Scott Eberle: Birth of the Strong National Museum of Play & What is Play?
Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 3:27PM I was recently introduced to Scott Eberle (not personally). Scott is the editor of the American Journal of Play, and he is also the Vice President for Interpretation at the Strong National Museum of Play. In the course of Googling him, I came across his TEDx* video chronicling some of the history of the Strong National Museum of Play.
The majority of Scott’s presentation centers on wrestling with a single huge question — what exactly is play? He presents a framework for appreciating its subtleties and complexities, attributes and benefits.
TEDxRochester — Scott Eberle — 11/02/09: [youtube]
Once we were all experts at play; as children it was our preoccupation and our main mode of learning. Play was the way we built our muscles, and it was through play that we knitted our friendships. Through play we learned to navigate the social world. We learned the rules. And play helped us imagine our future. Even if we did not grow up to be Jedi knights, or beautiful princesses we learned to envision adult power and responsibility. But imaginative play and rough and tumble play, because they are the work of children, tend to slip beneath our notice as adults.
Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.
* In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a new program that enables local communities such as schools, businesses, libraries, neighborhoods or just groups of friends to organize, design and host their own independent, TED-like events.
