Precious, precious are the moments when children become absorbed in the sacred pleasure of playing and creating with interesting three-dimensional materials and then reflect and share their thoughts and feelings as a story of what happened. The doing and making things during self active play! On Friday July 12, 2019, Bayside Discovery Center 13 summer …
Author Archives: Walter F. Drew
SFAEYC Workshop “Play with Paints with Dr. Drew”
This was an awesome experience for me. I loved being present, seeing 47 early childhood teachers so engrossed in a day of joyful play with paints! Relaxing and releasing the “art spirit”, members of the South Florida Association for the Education of Young Children (SFAEYC) came together to play, paint and share some of the …
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Play As Education
Marion County Public School Early Childhood Educators Engage in Play and Art-Making at Kinderoo Childrens’ Center, Ocala Florida Talk to me,…What do you see? Self active play is a form of play education. As with other types of “education”, such as “mathematics education” or “science education”. “Play education” is the practice of teaching and learning …
Brian Sutton Smith and “The Double 0”
On September 27, 2007 Brian Sutton Smith shared a paper at the Florida Association for the Education of Young Children titled: Play as the Survival Source of Optimism and Origination (The Double O). If there ever was a time for optimism and origination, creative optimism, it is now. Given play serves that purpose, as Brian …
The Tucson Workshop
Hands, Heart & Mind Exploring Self Active Play It began with the willingness to play. Exploring objects together, arranging, organizing, expressing ideas, visual patterns and feelings with open ended materials. Little purple foam cylinders, gold plastic caps, bits of fabric, bra snaps and Dr. Drew’s Discovery Blocks. Transformation happens. Insight, personal skills and meaning arise …
At our NAEYC 2019 workshop: From Play to Practice: Nurturing Peace and Emotional Wellbeing in Young Children
Actively investigating play and creativity using simple, open-ended materials affords the one who does, a unique opportunity to develop insight that enhances play knowledge and professional practice. When adults gather some unusual open-ended materials for a little self active play the mind shifts and gains a deeper understanding of play and how it advances healthy …
Dorian, Dorian
Hunkered down now in our room at the Fairfield Inn with “Butters”, Ben’s cockatiel, on my shoulder, Kitty on the bed beside me, Elijah sitting here with us too, Ben comfortable in his chair chatting and watching the US Open, the decisions you make determine the outcome of the game. It’s good to be together. …
Juneau Alaska
Crystal is a conference participant who wrote in her journal,…“I loved the stones in my hand. They felt smooth and cool. They came from the shore that’s a five minute walk and I felt a connection to them. They are all different shapes and sizes. Their color is consistent with slight variations of a middle …
A note to Carly
A moment ago I was thinking of the play talk I will be giving at the Florida One Goal Summer Conference in Tampa on July 17, 2019. I said to myself,….”talk about how children feel when they encounter circumstances beyond their control and the role of play in relieving distress. Disinterest and doubt arise. In …
The Journey Begins
Thanks for joining me! Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
Drew Thoughts 