I am interrupting our regularly scheduled Frolic Friday post to reflect on what a good week it has been for play. Of course, this does not excuse you from getting outside and playing this long holiday weekend! But with all of the trips to the beach and cookouts planned as part of the holiday tradition, I figured you all are covered.
As an advocate, it’s exciting to see the issue you care about start popping up in mainstream news sources. While this has been happening with play here and there, this week, there seemed to be a flurry of pieces popping up. As children are starting back to school, I am encouraged to see the need for play making headlines.
Talking Play…
- BBC News ran an article, “Make time for play, schools urged”. The UK is far ahead of the United States in the play movement, long recognizing the health, educational, and societal benefits of play. I would love to see an American version of Play England. (Naturally, I would need to work there!)
- The New York Times ran a great post from noted researcher and author Dr. Stuart Brown, “Let The Children Play (Some More)“
- USA Today talks childhood obesity; among the solutions — more play, parks, and playgrounds
- Babble.com ran a great story, “In Defense of Play-Based Education,” which piggy-backed nicely on The Boston Globe Magazine’s article on the loss of play in kindergarten
- To actually hear me speak about play, please listen to the radio show I taped with the great Jay Koch this week. It’s a 15 minute show, and I will be doing a follow-up live call in-show on Tuesday, Sept 8th at 8 pm EST.
That should be plenty to keep you busy! To learn more about some of the research behind play, check out the resource list at the end of this post.
Have a safe, fun-filled holiday weekend, folks! Get outside and play. It’s really good for you — or haven’t your heard?! 
See ya outside! ~ The Grass Stain Guru
photo credit: Nicholas Hall
