Can T Play Won T Play

"Can't Play Won't Play is a resource for parents, teachers and all those working with children with DCD."--BOOK JACKET.

Who of us cannot remember the pain and humiliation of being rejected by our classmates? However thick-skinned or immune to such assaults we may become as adults, the memory of those early exclusions is as palpable to each of us today as it is common to human experience. We remember the uncertainty of separating from our home and entering school as strangers and, more than the relief of making friends, we recall the cruel moments of our own isolation as well as those children we knew were destined to remain strangers. In this book Vivian Paley employs a unique strategy to probe the moral dimensions of the classroom. She departs from her previous work by extending her analysis to children through the fifth grade, all the while weaving remarkable fairy tale into her narrative description. Paley introduces a new rule—“You can’t say you can’t play”—to her kindergarten classroom and solicits the opinions of older children regarding the fairness of such a rule. We hear from those who are rejected as well as those who do the rejecting. One child, objecting to the rule, says, “It will be fairer, but how are we going to have any fun?” Another child defends the principle of classroom bosses as a more benign way of excluding the unwanted. In a brilliant twist, Paley mixes fantasy and reality, and introduces a new voice into the debate: Magpie, a magical bird, who brings lonely people to a place where a full share of the sun is rightfully theirs. Myth and morality begin to proclaim the same message and the schoolhouse will be the crucible in which the new order is tried. A struggle ensues and even the Magpie stories cannot avoid the scrutiny of this merciless pack of social philosophers who will not be easily caught in a morality tale. You Can’t Say You Can’t Play speaks to some of our most deeply held beliefs. Is exclusivity part of human nature? Can we legislate fairness and still nurture creativity and individuality? Can children be freed from the habit of rejection? These are some of the questions. The answers are to be found in the words of Paley’s schoolchildren and in the wisdom of their teacher who respectfully listens to them.

"In Living on Purpose, Brandon Steiner explores the three foundational pillars of a satisfying, successful, fulfilling existence: Faith (in yourself and others), Fortune (dreaming BIG and following it through), and Fitness (making positive lifestyle changes). Drawing valuable lessons and strategies from the experiences of famous athletes and coaches, this enlightening guide will help you conquer your fear and get back into the game"--Www.brandonsteiner.com.

"Bam and Jam are big dogs with even bigger hearts. All they want in life is to make friends and be happy, but life isn't always easy... Join Bam and Jam on their adventures as they face the many daily struggles of being a little bit different." There are a great many activities and social settings or requirements that are inaccessible to some, either through their own fears or factors out of their control. Now though, we're living in a moment where kindness, empathy and inclusion are being talked about more than ever before; but it's important that these conversations lead to change. Even if that's just within our own home or school environments at first. While on the surface "The Adventures of Bam and Jam" may only appear to deliver a simple lesson, there's a message in each story that runs deeper and is widely transferrable to many aspects of our lives. I try to shed light on situations great and small that we will all be faced with - or have faced previously - as seen in "You Can't Play With Us!" Something as seemingly straightforward as making friends is often quite the opposite, emphasising the importance of understanding inclusion from an early age. Books can be an excellent tool for teaching and building a basic understanding of larger issues. However more than that, children - and parents - often find comfort within their pages. I hope these stories (most based on genuine experience) will serve as both entertaining and educational. Not just for children but dog owners too!

With a voice as Canadian as winter, David Adams Richards reflects on the place of hockey in the Canadian soul. The lyrical narrative of Hockey Dreams flows from Richards' boyhood games on the Miramichi to heated debates with university professors who dare to back the wrong team. It examines the globalization of hockey, and how Canadians react to the threat of foreigners beating us at our game. Part memoir, part essay on national identity, part hockey history, Hockey Dreams is a meditation by one of Canada's finest writers on the essence of the game that helps define our nation.

How filling life with play-whether soccer or lawn mowing, counting sheep or tossing Angry Birds -- forges a new path for creativity and joy in our impatient age Life is boring: filled with meetings and traffic, errands and emails. Nothing we'd ever call fun. But what if we've gotten fun wrong? In Play Anything, visionary game designer and philosopher Ian Bogost shows how we can overcome our daily anxiety; transforming the boring, ordinary world around us into one of endless, playful possibilities. The key to this playful mindset lies in discovering the secret truth of fun and games. Play Anything, reveals that games appeal to us not because they are fun, but because they set limitations. Soccer wouldn't be soccer if it wasn't composed of two teams of eleven players using only their feet, heads, and torsos to get a ball into a goal; Tetris wouldn't be Tetris without falling pieces in characteristic shapes. Such rules seem needless, arbitrary, and difficult. Yet it is the limitations that make games enjoyable, just like it's the hard things in life that give it meaning. Play is what happens when we accept these limitations, narrow our focus, and, consequently, have fun. Which is also how to live a good life. Manipulating a soccer ball into a goal is no different than treating ordinary circumstances- like grocery shopping, lawn mowing, and making PowerPoints-as sources for meaning and joy. We can "play anything" by filling our days with attention and discipline, devotion and love for the world as it really is, beyond our desires and fears. Ranging from Internet culture to moral philosophy, ancient poetry to modern consumerism, Bogost shows us how today's chaotic world can only be tamed-and enjoyed-when we first impose boundaries on ourselves.

Self help.