Scientists Talk about Play

On a bulletin board at the Little Friends co-op, I was held captive by an article about play that appeared in the NY Times.  I must be living under a rock, or spending too much time "playing" because honestly, I did not know that play was a scientific topic of study.  Many times I've felt a little embarrassed that I have spent the last year building a business that seeks to uplift the spirits of children through imaginary play.  I've felt tiny pangs of insecurity over the choice to home school.  Some days I wonder...
   Maybe I should be going back to school for that teaching license or Master's degree.  Maybe I should be devoting 30 plus hours a week job searching.  I have those little guilty twinges, more often than I care to admit.
    But the discovery that there is something called the National Institute for Play validates my endeavors. In the article,  I read the following phrases as if I were sampling chocolates in Switzerland:

     "dangerous, long-term consequences of play deprivation"


     "play is as fundamental as sleep and dreams"


     "essential time for idle, creative, unstructured free play"

The article in its entirety can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/magazine/17play.htm

Through reading this article I discovered this amazing video of a Polar Bear playing with a Husky.  Even Bears like to play dogs!!!!!
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCJ5_Oc2T3g