Introduction

Play is often, talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning.  But for children, play is serious learning.  Play is the work of childhood by Fred Rogers

My name is Jill Soto and I firmly believe that children learn through play.  I live in Blanchard, OK and grew up on a farm and spent hours playing and making mud pies.  The picture I chose to depict my learning and development as a young child is a picture of a little girl playing in the mud as well as a picture of a muffin tin of mud pies with sunflowers.  I could not find any pictures of myself playing in mud, but the pictures I am sharing come close to my life on the farm growing up as a young girl.

The quote from Fred Rogers eloquently describes the play that I was engaged in during my mud pie making.  I was engaged in serious learning while making mud pies.  What skills do you think I learned when making mud pies?

How did this mud pie making little girl grow into a women seeking a doctoral degree?  As I am writing this it make me wonder just about the answer to this question.  How did my farm life beginning lead me to this place in my life.  I learned to be independent and confident as a learner I think are the foundations that allow me to be the person I am today.  My journey is just beginning, but my roots are strong and allow me to grow just like the roots of tree allow the tree to grow.