Play On 2010 - Play it Forward!

We Learned. Led. And Played!

Play On 2010 is a hands-on, interactive conference brimming with useful information designed for parents, teachers, coaches, youth workers, community advocates and everyone else who understands the value of play and wants better tools, techniques and strategies to make it part of their community.

Last week around 300 people gathered at Columbia University to experience the power of play. Games were played, strategies were discussed and experts were quizzed. By the end of the two days, people were feeling great! Follow along here to see what you missed.

The opening session began with Good Morning America's Juju Chang and Director of AmeriCorps John Gomperts. They discussed the importance of play and recess and the value of service in America to bring opportunities to kids. When asked how an organization gets to share, Gomperts urged everyone to be forceful and integrated. See Chang and Gomperts share their view on recess in the work place.

Everyone spent the rest of the morning playing games and discussing how we can create a safe and inclusive environment for play through our game leadership. Games played were high energy, accessible to various skill levels, focused on enjoyment and teamwork, and minimized the role of competition. Here's one team demonstrating a game of Triangle Tag.

Public Health Professor Dr. Toni Yancey share from her new book Instant Recess, presented some excellent poetry, and lead the crowd in Instant Recess! "I feel in my bones that movers and shakers... will be the catalyst for community-wide fitness programs."

Child Development Professor Dr. David Elkind shared his work on the play deficit and children's need for play for healthy development. Elkind discussed how great teachers can help children: "Those teachers who make things fun, who teach in a playful manner are the most successful. To be a teacher, the most important thing is to be a child development specialist."

Have a a full day of physical activity, many of us welcomed an afternoon of film screenings. We were welcomed by three great films Elementary Cool by Scott Kirschenbaum, Playtime shorts by Jules Oosterwegel and Kabul Girls Club based on a book by Awista Ayub.

White House Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives Sam Kass joined us at the dinner to share with us the work that he and Michelle Obama are doing in the Let's Move campaign. He encourage local officials to sign up for Let's Move Cities & Towns. "We can no longer afford to do our work in isolation," he said.

The next day began with a fun game and some great sessions! Olympic Soccer Medalist Julie Foudy share with us the story of leadership development through sports. "What I learned from these women was success isn't a matter of chance, it's a matter of choice." She began a sports leadership camp in 2006 and been empowering female soccer players to lead by encouraging them to bring a project back to their communities.

After the final session, some great play experts joined US Play Coalition's Fran Maniella on stage for a panel. Joan Almond, Roger Hart, Toni Yancey and Darell Hammond did a wonderful job of sharing where we are and what we need to promote play.

For the closing session, Pedro Noguera told us about the the value of play in education. He provided a perspective on today's education reform conversation that encourages valuing the whole child in education. "The biggest conflict to doing what we can for kids is the limits of our own imagination."

In the end, the crowds were energized and prepared to pass on the power of play to their communities. Just this week, we have heard of one school's new found love for four square and renew spirits at other organizations.