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Creativity Revisited
August 26, 2010
Artists play with color and space. Musicians play with sound and silence. Children play with everything they can get their hands on.
-Stephen Nachmanovitch, musician, author, educator
-Stephen Nachmanovitch, musician, author, educator
Sally Rowden from Madera, California wrote: I've currently been rereading "Crisis in the Kindergarten — Why Children Need to Play in School," by Edward Miller and Joan Almon — Alliance for Childhood, which supports highly this current article shared by Exchange. The article quotes Daniel Pink, author of "A Whole New Mind," who writes about "imagination economy." How future leadership in the business world is demanding folks that think with creativity. The article gives valid research on how play, in it's complexity, supports children's learning in language skills, social skills, empathy, imagination, taking another's perspective, being less aggressive, having more self-control and higher levels of thinking (creative/abstract). It examines a "laissez-faire, loosely structured classroom; a classroom rich in child-initiated play; a playful classroom with focused learning; and, didactic instruction with no play" recognizing that teachers must have an understanding of all four methods. Yet, encouraging a balance of the "two central methods" (child-initiated play and play focused learning) which "leads to life long benefits."
Nancy K. Bush, Child Day Care Association in St. Louis, Missouri observed: I wrote this note to my boyfriend's daughter and now want to share it here, too. OMG. OMG! This is so cool. It reminds me of the quote — who said it? "We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing." Ah, the Internet. George Bernard Shaw said that. Cherish those questions from Natalie. Look up answers together. LEARN together. I learned every single day when I was a preschool teacher as a result of the books I read with the children, from observing and talking with them, from being ok with not knowing and saying so. I found that the kids were so impressed — not like, she's so cool because she knows everything, impressed as in, making an impression on their minds, their psyches — when I said I didn't know, followed by "We can look it up." As a corollary, children are also impressed when you say you are wrong and take steps to make whatever it was right, whether information, making assumptions or hurt feelings. When children grow up knowing that making mistakes is an acceptable part of life, a necessary part of life, they are willing to take intellectual risks, to think outside that box, to be creative and learn for the sheer joy of it.
Exchange has packaged six of its play resources into a single "Play Tool Kit" and is offering the entire set at a 37% discount. Separately these resources would cost $176, but we are offering the entire Tool Kit for only $110. Resources in the kit include…- Beginnings Workshops Book #6 - Play
- Promoting the Value of Play CD Book
- 4 Out of the Box Training Kits (Print versions)
- Play and the Outdoors: What's New Under the Sun
- "But They're Only Playing": Interpreting Play to Parents
- Supporting Constructive Play in the Wild
- Designing and Creating Natural Play Environments
ExchangeEveryDay
Delivered five days a week containing news, success stories, solutions, trend reports, and much more.
What is ExchangeEveryDay?
ExchangeEveryDay is the official electronic newsletter for Exchange Press. It is delivered five days a week containing news stories, success stories, solutions, trend reports, and much more.
Track arrival/departures & pickups. Attendance-based billing made easy. Multiple interface options, including key fob, keypad and fingerprint. Electronic door access control.
• Online play-based assessment & curriculum for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
• Variety — choose from 3,200 activities
• Aligned to all state early learning standards
• Easy to use with accountability
• FREE TRIAL
Comments (2)
Displaying All 2 CommentsShishu Vikash Kendra
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
On this topic I ask you , "Have you played with children any day ?" I request
you to play . In play there is comfort of life .
fairfax county public schools
Fairfax, VA, United States
A a very corageous grandmother from Guatemala who had been attending a leadership program for Hispanic women and their pre-school children recently, stood up and shared her thoughts with me when I asked her what she had learned from the experience. She said " thank you for teaching me how to play. I never got a chance to really play as a child, I had a hard life and began to work ever since I can remember. My spirit was down and I felt very sad before coming here. You have taught me that it is OK to laugh, sing and be silly and you have renewed my spirit."
We often forget as adults to play and be joyfull and that our children and grandchildren who are close to us are always watching!
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