An alternative to despair

During times of crisis we are reminded of the important and serious role play has in people's lives. 

As people in Haiti recover from the recent earthquake, stories are emerging of the techniques used by survivors to assuage the panic and anguish they felt as they waited to be rescued. We found this moving article about a survivor who used his imagination to take him to a violin concert where he was the lead musician. 

And Plan UK, a child-centred community development organisation, is working in Haiti right now, to give children valuable play opportunities, helping  them gain a sense of normality among the chaos.  

As Stuart Brown M.D., a contemporary American psychiatrist says

"Play allows us to develop alternatives to violence and despair; it helps us learn perseverance and gain optimism."

Image from Plan UK 

Play and make good cheer

This is our last quote before Christmas so a festive saying is in order today. Thomas Tusser (1524-1580), a sixteenth century farmer and poet is known for an instructional poem entitled Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry, published in 1557. As well as the well-known quote below, he is credited with coining the much-repeated proverb, "A fool and his money are soon parted."

"At Christmas play and make good cheer, for Christmas comes but once a year."

Have a read of this article by Idler Tom Hodgkinson whose fantasy Christmas involves lots of time for play and possibly resembles the kind of holiday that Thomas Tusser would have recognised! 

What games will you be playing with your family this holiday?

Changing play

This week we read an article from the BBC website about how children's freedom to play has sadly declined over the last 50 years due to a number of factors including stranger danger, changes in architectural design and the increase in cars on the roads.

We were reminded of this quote from contemporary American psychiatrist Stuart Brown, M.D. who says:

"Those who play rarely become brittle in the face of stress or lose the healing capacity for humor."

The accompanying TV series Hop, Skip and Jump: The Story of Children's Play is available on BBC iPlayer

Learning through play with Walt Disney

We turn to Mickey Mouse creator, Walt Disney (1901-1966) today, who was born on 5 December 108 years ago. This quote embodies everything that Eureka! aims to be with its learning through play philosophy...

"I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something, than educate people and hope they were entertained."

Rooted in play

With Diwali celebrated earlier this month, Eid this weekend and Christmas approaching - Advent Sunday is also this weekend - here's a quote from Dutch historian Johan Huizing (1872-1945) reminding us about the role of play in our society:

"Now in myth and ritual the great instinctive forces of civilized life have their origin: law and order, commerce and profit, craft and art, poetry, wisdom and science. All are rooted in the primeval soil of play."

Find out how to make your Advent Christingle on The Children's Society website

Pudsey visits Eureka!

It's BBC Children in Need today so we have a quote inspired by Pudsey's spots from Joan Almon, a contemporary American educator. Okay so they're not quite bubbles but you get the gist.

"Creative play is like a spring that bubbles up from deep within a child."

Eureka! is the Yorkshire host for the BBC Children in Need show tonight. Tune in for three live transmissions from the museum as fundraisers and their families explore the galleries, present their cheques to the BBC charity and meet the special bear himself.

This year’s Appeal, which was launched back in September, is asking people to ‘Do Something Different’ – a challenge inviting inventive fundraisers to do something outside of their usual routine to help raise much needed funds to help disadvantaged children and young people right here in the UK.

Last year, the British public helped Pudsey raise a record breaking £37.8 million. These funds are currently being used to significantly enhance the lives of thousands of disadvantaged youngsters across the UK, with 52 grants totaling £3,155,508 helping children in West Yorkshire.

Dribble, pass and shoot!

A quote today from someone who has had great sporting success through play!

"Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game."

Michael Jordan

American basketball player

When children pretend

Today's quote comes from well-loved, American children’s TV host, Fred Rogers (1928-2003) who said:

"When children pretend, they’re using their imaginations to move beyond the bounds of reality. A stick can be a magic wand. A sock can be a puppet. A small child can be a superhero."

And a grown-up can go to 'Santa School' to become... Father Christmas as we learn from today's BBC News!

These children in last year's Eureka! Grotto seem to definitely be using their imaginations as the museum becomes a magical, Arctic hideaway. Fortunately the staff at Eureka! have no need for 'Santa School' and are already fully trained in the art of play!

A love of play

Today's quote is from the well-known, French painter, Henri Matisse (1869-1954).

"Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play."

Matisse's collages, such as The Snail which he created in 1953 aged 84(!), are often used as inspiration for children's art and craft projects and you can see why with such vibrant colours.

Play keeps you fit

Today's quote comes from Stuart Brown, M.D., a contemporary North American psychiatrist and founder of the USA's National Institute for Play in California:

"Play keeps us fit physically and mentally."

And this video clip demonstrates it pretty well - perhaps something we can hope to see inside Eureka! one day?

Play is a necessity

Today we have a quote from Kay Redfield Jamison, a professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore who makes a serious point about play:

"Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity."

This really reiterates the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which is 20 years old this year and states:

"Parties recognise the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts."

Friday is quote day

We'll be posting quotes every Friday around the subject of play. Maybe they'll make you see things differently or even challenge your own ideas about play; but at the very least we hope they'll entertain you!

"In our play we reveal what kind of people we are." Ovid (43BC-18AD)

It seems that even way back in Roman times there were people around who understood the value of play as this quote from the Roman poet Ovid shows.