04/13/2009

Different Perspective on Play

We have had many stories about the importance of play, but until now not one that advocated for play is based on animal studies. In his new book, Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul (New York: Avery, 2009), clinical researcher Stuart Brown observes...

"...one of the hallmarks of play is that it appears purposeless. But the pervasiveness of play throughout nature argues that the activity must have some purpose after all. Animals don't have much leeway for wasteful behaviors. Most live in demanding environments in which they have to compete to find food, compete with other species, and compete to mate successfully. Why would they waste time and energy in nonproductive activity like play? Sometimes play activity is even dangerous. Mountain goats bound playfully along rock faces thousands of feet high, and sometimes they fall....

"As a scientist I know that a behavior this pervasive throughout human culture and across the evolutionary spectrum most likely has a survival value. Otherwise, it would have been eliminated through natural selection. All else being equal, mountain goats that are not inclined to play would survive better (they wouldn't fall off the cliff doing some unnecessary stunt) and would pass on their genes more successfully. Over time, if play had no benefit, the playful goats would be pushed out of the gene pool by the offspring of the nonplayers. But that is not what happens, so there must be some advantage to play that offsets the greater risk of death in playful goats....

"The real question, then, is why and how play is useful.... Play lets animals learn about their environments and the rules of engagement with friend and foe. Playful interaction allows a penalty-free rehearsal of the normal give-and-take necessary in social groups."

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Exchange has packaged six of its play resources into a single Play Tool Kit and is offering the entire set at a 37% discount. Resources in the kit include:

Books:

• Beginnings Workshops Book #6 - Play
• Promoting the Value of Play CD Book

Four 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

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For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.

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