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PIE News - September 2023 - Back To School

Intro

Happy back to school everyone! This edition of Play in Education is focused on highlighting topics and resources for our amazing educators, to include inspirational stories from innovative students. Our goal here at PIE is to help educators and play professionals harness the power of play to make learning more fun and interactive! Thanks for sharing in our playful exploration.

As always, I’m happy to chat all things play and education, so please feel free to reach out!

Rebecca Horrace, Ed.D.
Playful Insights Consulting
rebecca@playfulinsights.com

EVENTS

Recap on ITRA

In early August, 95 toy researchers from 23 countries met at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY for the International Toy Research Association World Conference. Researchers and Play Professionals presented and discussed various play studies and toy design after an encouraging start to the conference by Tim Walsh. Below, Tim shares a bit about his inspiration for his keynote address.

“Inspired by the conference theme, Toys Matter: The Power of Playthings, in this keynote I illustrate that what we play with informs who we become. As humans, we do not need persuading to turn just about anything into a play object. Through the power of stories, I show how play objects like a pin, a stick, a popcorn can cover and a dictionary can lead to profound play and how the best play iterates over time. The talk closes with the ramifications of when play goes away and a call to action for adults to make room for kids to play. Seize the Play!” –Tim Walsh

Chicago Toy and Game Fair

Kick off the holiday season at the Chicago Toy & Game Fair held in Chicago, Illinois from Nov 1-5. This event is not to be missed as it includes Inventor Pitch and Innovation Conference, Toy & Game Innovation Excellence Awards - the TAGIEs, Young Inventor Challenge, The Play in Education Conference, PlayCHIC Influencer Event and North America’s largest consumer toy and game fair, Chicago Toy & Game Fair!

Educators: use this link to get your complimentary tickets for you and your family for the 2023 Chicago Toy & Game Fair!

The Young Inventor Challenge

The Young Inventor Challenge is one of the premiere events at the Chicago Toy & Game Fair, with a mission to encourage kids everywhere to use their imagination and skills to design toys and games. Students around the world are starting work on their toy and game ideas now as many teachers make it part of their curriculum. The YIC has many resources for educators for this program, to include either virtual or in-person submissions. All entrants receive feedback from industry executives and inventors, as well as the opportunity to win prizes, scholarships, and licensing agreements with toy and game companies.

EDUCATIONAL TOY SPOTLIGHT

As educational play advocates, we think it is very important to highlight companies that understand the importance of play in children’s development and learning. Hopefully you find our spotlighted company’s products in alignment to fulfill your playful mission with your students and your family!

PlanToys

Looking for a high-quality, wooden toy brand that promotes children’s educational development through the power of play? Look no further than PlanToys, where sustainability meets creativity through powerful play tools! PlanToys offers an array of captivating and Montessori-inspired toys, empowering children to explore, learn, and grow sustainably. Let’s hear from Rudy Valenta, VP of PlanToys:

PlanToys is a family-run, sustainable toy company that has been crafting heirloom wooden toys for over four decades. With a strong educational focus, PlanToys' commitment to sustainability and child development sets it apart in the industry.

For 42 years, PlanToys has been at the forefront of the toy manufacturing sector, prioritizing environmental responsibility at their factory in Thailand. Their exclusive use of repurposed rubber wood ensures that no additional trees are cut down to produce their toys. By employing organic pigments and water-based dyes, they guarantee a safe and eco-friendly playtime experience for children around the world.

What truly sets PlanToys apart is their dedication to promoting learning through play. Collaborating with childcare experts, they meticulously design toys that nurture cognitive, motor, and social skills in children. These toys not only engage young minds but also foster a deeper understanding of educational concepts in a fun and interactive manner.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

As we head back to school, I want to showcase our most important why–the students! These incredible children and young adults are proof that the next generation is making an impact through creativity and innovation. I had the pleasure of meeting with four impressive innovators at various stages of their educational and inventing careers, and I’m excited to share a little bit about how each one is helping make the world a bit better through ingenuity and playfulness!

