rewarded with stones which, once cracked open, had some sort of crystal inside. When the students discovered hardened sap another day, many wanted to harvest it because they thought it was amber and worth hundreds of dollars.
Their desire to discover and create has led to multiple joint efforts in creating projects very grand in scope. When the snow was melting and there was a lot of slush outside, they would beg to go out so they could work on their water system. The whole class had decided they were going to funnel the large pool of water from the middle of the volleyball court to the grates on the blacktop.
In order to do so, every child had a different role — some had to create stream paths from the large pool of water, others had to dig a small hole at the corner of the volleyball court, others were working near the grate, and some were tasked with reinforcing different stream walls in case of collapse.
Their most recent project originated when one student learned about the process of molding clay and shared the idea with the others. They realized they could make clay objects from the dirt hill on the far field. I had let one of them dry a small clay jar on the windowsill and the very next day I was met with a surprise: most of the class had decided to make me a set of cutlery, bowls, and plates!
It has been a joy to witness their adventures and see their imaginations in full flight this year. The importance of play and creativity is not only evident — it is essential. And in the Charlotte Mason philosophy, it is celebrated as a vital part of a child's education and growth.
When we step back and allow children the space to follow the promptings of their imagination, we are doing more than simply letting them "have fun." We are nurturing curiosity, fostering collaboration, and building the foundation for critical thinking and problem-solving.
These seemingly simple adventures — creating a drainage system, sculpting clay dishes, or imagining a kingdom in the woods — are formative experiences. They teach resilience, initiative, cooperation, and care for the world around them. When children are trusted with time and freedom to imagine, they do far more than play — they practice becoming the kind of people who will lead, serve, and create with confidence and joy.
As educators and parents, our greatest gift may be to recognize the richness of this imaginative world and guard the time and space that allows it to flourish.
Applications for Home Life
Set up large amounts of time for free play outdoors.
Coordinate playdates with other families at a park or home to allow your children to create stories together.
Take some time to observe their play, and maybe even join them!