Summary: When I spotted the mud puddle, I thought it would be fun to jump it. <br> The dirt road that ran along the edge of the field by our West Tennessee farmhouse was often traveled by trucks or tractors. And the ruts in the sandy, red dirt would fill with rain and create long stretches of rust-colored puddles. I was barefoot and seven years old. My brothers and sister were with me.<br> “Watch this,” I said. And I ran and jumped. <br> My feet landed in the thick mud and streaks of red clay splattered across my legs and shorts. They laughed. And soon, one by one, each of them tried it too. <br> “I think you could paint with this mud,” my sister said. <br> “Oh, yeah? I bet it would look good painted on you!”<br> And the mud battle began. Fists full of Tennessee red clay were thrown and splattered. <br> And we chased one another until my oldest brother said, “You know, in ancient times, people would bathe in mud as a way to treat their skin.” <br> He slowly began smearing it on his arms, his neck, his face, his legs. We followed suit. And before long, we were covered from head to toes in the red earth.<br> How Play Encourages Innovation<br> I was thinking back to this moment after reading the first two chapters of Tony Wagner’s <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Innovators-Making-People-Change/dp/1451611498" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World</a>. Wagner makes a persuasive argument that without creativity, people lack the ideas, initiative, and motivation for extraordinary achievements. <br> In the book, he looks at the lives of some the most successful people in industry, science, or the arts — people who seem to possess qualities that motivate them to do extraordinary things for rewards greater than pay or recognition. These are people who are motivated by the wonder and joy of learning. In all the attributes Wagner identifies among these most creative and innovative minds, one trait stands out among them: play.<br> Play Influences Student Learning<br> Play isn’t just good for our mental health. It also provides contexts that encourage creativity, teamwork, and a sense of accomplishment. And it’s not just something that motivates small children. People of all ages find motivation by engaging in play. Take this description of the long-standing tradition of pranks at MIT that Tony Wagner explains:<br> ”Joost Bonsen, who is an alumnus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and currently serves as a lecturer in the world-famous MIT Media Lab, talked about the importance of the famous tradition of pranks at the university.<br><br> <br><br> ‘Being innovative is central to being human.’ Bonsen told me. ‘We’re curious and playful animals, until it’s pounded out of us. Look at the tradition of pranks here at MIT. What did it take to put a police car on a dome that was fifteen stories high [one of most famous MIT student pranks], with a locked trapdoor being the only access? It was an incredible engineering feat. To pull that off was a systems problem, and it took tremendous leadership and teamwork.<br><br> <br><br> ‘Pranks reinforce the cultural ethos of creative joy.’ Joost added. ‘Getting something done in a short period of time with no budget, and challenging circumstances. It’s glorious and epic. They didn’t ask for permission. Not even forgiveness.’<br><br> <br><br> [Wagner concludes:] These students were playing — just doing something for the fun of it. Play, then, is part of our human nature and an intrinsic motivation” (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Innovators-Making-People-Change/dp/145161149" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Creating Innovators</a>).<br> Why are we not playing more?<br> You would think that play is something all children enjoy, but in a world that prizes protection and safety, many of our kids are missing out on the freedom and sp...