Sriya Nagpal

Meet Sriya Nagpal, a 7 year old inventor from India who creates crafts from recycled items such as old CDs, walnut shells, sticks, rocks, and so forth. She enjoys crafting unique and innovative items, truly inspiring others to not waste, but rather create!

Let’s hear a bit from Sriya:

"I am Sriya Nagpal, 7-year-old inventor from Amity Global School, Gurugram, India. I started making recycling crafts when I was 5-year-old. According to me, being a responsible human being we should try to find innovative ways to reuse and recycle things for a sustainable future. I have made many useful recycling crafts like sceneries using dry leaves, animal puppets using old CD’s, newspaper paintings, cute pen stands using toilet rolls, tea coasters using bottle caps etc. I have also recycled materials like walnut shells, peanuts shells, pistachio shells, egg trays, old cardboards, glass bottles etc. I enjoy making recycling crafts because it is fun, I can give new life to old materials and save the environment. Recycling crafting gives me immense happiness. In the future I want to make more and more recycling crafts and I would recommend everyone to reuse and recycle for a better and sustainable future."

Robert and Aaron Zicman

Our next students are homeschooled brothers, Robert and Aaron Zicman, whose inventing passion takes them all over the world as they showcase their ideas and products to interested investors. Something remarkable about these two boys is that their main drive for their inventions is to make the Earth a more sustainable place.

Robert and Aaron share a bit about themselves and their goals:

"We are Robert and Aaron, two brothers who love inventing, robotics, traveling, dancing and skiing.

We live in Sheffield, UK, we are home educated and we participated in Invention Conventions in UK, China and America and we have also represented the UK at International World Educational Robotics (WER) Competitions in UAE and China.

We love inventing because it gives us so much freedom and unlimited possibilities to create anything and most importantly–our inventions could help everyone to have an easier life and have more sustainable solutions for everyday problems.

We don’t like that many solutions are causing an even bigger problem than the initial one, leading to pollution and disruption of natural habitats. So, our goal is to find better solutions that will help us and the planet at the same time, as it’s alive and it’s our home. We need to come up with new ideas that would protect the environment and we hope we can contribute to this."

Joseph Gonzalez

Did you know you can earn a degree focused on toys–cool! Our next student spotlight is Joseph Gonzalez who is merging his love of toys with his passion for education. He has an extensive background in toy design and visual arts, and is building upon his knowledge with a degree in Arts Education.

Joseph Gonzalez shares a bit about himself:

"I am a toy designer and visual artist active in the toy industry since my undergraduate from Fashion Institute of Technology in 2016, earning an AAS in Fine Arts and a BFA in Toy Design. My toy industry work comprises various multiple-category consumer products through external and internal licenses and other exclusive products. Then, my personal artwork focuses on toyetic aesthetics and play.

I have continued pursuing my art-making talent from a young age, eventually foreseeing a toy designer in my future when a high school ceramics teacher saw the toy-aesthetic in my artwork. I continue my professional development with participation in Toy Creators Academy, learning more about developing an idea in the toy business.

I will earn an MA in Arts Education at The City College of New York in December 2023. My goal is to discover toys' impact on consumers from a learning, creativity, and developmental standpoint. Afterward, I plan to use my newfound knowledge in education and passion for toy design to gain insight into the consumer base as I continue designing while teaching others about what I love doing."

Tasha O’Donnell

Finally, our last spotlight in this series is a recent graduate, Tasha O’Donnell. Her love of building and play helped inspire her to create her first toy! She even had the opportunity to participate in the 2022 POP Inventors Conference.

