Have you noticed that kids today don't seem to know how to play? How many times have you driven through a neighborhood and be struck by the realization that there are no children outside playing.  You might begin to think you are in an old Twilight Zone episode where aliens have come down from outer space and abduct all of our children.  They have been abducted, not by aliens from outer space, but instead by the TV, Computers and other Electronics we have brought into our homes.  Instead of playing outside in the fresh air with their friends they are inside  "playing" and "socializing" on their computers.  

Play is our children's equivalent of work. It is important that they "play" and have fun being involved in activities that foster development of a love of nature and the out of doors and so much more.  Children's play allows a child to explore activities and subjects that can lead to many satisfying life-long interests.     

Childhood play is serious business. Many studies (see a few below) have shown that childhood play assists in developing a child's: imagination, social skills, self esteem, ability to learn and physical fitness. California Department of Education study indicates that a child's regular participation in outdoor activity produces a "measured mastery of science concepts by 27%".

Yet another study reported in the . . . & Science section of The Week magazine reports "Too much television hurts your kid in every possible way.  Every hour beyond average that younger toddlers watched made them, by the 4th grade, 7% less engaged in class, 6% worse at math, and 10 percent more likely to be bullied; they also snacked more, exercised less, and had higher ratios of body fat."