My Connections to Play

The following quotes stuck out to me

Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.

Diane Ackerman
Contemporary American author

Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.

Kay Redfield Jamison
Contemporary American professor of psychiatry


The following pictures are objects that i remember playing with as a child:












When I was little I played with barbie dolls and teddy bears. I would pretend they were people and make them talk to me. Growing up I did not have any friends so I really relied on my toys to play with. I loved dressing up dolls and pretending that I was in a fantasy land. Playing was a great escape from the reality of the real world. I still today have teddy bears that I sleep with and that comfort me when I have had a bad day.
Play today is different from when I was little. When I was little we got to play in school and go outside. Today's children do not get to experience that because the most important thing today is testing and making sure students pass. It is like the policy makers have forgotten what is like to be kids. We have got to get back to the roots and find out how to ensure that students are learning without jepordizing a child's right to play.