Tasha shares what she’s up to after her recent graduation:

"I’m a 2023 product design graduate from the University of Minnesota. Since childhood, you could find me building cardboard and paper houses plus accessories from my favorite toys: LEGO, Littlest Pet Shop, and American Girl Dolls. I’ve continued to cultivate this passion through illustration, design process iteration, an internship at Brickmania, and collecting an assortment of plushies along the way. While I always knew I wanted to be in a creative field, my love for playful design grew after completing a university course that gave me the space to explore and develop my very own toy in a group setting. This culminated into the creation of a wooden “Sandwich Stackers” toy I had the opportunity to present at last fall's POP Innovator Conference in Chicago. I’m currently freelancing–creating fun STEAM-themed toys–but also on the hunt for my first full-time design role where I can continue contributing to the joy and play movement!"

ARTICLES

Spatial Thinking and STEM: How Playing with Blocks Supports Early Math

We all know play helps with children’s fine motor skills, social-emotional skills, and language development, but let’s learn a bit about how playing with blocks supports children’s mathematical skills. Researchers Laura Zimmermann, Lindsey Foster, Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek unpack how children’s spatial skills develop through their engagement in guided-play and interactions with others.

Spatial Thinking and STEM.pdf

Learning Doesn’t STEM From Worksheets: Why STEM Learning Starts Beyond Paper and Pencil Tasks

Want to migrate away from worksheets during STEM instruction to keep your students more engaged and active during lessons? Take a read at the article I co-authored with Brian Stone where we provide ample suggestions of how to keep standardized worksheets out of the STEM environment, encouraging appropriate child-centered practices for educators to utilize as an alternative to paper-and-pencil tasks. Some suggestions include inquiry-based activities that foster student interests, integrated real-world activities, authentic assessments, centers, projects, and play in STEM.

Learning Doesn't Stem from Worksheets.pdf

EDUCATOR RESOURCES

Here at PIE, we value educators and the work you do for our future inventors and leaders! So this edition is jam-packed with resources to hopefully help with your creative lessons and playful teaching methods!

The Mediators

Morgan Russo, a former educator turned curriculum developer, understands the importance of teaching children how to navigate media and technology usage. Drawing from her expertise, Morgan wrote a book with fun characters that empower all children to make the most of their time with devices and find a healthy balance with screen time. And best of all–The Mediators includes a free media literacy curriculum with worksheets, lesson plans, discussion questions, and activities. Let's hear a bit more about this incredible resource:

The Mediators is a children's chapter book that teaches media literacy through an action-packed, pun-filled adventure. Students will join Tabby the Tablet, Buzz the Cell Phone, and Roller the Video Game Controller, as they go on a mission to mediate their family's media use. This book hopes to empower all children to make the most of their time with devices and find a healthy balance with screen time.

What teachers are saying:

"The Mediators is a phenomenal book that I have used with my students for many years. As a mom of 3, I have personally used many of the strategies The Mediators teach with my own family. The kids and parents of my classes have loved this book." -Amy P., 2nd grade teacher

"The Mediators and curriculum are spectacular companions to use for a media literacy program. We have used the book and corresponding curriculum with our students for the last few years. We need strategies to learn how to use our media positively - The Mediators does exactly this! She gives kids different strategies that they can use both in and out of the classroom. Both staff and students will genuinely enjoy reading this book and learning how to be media experts!" - Colleen P., CPS teacher

The Mediators can be purchased through Amazon by searching ‘The Mediators by Morgan Russo’ or emailing Morgan Russo directly for bulk/digital pricing at mjstumbras@gmail.com

Access to FREE corresponding resources: The Mediators Amazing Resources

Global Innovation Field Trip

Want to inspire innovators in your classroom? Encourage your students to enter the Global Innovation Field Trip (GIFT) through Innovation World! GIFT is experiential world learning at its very best, offering reimagined methods of showcasing and recognizing student innovators and educational programs which support and inspire inventors and innovation. Since every GIFT session is recorded, classrooms and students have the ability to view other participants and innovators anytime of the year, hopefully fueling the innovator fire in your students!

