for the love of play

I was talking on the phone last night with one of my wonderful brothers. He is in his first year of college and we were catching each other up on the last few weeks. He spoke about spending the day and night at a friend's house (who lives in a rural area of Florida, with acres upon acres of land). They rode on four-wheelers, chased wild turkeys, tracked animals, and roamed the woods. He said that this day was the best day he has had so far in his college experience. My brother is 19 years old and he just spoke to the pure joy and fun found in play and nature - at any age.

As we speak more and more about 'defending childhood' and 'defending play' this thought has just been tumbling through my mind. That this is what we crave - play, the natural world, freedom, friendship, and joy.

Here is a valuable video I found through the trusty Reggio Listserv, happy viewing.