The importance of play for healthy development is undeniable. Aspects of play have been linked to the development of social skills, health and fitness, motivation, curiosity, innovation, imagination, and problem solving. Both theory and research suggest that play of various types is critical for healthy development and that playfulness is an important quality across the life span. However, opportunities to play and quality of play facilities in schools, after-school programs, childcare centers, community parks, and museums are not equitable by race, socio-economic status, and ability. And racial profiling, immigrant status, illness, and incarceration interfere with child's play. The first section of the book defines play and social justice and describes disparities in play opportunities in childcare, schools, and communities as well as inequities in how play is interpreted. The next section describes pre-school, elementary, high school, and university programs that use play to liberate, teach, and build community as well as after-school, hospital, and community programs that help to level the playing field of opportunity. The final part of the book discusses ways to ameliorate inequities through research and advocacy. Four research methods are described that are useful for conducting studies on the amount of play children experience, attitudes toward play, and the effect of play on other variables. Finally, a child, a parent, and a teacher describe ways they tried to obtain more recess, using various methods of advocacy. The appendix provides resources indispensable for those convinced that play for all is indeed a social justice issue worthy of advocacy.

Too often teachers and students doubt their own abilities to forge collective work and dynamic critical learning in the midst of education reform practices that limit their opportunities to do so. This doubt can be heightened for elementary school teachers or even their students who are led to believe that they are not capable of engaging critically with their education and their world. The Problem-Solution Project erases this doubt through merging service-learning, critical pedagogy, and constructivism. This approach to teaching and learning is designed to empower teachers and students while they meet curriculum standards and actively contribute to the transformation of their world. Unique to this collection are the reported experiences of teacher educators who implement Problem-Solution Projects in their courses; preservice teachers' reflections on cohort-driven Problem-Solution Projects; and first-year and veteran teachers stories featuring Problem-Solution Projects initiated by their PK-5 students. Features include: Describes how Problem-Solution Projects advance service-learning and critical pedagogy. Discussion of how Problem-Solution Projects build on curriculum standards but resists standardization of implementation and repressive education reforms. First-hand accounts of teachers implementing Problem-Solution Projects. Detailed description of the steps and outcomes of doing Problem-Solution Projects with preservice teachers, inservice teachers, and elementary students. . Examples of Problem-Solution Projects across courses, subjects, disciplines, and contexts. Readers will find worthwhile the theoretical connections and the practical applications. Service-learning, urban education, multicultural education and teacher education, teacher preparation practitioners will find this text beneficial. The main audience: teacher educators across disciplines, pre- and in-service teachers working in elementary (PK-5) settings.

Too often teachers and students doubt their own abilities to forge collective work and dynamic critical learning in the midst of education reform practices that limit their opportunities to do so. This doubt can be heightened for elementary school teachers or even their students who are led to believe that they are not capable of engaging critically with their education and their world. The Problem-Solution Project erases this doubt through merging service-learning, critical pedagogy, and constructivism. This approach to teaching and learning is designed to empower teachers and students while they meet curriculum standards and actively contribute to the transformation of their world. Unique to this collection are the reported experiences of teacher educators who implement Problem-Solution Projects in their courses; preservice teachers' reflections on cohort-driven Problem-Solution Projects; and first-year and veteran teachers stories featuring Problem-Solution Projects initiated by their PK-5 students. Features include: Describes how Problem-Solution Projects advance service-learning and critical pedagogy. Discussion of how Problem-Solution Projects build on curriculum standards but resists standardization of implementation and repressive education reforms. First-hand accounts of teachers implementing Problem-Solution Projects. Detailed description of the steps and outcomes of doing Problem-Solution Projects with preservice teachers, inservice teachers, and elementary students. . Examples of Problem-Solution Projects across courses, subjects, disciplines, and contexts. Readers will find worthwhile the theoretical connections and the practical applications. Service-learning, urban education, multicultural education and teacher education, teacher preparation practitioners will find this text beneficial. The main audience: teacher educators across disciplines, pre- and in-service teachers working in elementary (PK-5) settings.

The Association for the Study of Play (ASP) is the sponsor of the seventh volume in the Play and Culture Studies Series. The ASP is a professional group of researchers who study play. The purpose of this series is to advance knowledge about play and culture. Volume seven presents current theoretical and empirical research on play and culture from a variety of disciplines including psychology, education, and sociology. The book begins with an overview of the twentieth-century and moves from conceptualizing play to significant and timely topics, such as the relationship between play and literacy. Applications to practice and policy implications are presented and include play with action figures; playgrounds; play as an integral part of the human experience; and the value of play with books for toddlers. Research activity and interests of contemporary play scholars are highlighted and discussed in relation to projected problems and needs facing us as we enter the new millennium, such as childhood obesity; play as a venue for social interaction; and play as a method of developing skill for interaction at the local and national levels as adults.