The Goodnewspaper The Play Edition

HELLO HELLO! One of the best tools we have as human beings is the ability to make fun. Think about how many times you’ve made a situation bearable by making it more entertaining. Turning up the music while you do the dishes. Playing “Jeopardy!”in fifth grade, instead of traditional studying, to learn about the powerhouse of the cell. Turning an unsettling political event into a meme to cope with the enormity of the world at large. And we don’t do these things because we’re indulgent -or cringey, or immature, or even negligent. It’s because we’re humans who like to have fun, who like to wear sparkles and dance and laugh and put our heads together to score a coveted five extra credit points. It’s because we were designed to play.…

Nonprofit Out to Play has one mission: to bring mobile play spaces to children living in play deserts in Dallas/ Fort Worth, Texas. Play deserts are areas or neighborhoods where families do not live within a 10-minute walk to a free park or playground. In fact, Out to Play estimates that 40% of Fort Worth families live in play deserts. To close that gap, the organization trains educators and builds mobile nature play spaces to apartment complexes, shelters, and community organizations serving under-resourced families. Using natural materials like wood, water, sand, or even plants and botanicals, Out to Play sets up open-ended play stations for children who otherwise don’t have much room or access to learn and explore in Tarrant County. The organization supports children ages zero to six, popping…

Located in Rochester, New York and named after Margaret Woodbury Strong, The Strong National Museum of Play is dedicated to the role of play in learning and human development. While most museums might boast classic paintings or artifacts, The Strong honors decades of play history, while facilitating newfound curiosity at the same time. Spanning more than 285,000 square feet, the museum started with Strong ’s own collection of dolls, objects, and hobbies that spread over 50 categories but all relate in some way to play — especially her nearly 30,000 dolls and toys. Now, the museum is home to the National Toy Hall of Fame, the World Video Game Hall of Fame, the Brian SuttonSmith Library and Archives of Play, and the American Journal of Play. The first of its…

While it doesn’t seem like most of us are willing to wait in a day-long Ticketmaster queue for a chance to see KidzBop in concert, today’s youth still deserve the chance to boogie. In Philadelphia, the annual Kidchella Music Festival is an opportunity for kids to do just that. Aligned with summer and back-to-school season every year in June, July, and August, the festival hosts a number of acclaimed children’s music artists, games, art stations, storytimes, food trucks, and good old-fashioned playground fun. It’s taken place since 2014, and families love any excuse to come together at the historic 125-year-old Smith Memorial Playground. “[This space] was always intended for a place for kids to play,” Frances Hoover, the executive director of the Smith Memorial Playground, told CBS Philadelphia. Located inside…

GOOD Explore the magic of childhood and the power of play by listening to “Honoring Play,” a podcast by Kristen RB Peterson and Samual Broaden. Available wherever you listen to podcasts. kristenrbpeterson.com/podcasts BETTER Donate to organizations that help make play more accessible to children everywhere, like Out To Play (outtoplaytx.com), Playworks (playworks.org), or Eat, Learn, Play (eatlearnplay.org). BEST Get out and play! Whether you have children, nieces or nephews, or just unabashedly enjoy a playground in your area, exploring and engaging with the world with no agenda is a liberating experience for all.…

The climate crisis is a tough, overwhelming challenge to confront. And it doesn’t help that the world’s most dedicated scientists working on climate and conservation solutions are often limited by access to data, funding, and partnerships. In comes Adventure Scientists, an organization that designs, builds, and executes projects with the help of outdoor enthusiasts. Adventure Scientists trains volunteer explorers to collect high-quality scientific data with non-traditional methods: exploring the great outdoors. Focusing on areas of impact like forests, biodiversity, climate, and freshwater, volunteers have supported initiatives to study the impact of microplastics in waterways, gather “cone crops” in reforestation efforts in national forests, and even collect scat samples to study antibiotic resistance in wildlife. Whether in kayaks, on foot, in trees, or any other means, adventurers combine their natural instinct…