Play challenge personal update

Some more ways that I am experimenting with play:  

• Wearing a scarf to visit families so that I can play peekaboo with the babies and toddlers  
• Light saber battles with wrapping paper tubes
• Making a race car out of a cardboard box with the nephews
• Extra walks and time on the elliptical
• Finished Stuart Brown's book Play, and now I'm starting to read The Gift of Play: Why Adult Women Stop Playing And How To Start Again. by Brannen, Barbara
• I'm exploring the things that I've enjoyed doing in the past. I'm learning that I enjoy physical play, and generally I enjoy getting outdoors.  I miss ice skating on a pond in the wintertime. I miss walks through the creeks of western New York. I enjoy walking on local trails, such as the Los Gatos Creek Trail.  I'm planning some dates with my hubby to go dancing.  
• Getting face-to-face with the babies and toddlers that I work with, observing them and enjoying their sweet smiles.
• I enjoy playing with the props that I use to emphasize a point when I am teaching or speaking. For example, I love to bring funny glasses to use to help us to look through someone else's point of view. I love to bring brain stress balls to teach about calming down first before trying to problem-solve. I love to use bubbles to teach babies (and adults) to calm and control their breath.  

The impact of play during pregnancy

“An expectant mother’s play can lower her stress levels and help lessen the discomforts of pregnancy, but that playfulness can also help preform the mind-set of the baby inside her.”

Excerpt From

Play

Stuart Brown, M.D. & Christopher Vaughan

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/play/id357998110?mt=11

This material may be protected by copyright.

Such a good feeling

Enjoy this video about play courtesy of Daniel Tiger or Mr. Rogers. 

Play is one of the building blocks of learning.

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Welcome to the December 2017 Play Challenge

In November 2017, we focused on increasing positive interactions in our relationships and decreasing negatives. For December, we are going to take that one step further and focus on play. The December Play Challenge means that we are going to make time for regular play and to look for different ways to play individually (both adults and children) and as a family. As Stuart Brown said in his TED talk in March 2009, “I would encourage you all to engage—not in the work-play differential where you set aside time to play—but where your life becomes infused minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour with body, object, social, fantasy, transformational kinds of play, and I think you will have a better and more empowered life.” Posts will be added throughout December, so come back frequently to see what's new.  Let’s play!