The Teacher Tom blog is authored by Tom Hobson, the sole teacher at the Woodland Park Cooperative Preschool in Seattle, Washington. Writing a personal blog that is separate from but inspired by his daily activities at the preschool, Tom writes about “teaching and learning from preschoolers.”1

• 1. “Teacher Tom.” < teachertomsblog.blogspot.com > 30 Jan. 2013.

Tetherball is a game that has been popular on playgrounds, schoolyards, and summer camps for years. The game involves two players who attempt to hit a ball attached to a pole by a rope in opposite directions until one of them wraps the rope completely around the pole and the ball stops. Tetherball can be enjoyed by school-aged children and adults alike with varying levels of fitness and very little expense.1

• 1. Norman, Paul A.”Tetherball Games.” Livestrong.com. < http://www.livestrong.com/article/168318-tetherball-games/ > 3 Nov. 2011.

The Chimes Company offers indoor and outdoor recreational musical instruments and sensory equipment for inclusion in playgrounds, schools, nature and botanical parks, and rehabilitation and therapy facilities as well as zoos and family entertainment centers. Their note accurate instruments extend the benefits of musical play and music therapy to persons of all ages and abilities.

With multiple audiences in mind, The Developmental Benefits of Playgrounds, coauthored by Joe L. Frost, Pei-San Brown, John A. Sutterby, and Candra D. Thornton, reviews selected research by doctoral students and faculty at the University of Texas during a 35 year running research program at Redeemer School in Austin, Texas. This is the third book linked to this program published by the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) concerning children's play and playgrounds. These began with When Children Play in 1985, continued with Playground Injuries and Litigation in 1996, and culminated with this volume in 2004.1

• 1. Frost, Joe L., Pei-San Brown, John A. Sutterby, and Candra D. Thornton. Introduction.

Published in 2011 by Algonquin Books,The Nature Principle, Richard Louv's follow up book to Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, expands the focus beyond children to our society's needs for nature. He maintains that “reconnection to the natural world is fundamental to human health, well-being, spirit, and survival.”1 Richard sees seven integrated concepts of nature's “restorative and productive powers:”2

• 1. Louv, Richard. The Nature Principle. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books, 2011. p. 3.
• 2. Op.cit., Louv., p.

Dr. Henry S. Curtis, a leader in the American play movement, wrote The Play Movement and Its Significance (1917) to provide “a concrete picture of the extent of the development of play in this country, the sources from which the movement has sprung, and the direction in which it is going.”1 At a time when the daily realities of the industrial revolution were evident, he believed that recreation for adults and organized play for children “can do more to correct the evils of institutional life than any other single agency.”2

• 1. Curtis, Henry S. The Play Movement and Its Significance (1917). New York: The MacMillian Company, 1917. p. v.
• 2. Ibid.

David Elkind, the author of The Hurried Child and Ties That Stress, has added a third book, The Power of Play, that encapsulates his belief that “a happy and productive life” must include playing, loving, and working.1 He believes they are the “three inborn drives that power human thought and action”2 While philosophers and researchers have championed play, David maintains they have done it at the exclusion of work, love, and child development factors. Meanwhile, educators have discussed development solely in terms of physical, emotional-social, and intellectual concepts.

• 1. Elkind, David. The Power of Play. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2007. pp. xi, 3.
• 2. Op.cit., Elkind. p. 3.

After a lifetime of collecting dolls and toys, in 1968 Margaret Woodbury Strong created the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum of Fascination in her home in Rochester, New York. For more than a decade Margaret had been conducting official and unofficial tours of her collections, so she named the official museum after the way her guests would often describe her collections.1 She hoped her museum would “fascinate, educate, and entertain.”2

• 1. “Margaret Woodbury Strong.” The Strong. < http://www.thestrong.org/about-us/margaret-woodbury-strong > 4 April. 2011.
• 2. About Us.” The Strong. < http://www.thestrong.org/about-us > 4 April 2011.

Themed Recreation Company creates themed playgrounds, stand-alone play and climbing structures, icon play and brand sculptures, and spray or misting play pieces. Their material of choice to use in the fabrication process is GFRC (glass fiber reinforced concrete). With their sister company, the Chimes Company,  they can integrate sensory equipment and musical instruments into their designs.

Play can be very therapeutic for children. Play is a way of removing stress and having fun. Play implies freedom, safety, trust, and a sense of well-being. Adding play to children’s lives leads to less depression, less anxiety, less stress, and less aggression. Play is fundamentally important for the emotional health of children and is a way for them to express emotion that cannot be said with words. Children who have been play-deprived or have experienced trauma or abuse will experience more fear, more pent up emotions, and more intense conflicts with others.1

• 1. “Therapeutic Value of Play.” Abuse Consultants. < http://www.abuseconsultants.com/rdirctrl/index.asp?PageDirect=PlayValue > 1 Nov. 2010.

The Time to Play magazine is an e-magazine resource of the latest toys and games, children's books, electronic games, family movies, sporting goods, and “all things play.”1 Before writing independent reviews, compiling “top” lists, and filming weekly spotlight videos, they investigate and play with all the newest products. Their motto is: “We play hard, so you can play better.”2

• 1. “The Time to Play Holiday 2012 'Most Wanted' Revealed, Jim and Chris Bryne Announce the Top Toys Kids Will Be Asking for This Holiday Season.” BusinessWire. < http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120928005889/en/Time-Play-Holiday-2012-'Most-Wanted'-Revealed > 7 Feb. 2013.
• 2. “About Us.” Time to Play. < http://www.timetoplaymag.com/about/ > 6 Feb.

The Toy Industry Association, Inc. (TIA) is a private, not-for-profit organization headquartered in New York City, New York. It was founded April 21, 1916 as the Toy Manufacturers of America, Inc. The Toy Industry Association represents more than 535 manufacturers and importers who account for 85% of the toys distributed in North America. In 2010, retail sales of toys in the United States were $21.87 billion.1

• 1. “About TIA.” Toy Industry Association, Inc. < http://www.toyassociation.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=About_TIA&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=3&ContentID=2546 > 17 Feb. 2011.

Children naturally love to climb trees. If they find a tree with numerous branches that is accessible to climb, they will start their ascent to explore the heights above. Some children find the shelter of a tree makes a great place to hide out and be alone.1

• 1. “FAQs for Kids.” Tree Climbers International. < http://www.treeclimbing.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=280:faqs-for-kids&catid=72&Itemid=148 > 26 Oct. 2010.

TÜV SÜD America is a technical inspection company that provides third-party safety testing, inspection, and certification services. In 2010, TÜV SÜD America began to administer the International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) third-party certification for U.S. and Canadian play equipment and U.S. public play surfacing materials when they bought the certification test activities from Detroit Testing Laboratory, Inc.1

• 1. “Detroit Testing Laboratory, Inc. Sells Certification Testing Activity.” Detroit Testing Laboratory, Inc. < http://www.dtl-inc.com/pdfs/press/detroit_testing_laboratory_inc_certification_sale.pdf > 15 Sep. 2011.