in Home Education Magazine today. While I haven't read it, this seems like a book I could agree with wholeheartedly. I have long maintained that children today do not have enough time to play, to engage their imaginations. Most children have lives that are structured from dawn to bedtime. David Elkind writes that "in our fast-track society 'play is being silenced'" and that it is all too easy to forget that "children can play safely without adult organization; they have done so as long as people have been on earth." One of the things that I love about homeschooling is that my children do have more time to play and cultivate their imaginations. David spends much time playing with his Legos, creating imaginary worlds and new creations. Isaac loves to skip around the house telling stories. He is often lost in his own little world. When we go to Bible Study on Fridays, they get to play with a whole group of boys. Today they were busy digging a huge hole in my friend's backyard (she had given her OK). While we adults might be called to help if someone gets hurt or is crying, for the most part they are on their own to work out their own disputes and decide on the rules of their games. They play with kids both younger and older than themselves and learn teamwork and cooperation. It is a beautiful thing to see and they are the better for it. I am very lucky to be able to live this homeschooling life with my children.
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