FOR KIDS
"Let your children's lessons take the form of play," advised Plato. We are dedicated to helping local families do just that.
Is playtime really critical to children's development and do kids today play less than their counterparts did twenty years ago? Yes!
According to a new book, 'Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul' by Stuart Brown and Christopher Vaughan, The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has found that hiring top graduates from premier schools is no longer enough. Recent graduates often lack problem solving skills. JPL now asks potential employees about how they played as children and the hands on projects they did.
Elizabeth Hartley-Brewer, in her book 'Raising Confident Boys: 100 Tips for Parents and Teachers,' suggests that "...through safely managed independent play, boys gradually realize that they can handle life on their own." She sites play as being essential for "the development of self esteem and confidence," not just because children practice social and problem-solving skills, but because, through play, children learn about themselves and establish their own identity.
Beyond intellectual growth, play has been linked to emotional and social growth. The Association for Play Therapy in the United States asserts that play may be "as important to human happiness and well being as love and work."
What does this mean for our community? Local school systems have been forced to compromise between playtime and study time, while at home, children are spending more time watching TV and playing video games. But there are ways to foster parent-child interaction, empower children’s natural problem solving abilities, and bring the focus of childhood back to playtime, the time experts say is critical for children’s growth. Children’s museums all over the country are doing just that.
What is most important to you as a parent, grandparent, family member or caregiver? Every family brings new meaning to a community as well as unique needs.
Within confidential focus groups, local mothers told us how they spend their time, how they deal with the isolation of long New York winters, and what they feel is missing from this area. They expressed a desire for more places to go in the winter, with age appropriate play spaces. Many also expressed a deep desire to foster global awareness in their children. All valued local support and play groups. It was even suggested that we have more "focus groups" just for fun--so moms can actually talk while their kids play!
In a similar focus group, local grandmothers shared their thoughts about the needs of this community. We found that grandparents are doing everything undZer the sun with their grandchildren, including play doh, cooking, sewing, baking, painting, gardening, tea parties, dress up, and in the words of one enthusiastic grandparent "doing a lot of clapping!" Some even mentioned making snow-angels and ski-jumping on the wii. They expressed concern about the intense schedules children keep these days, while noting a lack of activities for children too young for kindergarten. They expressed a desire for more kid-friendly cultural events in the area and more opportunities for kids to make cross-cultural connections. They all wished for a clean, safe place to have playdates outside of private homes and not associated with fast food.
The goal of Oneonta World of Learning is to be, first and foremost, a local resource, a place for children and their caregivers to reconnect within a larger community.
