Psychologist David Elkind, author of The Hurried Child, talks about THE POWER OF PLAY: How Spontaneous, Imaginative Activities Lead to Happier, Healthier Children. Also, Patty Dann talks about THE GOLDFISH WENT ON VACATION: A Memoir of Loss (and Learning
Theme: Dave Brubeck, "Cassandra", Telarc 2004 Mid-break: Ella Jenkins, "Hello", Smithsonian/Folkways
With anxious parents striving to prepare their kids for future success, says David Elkind, kids are losing the opportunity to practice the most important learning activity of all: play. He talks about the power of play and what kids lose when computer games, afterschool classes, and educationally-oriented "theme" camps crowd out the chances to play. And when Patty Dann, writing teacher, author and mother of a 3 year old found out that her husband had an aggressive form of brain cancer, she had to decide how she was going to help her family cope with his inevitable death. She used the writing exercises she gives her students to produce a powerful, spare memoir, THE GOLDFISH WENT ON VACATION: A Memoir of Loss (and Learning to Tell the Truth about It). She also provides information for any family with children who are dealing with loss. We talk with Dann about what she learned and how she wrote about it.