Welcome to the US Play Coalition!
The US PLAY Coalition is a partnership to promote the value of play throughout life.
The first play movement started the early 1900`s. Now, given the many problems with obesity and other social ills that have occurred with the erosion of play opportunities, it is time to begin the second great play movement. We ask you to help us as we do so. The time has come for all of us to help our children, and citizens regardless of age, create a better life, and ultimately, to make a difference in today’s world by making joys and benefits associated with play a reality for all.
Annotated Bibliography on Play now Available!
Carly Summers, a Grad Student and US Play Coalition staff member extraordinaire, has worked with our Co-Chair Fran Mainella to develop an annotated bibliography on play, available here.
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The 2012 Conference on the Value of Play was a HUGE Success!
Thank you to everyone involved with the 2012 Conference on the Value of Play: Multi-Generational Actions and Strategies! The Conference is truly a collaborative effort between speakers and sponsors, attendees and service staff, organizers and of course, PLAYers! We had more than 265 attendees from a wide range of sectors — including play practitioners, medical professionals, educators, parents, landscape architects and others with an interest in play.
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Alarming new Stats on Childhood Obesity
Dr. Amy Porter, a Kaiser Permanente Pediatrician, released alarming new statistics on childhood obesity in America through the American Journal on Pediatrics last March. This YouTube video provides an overview of her report's findings - including that 7.3 percent of boys, 5.5 percent of girls, 11.2 percent of Hispanic teenage boys and 12 percent of black teenage girls are now classified as extremely obese. We need to get out and PLAY!
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Yuma just keeps on playing!
Congratulations to Yuma and the other 200 plus cities selected as 2012 Playful Cities USA by KaBOOM! Yuma is continuing to build on its six year winning streak by building new parks and play areas and expanding already successful services. For a full list of 2012 cities, look here: http://kaboom.org/take_action/playful_city_usa/2012_playful_city_usa_communities
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Seniors, it is time to Play!
Another news posting reminding us that May is Older Americans Month and this year's theme "Never Too Old to Play." In MarketWatch, a few examples of the initiatives underway for seniors are provided, maybe you can use these to spark your own imagination and begin a similar program in your area. Go Play!
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Gear up for National Kids to Parks Day!
Kids and their families are invited to enjoy the natural beauty and adventure of America's national, state, and local parks on May 19th. With a website devoted entirely to the program, you are sure to find a park with activities near you or you can use a toolkit to jumpstart your own adventure (www.kidstoparks.org). Be sure to log on and register in the next three weeks as a demonstration of your commitment to this dual cause of outdoor experience and PLAY!
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A new resource on Play!
Introducing "The Play and Playground News Center" brought to you by Playground Professionals LLC. This is a website full of news on play, links to awesome playgrounds, ideas for projects and fundraising, and more! And if you scroll to the very bottom you will see an advertisement for the 2013 Conference on the Value of Play, mark your calendars!
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National Kids to Parks Day! - May 19 - "The vision is simply to remind adults to take a child in their lives to a park - where they can hike a trail, visit a national historic site, or even canoe on a river. American adults live busy and pressure-filled lives - why not give them a reason to take the time to connect a child with an American treasure – a park?"
26th International Council for Children's Play (ICCP) World Play Conference - June 17 to June 20 - The 26th ICCP World Play Conference will be held in Tallinn, Estonia on the 18 and 19 June 2012, organised in co-operation with Tallinn University and the Estonian Union for Child Welfare. Children need time and space to play as part of their everyday lives. 'Play' is provided and organised in many different forms, from educational activities for pre-school children to childcare services for school-aged children; from playwork settings to youth services; from outdoor play to play in the virtual environment for children of all ages; from sports and leisure activities for young children and teenagers; and many, many more. This conference will explore what can be learnt from research about the provision of play by adults in the light of the widely-held view of children's need for undirected time and space in their lives from a practical, philosophical and historical perspective.