Children at Play: Using Waldorf Principles to Foster Childhood Development

Rating:
Summary: Really quite thought provoking...
Review: all parents should read this and do what they can to foster real play in their children. This book makes me realize just how many plastic toys my daughter has in her room, how stain-free her clothes are because she doesn't like to get dirty, and how much she is missing because of all of that. She needs to get outside more, fly more kites (read the book, then you'll know about kites!), dig more dirt, bring home more bugs and animals and make up her own rules and her own games. Many well-intentioned parents (myself among them) are doing more harm than good to their kids by 'teaching' them how to play, enrolling them in organized activities, keeping them away from 'germs', and filling their rooms with stereotyped plastic toys. Yikes! What are we doing? I am so very glad I bought this book, and if anything I have said in this review strikes a chord with you, then please buy a copy for yourself. I know you won't be disappointed. You'll be inspired. (If you like this book, check out "A Day in the Garden" by Bettina Steitencron -- it is a wordless picture book favorite of ours!)

Rating:
Summary: Not just for Waldorfians
Review: I have dusted the cobwebs off of so many forgotten childhood memories since reading this book. This book has also been excellent for encouraging me to play more imaginatively with my kids. Children At Play is an unexpected life altering book.