A Recess All-Star

It’s that time of year. You know it. The Back to School time of year. Supplies are purchased, schedules are assigned and lunches are packed. Assessments are done and baselines are determined. Math, Reading, Science. Check those boxes. But what about learning to play? Which is basically an equivalent to developing a lifelong sense of curiosity, wonder, joy, adventure and enthrallment with the world around us. Is the 20-30 minute Recess break a Time-Out or is it really a Time-In? To me, it’s a Time-In. A Time-In to be vibrant, to connect with ourselves and others, to let loose, to be our authentic selves and so much more. I find myself thinking about all of this a bit more as we come out of pandemic. Did we evolve throughout the pandemic to want more intrinsic happiness in life or did we feel, as a society, that we had to quickly get back to a world that was so far set in certain systems. I don’t know the answers but I definitely personally evolved. More joy. More time to float through a day. More time doing what I love. More play time. And, while I took a short hiatus from “working” on Advanced Recess this past summer, I actually took more time to think about the evolution of AR and my renewed commitment to bring it to life. So, as school starts, I’m diving back into full-time student mode on my favorite subject of all, Recess, and with that, want to introduce you to fellow star pupil on this subject as well…Rufus.

I have not personally met Rufus but spotted him the social-sphere and immediately felt a kinship with him. Rufus clearly struck me as someone who brings AR’s motto to life. He really has the “Pursue a Life of Play” spirit and seems to bring that mojo to all he does. So, without further ado, here is more from an AR all-star, Rufus…

Describe a little about yourself:

I’m 8 years old, in 3rd grade in Lakeville, Minnesota. I’m a great traveler, and prefer resort style accommodations with pool options. I spent my summer trying some new sports and traveling in my airstream with my 2 year old puppy, Yo-Yo! Yes, I also happen to rock an extra chromosome, which means I’ll greet everyone with a big hug.

What do you do for play?

Camping, hiking, swimming, basketball, dog parks, travel, food and drink, kite flying, frisbee, beach going and whatever else my parents find for me to try.

*Note from Katie: Rufus seems to try everything! And, he does it all with a big smile!

How does play motivate you in your life?

Almost all my play is about learning, and trying something new. It’s an exciting time to be 8!

When you think of your ideal day spent playing, what is it?

Outdoors with a balance of play and relaxation - so, like a beach!

Our motto is Pursue a Life of Play. In your own words, what does this mean to you? How do you live it?

We’re determined now more than ever that we need to work to live, not live to work, and that life shouldn’t be so exhausting that you run out of time or energy to play. We make a conscious effort to add moments of play throughout our week, and recognize all the little moments and plan some pretty big ones too. Our family will never stop trying new things and being up for all the play there is in the world. (Answered by Rufus and his mom, Tracy).

I loved seeing Rufus’s answers to these questions and I also love that he said that “It’s exciting to be 8!”. Shouldn’t we all feel like that regardless of our age? It’s exciting to be alive for Pete’s sake. So, as school starts, I hope you take a little time to think about what you want to learn about and that you include play on that list. As Rufus shared above, playtime comes in lots of forms and you don’t need to limit yourself to any particular specialty. So, let’s get out there and create our own Recess baselines. Then, let’s get to play, watch our metrics soar and become AR All-Stars…

Just like Rufus.

Badass at Play

High Alpine Play

Let’s play!