Community Education: Play is Learning!

The research is clear: children (and humans of all ages) must play in order to develop optimally. Studies are now showing that preschool programs that have overly focused on so-called "academic skills" actually do more harm than help their students in the long run. Also, studies of creativity show that graduates of the K-12 education system have a drastically lowered display of creativity than they did when they entered at age 5. How can we return to play as the focal point in children's lives and advocate for its rightful place in their schooling? What does it require of us as parents and caregivers? What kind of play is best for young children, and why? We will explore these topics, as well as discuss the tricky moments of certain types of play, such as risky play, role play, play entry, inclusion/exclusion, and pretend-weapons. Bring your baggage! Just kidding. Bring an open heart and a willingness to listen and grow. We will do lots of sharing and we will have a lighthearted play activity to practice our own open-ended play skills. Presentor is Shawna Thompson, BS in early childhood development and education and MAT in early elementary teaching with emphasis on language and literacy.