[wordup] Shiny Mud Balls: Kyoto Professor Taps into the Essence of Play

[Adam Shand]

Via: http://boingboing.net/2002_06_01_archive.html#85142579
From: http://www.jinjapan.org/trends/article/011005sci_r.html

SHINY MUD BALLS:
Kyoto Professor Taps into the Essence of Play
October 5, 2001

At elementary schools, kindergartens, and preschools all across Japan,
kids are losing themselves making hikaru dorodango, or balls of mud that
shine. Behind this boom is Professor Fumio Kayo of the Kyoto University
of Education. Kayo is a psychologist who researches children's play, and
he first came across these glistening dorodango at a nursery school in
Kyoto two years ago. He was impressed and devised a method of making
dorodango that could be followed even by children. Once Kayo teaches
children how to make these mud balls, they become absorbed in forming a
sphere, and they put all their energy into polishing the ball until it
sparkles. The dorodango soon becomes the child's greatest treasure. Kayo
sees in this phenomenon the essence of children's play, and he has
written academic papers on the subject. The mud balls could also offer
fresh insights into how play aids children's growth.

Professor Develops Method
Inside his office at the university, Kayo keeps a dorodango in a wooden
box, wrapped in cloth. The shiny ball of dried mud is eight centimeters
(about three inches) in diameter and is amber colored with a touch of
dark green. Professor Kayo developed his own scale for measuring a
dorodango's luster, and this one rates a "4." The shiniest dorodango
rates a "5," and Kayo keeps one of these at home.

Kayo first became interested in dorodango in May 1999. As part of his
research in developmental pshychology, Kayo visited a Kyoto preschool
once a week. When Kayo made mud balls with the children, a teacher at
the preschool told him, "I'll show you a real dorodango," and proceeded
to produce a shiny one for Kayo.

Why would a lump of mud shine? Kayo became taken with this question and
tried to outdo the preschool teacher. But after trying many times, Kayo
found that he just could not make a shiny mud ball. Once, he thought he
had succeeded, but after a few days the mud ball lost its luster.
Through 200 failed experiments and an analysis using an electron
microscope, Kayo was finally able to devise a method of making dorodango
that could be followed by anyone, including children.

Surprising Behavior
When Kayo taught his new method to children, they were hooked. Kids
would spend a long time kneading the mud and then polishing it until it
shined. The children soon became attached to their mud balls and
treasured them even if the shape was bad or if they did not shine.

In the process of making dorodango, the children demonstrated behavior
that was surprising from the perspective of developmental psychology. A
two-year-old child would walk behind Kayo, imitating his actions. At
three, children would come up beside him and snatch his dirt. Four and
five year olds pretended to ignore him out of pride, but afterwards they
could be seen working with determined expressions on their faces.
Children could also be found sharing information about where to find the
best dirt and sand for making dorodango or even sometimes keeping such
information secret. Dorodango were made famous all over Japan when
public broadcaster NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corp.) took up the phenomenon
in a program aired nationally in June 2001.

In the field of developmental psychology up to now, play that developed
children's imagination and creativity, such as role playing and drawing,
was deemed important. But Professor Kayo is searching for whether
developmental psychology has overlooked something very important: the
experimentation children undertake in everyday activities like eating,
getting dressed, and sleeping. He feels that making shiny mud balls is a
good way of searching for the essence of children's play. Kayo believes
that the answers lie within the hearts of children, and he continues to
visit the preschool once a week.

How to Make Shiny Dorodango

1. Pack some mud into your hand, and squeeze out the water while
   forming a sphere.
2. Add some dry dirt to the outside and continue to gently shape the mud
   into a sphere.
3. When the mass dries, pack it solid with your hands, and rub the
   surface until a smooth film begins to appear.
4. Rub your hands against the ground, patting and rubbing the fine,
   powdery dirt onto the sphere. Continue this for two hours.
5. Seal the ball in a plastic bag for three or four hours. Upon removing
   the sphere, repeat step 4, and then once again seal the sphere in a
   plastic bag.
6. Remove the ball from the bag, and if it is no longer wet, polish it
   with a cloth until it shines.