Hall of Fame Stick

05/05/2010

Play is the foundation of learning, creativity, self-expression, and constructive problem-solving. It’s how children wrestle with life to make it meaningful.
Susan Linn, American psychiatrist

The National Toy Hall of Fame has inducted 44 classic toys, including the stick. In discussing the stick, the Hall of Fame observes...

"The stick may be the world’s oldest toy. Animals play with sticks, and we use them to play fetch with our dogs. Children find sticks an endless source of make-believe fun. Sticks can turn into swords, magic wands, majorette batons, fishing poles, and light sabers. When children pretend with sticks, they cultivate their creativity and develop their imagination. They explore as they search outdoors for just the right one. Children build with sticks, bat balls with them, and walk with them. They are the original building blocks for creative play. Sticks also promote free play — the freedom to invent and discover. They encourage playing outside instead of inside. Sticks are all around us; they are natural and free. And playing with sticks isn’t just for children and animals. Adult artists, crafters, decorators, and architects all make use of sticks in sculptures, wreaths, furniture, and building design. Few adults or children can resist simple play with sticks — from drawing in the sand on the beach, to building a campfire and then toasting marshmallows. Sticks are not only possibly the oldest toy, they’re possibly the best!"

If we are looking only at the preschool years, what do you see as the classic toys? Share your recommendations in this week's Exchange Insta Poll, "Classic Toys for Young Children."

Play in the Lives of Young Children

That's right, Exchange's Value of Play CD Book includes over 100 articles from Exchange and the HighScope Foundation. And the updated version includes the latest "Infant Toddler Toy Guide" by Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children's Entertainment. Issues addressed by the 100+ articles include...

The Purpose of Play
HighScope Perspectives on Play
Advocating for the Value of Play
Play in Practice
Taking Play Outdoors
Play Materials

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