Yippee! I loved the old Exploratorium, and it sounds like I’ll love the new one! The new home, with all of those characteristics (and a 200-seat cabaret), is opening on Wednesday, and while it doesn’t deserve unalloyed acclaim, the achievement is remarkable. Under its executive director, Dennis Bartels, the Exploratorium has preserved and expanded what […]
Dr. Thom McKenzie explains why it’s so important for children to have quality Physical Education in school and how caring adults can support it. Designed especially for parents, teachers, school board members and administrators.
I find this article in today’s New York Times extremely disturbing: When Dr. Michael Anderson hears about his low-income patients struggling in elementary school, he usually gives them a taste of some powerful medicine: Adderall. The pills boost focus and impulse control in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Although A.D.H.D is the diagnosis Dr. […]
As we head back into the academic school year, a lot of people are focused on education and making sure students get the best possible opportunity to learn and thrive. Here’s one easy way to support that: give them space and time for play! Numerous academic studies [sources stored in a weird place, will update […]
From the nonprofit organization Voice of Play and their host organization, the IPEMA (International Play Equipment Manufacturing Assocation): This poster is appropriate for any player, whether you are 2 or 92. What other reasons can you think of to play outside? Leave them in the comments below.
Have you noticed Google’s doodle for today yet? It is in honor of Maria Montessori, founder of the Montessori style of learning, which focuses on open-ended, free-form learning, which involves a lot of play. From PC Magazine: Google on Friday honored Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori with a homepage doodle celebrating her 142nd birth […]
While summer may just be getting into full swing in my neck of the woods, it’s almost over for most everyone else (*sob!*). It seems everyone is trying to take advantage of a few last weekends of summer before school starts back up. But for some kids, that is a lot harder than it […]
I loved playing with Legos and building blocks as a kid (and actually still do); all the possibilities of what to build, and the ability to tear it all down and start over. Well here are two different ideas from Inhabitat about using that same concept of moveable, removable, and piece-meal design (in a good […]
Play Based Learning in Australia is sharing a poster that captures the play manifesto of its children; how awesome! After the overwhelming reaction to the success of the Australian Children’s Play Summit held in Melbourne on May 17th and 18th 2012 Play for Life Australia is kindly making available a copy of the Play Manifesto […]
From the blog Art Farm, a play/art therapist who offers some advice on creating spaces that encourage kids to explore, learn and play: I really learned the importance of organizing and preparing spaces while working with youth in school settings in several public housing developments in Chicago. So often these youth would come to me […]
