How have attitudes toward play changed over time? What kinds of toys did inventors play with as children? Is the quality and quantity of children’s play changing? If play is changing, how will that affect invention? Reflect upon these and other questions through video commentaries and toy displays.

* The idea that play can shape the way a child thinks and learns is common in American history. * In 17th and 18th century colonial society, play, toys, and games were recognized as vital to a child’s mental and physical development * The development of kindergartens, increased attendance in public schools, and the introduction of public playgrounds led to new ideas about play and more opportunities for it. * With new technologies in the 20th century-- radio, movies, television, and computers--parents and educators wonder whether children are too dependent on passive entertainment and losing the benefits of traditional play. Inventors and historians wonder whether the changes in how we play will change how we invent.

* Many inventors are were inspired by playing as a child * Among their most frequently cited childhood play experiences are: mechanical tinkering, fiddling with construction toys, reflecting about nature, and drawing or engaging in visual modeling. * The playful approaches cited by creative adults form an interesting parallel to the four kinds of children’s play that child- development experts identify as more or less universal: Exploration/Tinkering Make Believe/Visual Thinking Social Play/Collaboration Puzzle Play/ Problem Solving

* “We are all too much inclined to walk through life with our eyes shut. There are things all around us, and right at our very feet, that we have never seen; because we have never really looked.” –Alexander G Bell * “All sorts of things can happen when you’re open to new ideas and playing around with things.” –Stephanie Kwolek (Inventor of Kevlar) * “I think playing is critical for coming up with new ideas. It’s something we try to encourage here at the office. The play state is inherently creative.”-IDEO (Innovative Design Team)

* Cloud Dreamer- Make Believe/Visual Thinking * Use your powers to design a cloud of your own and send it up into the sky * Puzzle Blocks- Puzzle Play/Problem Solving * Choose between 3 puzzles to assemble a bird, boat, or man * Tinker Bell- Exploration/Tinkering * Create and find your own paths to help the ball reach the goal * Word Play- Social Play/Collaboration

* Using our imaginations encourages original thinking, flexibility, adaptability, empathy, and the ability to generate multiple solutions to a problem * Pretend play helps us learn to think visually and spatially and to both capture and express ideas. * Playing with games and puzzles helps our ability to recognize and understand categories, patterns, and associations. * Being able to recognize patterns and find new ones helps us bring together what we know to find a single solution to a problem. * Being able to break out of patterns and fixed mind-sets allows us to pose questions differently and approach problems from new perspectives. * Testing and discussing ideas with others can enhance individual creative abilities and provide more options when solving a problem. * Experimenting with materials and pushing their limits encourages us to consider a wide range of possibilities when problem-solving. * Playing around with objects and ideas helps us see that there may be more than one solution. * Social play teaches us how to share and take turns, how to communicate, and how to behave in groups or on teams.

* Discuss with students the importance of play, tell them about the inventors who were inspired by play. * Have them use their imagination to write a story about something they would invent. Draw a picture of your invention! * Many lessons can be incorporated with play, it is important to let the child explore *