"Can you imagine what the world might be like if we all managed to maintain the natural curiosity and playfulness of our child-self through into our adult life and on to the end of our days?"
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a \'lɒŋ- rēd'\ piece
An 1,800 word biographical piece about my early introduction to Playwork and to the world of New Games offered as a tribute to Bernie DeKoven, long-time playful person and key member of the New Games movement. Bernie is true-hero of mine and I count him as being a great influence on my working practice. All Hail Bernie!
This peace gives a definition of 'playfulness' and touches on the importance of being able to conquer self-consciousness when working around the playing child.
"Anyone who says children do not think critically has never watched a two-year-old pick up some new object for the first time and stare at it."
a \‘lɒŋ- rēd’\ piece
A 2,100 word piece that asks if you have any books on philosophy on your shelves becasue there is a real, and ancient, link between play and the thinking science. Critical Thinking gets a mention as does Monty Python and famous internet meme.
A PDF version of this essay is available for download in the text.
"I can see the reasoning behind saying play is the child’s equivalent of work … but it isn’t, and saying it is doesn’t help."
An 1,800 word piece that points out that those who don't know their history are doomed to make the mistakes of the past. So, this piece links the topics of play and history together and traces a line of thought through some significant names.
A PDF version of this essay is available in the text.
