The Carnival of Play is sadly coming to an end. It has been exhausting, but a lot of fun. I’ve really enjoyed having the opportunity to read some new blogs and to read some great new posts on play from some of the regular blogs that I read. I was so thrilled by the number of people that participated and the effort that went into all of the posts. So everyone stand up and take a final bow. Here is the roundup of all of the posts from the Carnival.
My posts
The posts that I wrote for the Carnival included both original posts, links to other great play resources, and compilations of your posts.
Original Posts and Great Play Resources
- Time to Play: This was the post to introduce and kick-off the Carnival
- Beyond the Baby B’s: Attachment Through Play: A post on using play to stay connected with your kids.
- Creative Play is an Academic Pursuit: Talking about the importance of creative play in helping people to succeed in life.
- Silken Laumann says “Play”: A post about Olympian Silken Laumann’s work related to play and links to a few articles she has written on the importance and power of family play.
- Is unstructured play too dangerous? One of the most popular posts of the carnival, this one looks at how important unstructured play is to our children’s development, despite reports of it being dangerous. The post also links to some books and blogs on the topic.
- Arts & Crafts Play: Links to absolutely inspiring arts and crafts bloggers. If you need ideas, these are the places to go.
- Sharing a Laugh: A great little cartoon to get a giggle out of your little ones.
- Playing with Darwin: A review of some of the great products from Charlie’s Playhouse.
- Book Review: Playful Parenting (by Lawrence J. Cohen): A review of a great book on using play as a parenting tool.
- Science of Play on Quirks and Quarks: Announcing a segment of Bob McDonald’s science show on CBC talking about the science of play.
- Playing with One, Playing with Two: A post on the importance of one-on-one play time for each child and ideas on how to play successfully with two of them at a time.
- Book Review: Play (by Stuart Brown, M.D.): A review of the new book by Stuart Brown on the importance of play in shaping our brains, opening our imaginations and invigorating our souls.
Compilations of Carnival Posts
- Fun & Games! Carnival Posts (Part 1): Links to the first posts in the carnival, including topics like imaginative play, investing in play, being present, and playing with the whole family.
- Play = a healthy job? Carnival Posts (Part 2): Links to a couple of great posts on play and nutrition, as well as a day long play experiment.
- Wordless Wednesday: Let’s Play! Carnival Posts (Part 3): A fun picture of my kids playing and links to some photographic posts on play.
- “Mommy, I’m Bored” …solutions! Carnival Posts (Part 4): This post provides some background on where boredom stems from and links to many fabulous posts filled with play ideas that you can use to interact with your kids and overcome the boredom.
- Get outside! Carnival Posts (Part 5): Information on the importance of outdoor play for kids and links to posts on outdoor play in good weather and in the rain.
- Baby Play! Carnival Posts (Part 6): Get them started early! This post includes some fun links with play ideas for you and your baby and looks at the transition from babyhood to big kid.
- Final Thoughts on the Importance of Play (Part 7): Some great final contributions that provide philosophical and practical ideas on the importance of play.
Your posts
Don’t miss any of the great posts contributed to the carnival by other bloggers. Here they are again, all 35 of them:
- Let’s Pretend (by Amber @ Strocel)
- Investing in the Art of Play (by Mom, M.Ed. @ Foursquare Schoolhouse)
- Play and Being Present (by Maria @A Piece of My Mind)
- Play: A Game the Whole Family Can Enjoy (by Sam @ babyREADY)
- Monday’s Muse – Creative Play Meme (by Heddy @ MaternalSpark)
- Think Play-Nutrition-Rest (by TwinToddlersDad @ Little Stomaks)
- Play Day (by TopHat @ the bee in your bonnet)
- Fun Through Pictures (by Loukia @ LouLous Views)
- Playing Pizzeria – Thoughts on Imaginative Play (@ Katherine Marie Photography)
- Playing Star Wars (@ S u s u seriffic)
- Dance (@ Play Activities)
- Play Ball (by Rebecca @ a Little Bit of Momsense)
- Playdough Recipe (@ Planning with Kids)
- Waiting Games (@ Because Babies Grow Up)
- Water Play Part 1 (by Jennifer @ BarelyKnitTogether)
- Water Play Part 2 (by Jennifer @ BarelyKnitTogether)
- Reading is Playtime (by Allie @ No Time for Flash Cards)
- 10 ways to play with books (by Lynn @ Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile)
- Pretend Play (@ Rhymes and More)
- Play is the Secret Ingredient for Success at Mealtime (by TwinToddlersDad @ Little Stomaks)
- The Importance of Play (for Parents) (@ a Magical Childhood)
- Props for Pretend Play (@ The Wonder Years)
- Space to Play (by Andrea @ A Peek Inside the Fishbowl)
- The Great Outdoors (by Loukia @ LouLou’s Views)
- Mucking About (by Melanie @ Breastfeeding Moms Unite)
- Is overprotection changing Play (by Rebecca @ A Bit of Mom Sense)
- Rain Activities (@ Preschool Patti)
- Play with Me (Part 1) (by Krista @ Typical Ramblings)
- Play with Me (Part 2) (by Krista @ Typical Ramblings)
- Play with Me (Part 3) (by Krista @ Typical Ramblings)
- Lessons from the Park (by Tara @ Feels Like Home)
- Play is Fundamental (@ Teaching Your Children)
- The Importance of Playing (@ Preschool Playbook)
- Just play (@ The Wonder Years)
- 10 Quotes on the Importance of Play (@ Planning Queen)
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You all deserve a standing ovation for your fabulous contributions to this carnival. This truly is a definitive resource now on play and parenting that I hope will help many parents understand the importance of play and find ideas for playing with their kids.
{ 6 trackbacks }
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Congratulations for hosting a fantastic carnival on the topic of play. I had fun writing for it. Thank you for including me in your carnival.
It was GREAT fun to participate in your Carnival. Thanks for letting me! I hope it has opened the eyes of a large variety of people about the different ways we can play!
Thank YOU for such a great idea. It was a lot of fun to think about play in many different ways
What an excellent idea! I bet many parents would love to stumble upon it (I’ll just click “I like it” … there).
I would have liked to add my post “Mom, I’m bored” to this carnival, so if I may, it’s http://www.ronitbaras.com/index.php/focus-on-the-family/parenting-family/mom-im-bored-part-1/
All the best,
Ronit