"Here Comes the Over-Painter!" - "Just Playing?"

Welcome to this week's post in the "Just Playing?" series!

"Here Comes the Over-Painter!" - "Just Playing?"

Three boys playing together (I, N, and K), try to find a rhythm to their play as an odd-number.

While struggling to maintain posession of two indoor swings, all three boys begin painting on a large paper covering the entire easel-wall, and they create a game.

The painting begins as three individual paintings on the one giant paper, but quickly turned into a new game..."over-painter"!

One boy shouts, "Here comes the over-painter!" and paints all over the entire paper...over top of all three boys' paintings. 

For a short period of time, the boys spontaneously take turns shouting, "Here comes the over-painter!" Then the game takes an unexpected turn.

N- Look out! Here comes the over-painter!

I-No! You can't paint on my house. Our house has to be just orange! I don't want you to paint on my painting!

N-Okay. You can paint on MY painting!

I- (paints all over N's painting)

N-(paints on I's hand)

I- I don't want you to paint on me.

N- (tries to paint on I again.)

Me- N, I heard him say he does not want you to paint on him.

N- but I want to paint on someone.

I- but I don't want you to paint on me.

Me- If you want to paint on skin, you could paint on your own skin.

N- (takes off shirt)

K- (takes off shirt)

N and K- paint on themselves until done and then want to wash it off, "yuck!" (exclaimed in response to the washing...not the painting)

So we may be "just playing", but...

What are the children doing here?

What do you see?

What learning is taking place?

What skills are being practiced/developed?

Please share your thoughts about what learning you see taking place in the comments below, and follow the links below to other "Just Playing?" blog posts.