Let’s hear about GIFT from Juli Shively:

"The Global Innovation Field Trip (GIFT) is the quarterly, 24-hour, live-streamed, multi-country celebration of young innovators and programs that promote and prioritize youth innovation in all fields and career paths. The design is inclusive, allowing students of all ages, economic status, and from any country to participate, encouraging students to explore commonalities, interests, and collaboration with their contemporaries from around the world. In total, GIFT has hosted 1574 presenters from 63 countries.

Young innovators and program leaders typically sign up for a 10- or 25-minute presentation space. Presenters sign into the webinar at their agreed upon time and are greeted by the hosts who will guide them through their presentation time. Post-event, the video presentations are added to the GIFT site for easy access by innovators and educators around the world."

Brixilated

Who doesn’t love building with LEGO bricks?! Brixilated harnesses this universal passion and pairs it with their specially crafted curriculum to create educational, play-based magic for children and adults alike. Not only can the Brixilated method be used as after school programming, in traditional education, or as a day-camp experience, but it is flexible and versatile enough to be used in a variety of non-traditional settings like in adult autism centers, micro- and nontraditional schools, substance abuse recovery centers, and children’s hospitals.

Let’s hear a bit more about this playful company:

"At Brixalted, we believe in the power of play to change the world. That's why we use play to teach foundational skills needed to thrive in today’s changing world- skills like creativity, critical thinking, empathy, curiosity, and problem-solving. Our Brixilated Builders Academy (BBA) program uses a specially created LEGO® building curriculum to provide an innovative, play-based environment where students are better able to take in new information, build confidence, and practice the skills needed to thrive in our changing world, all while having fun!"

Please visit the Brixilated website for more information, to find classes near you, or to read more about how we can be part of your classroom!

KenKen

Looking for creative ways to get your students excited about math!? KenKen involves solving a grid by placing numbers strategically as well using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. With difficulty levels from beginner to advanced, it improves logical-thinking, concentration, number sense, and perseverance for people of all ages.

Robert Fuhrer shares a bit about this fascinating puzzle:

"KenKen, translated as “wisdom squared” from its original Japanese origin, is a beautiful logic and math puzzle published daily in the New York Times and hundreds of other newspapers. It is the fastest growing puzzle in the world with millions of players worldwide.

You are invited to join over 35,000 teachers and receive FREE educator packets each week during the school year, just by registering for an account. Visit KenKen Education section and check the teacher resources to set up your account and have personalized access for all your students."

To learn more about this remarkable educational game, watch The New Yorker documentary, "The Puzzle Inventor Who Makes Math Beautiful" about KenKen’s creator, Tetsuya Miyamoto.

Play Healing

Ever need a minute to just pause? Our next spotlight, Debi John, educator and founder of Play Healing CIC in the UK, is suggesting we all find time to PAUSE, PLAY, CONNECT Ⓡ. Debi recently collaborated with hundreds of Ukrainian families in Polish refugee centers. Her mission was simple yet powerful: introduce play-based attachment games to these families awaiting permanent homes. Debi's visit witnessed remarkable changes in the family’s well-being, thanks to these profoundly therapeutic activities.The PAUSE, PLAY, CONNECT Ⓡ Model, piloted in Poland and beyond, offers hope for families in crisis.

Debi explains a bit more about her program:

"There's a difference between playful activities and therapeutic play. This distinction is at the heart of the PAUSE, PLAY, CONNECT Ⓡ Model, which has yielded incredible results. The program has been piloted across Europe including training around 50 Ukrainian psychotherapists, making it ideal for families in crisis or struggling with traditional parenting programs. This innovative approach leverages the power of play to heal and strengthen parent-child bonds, offering hope in challenging times and a practical framework for educators and psychotherapists, to include simple games easily adapted for classroom use."

There are several course options on the PlayHealing website, from the Practical Feather Training (use Code: PLAY for 90% off) to more involved Professional Live Training with Connection Sessions (use Code: POP for 50%).

For more information email: debi@playhealing.com


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