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Kay Stritzel, one of the most playful people we know, in her Exchange article, "Block Play is for ALL Children," which is included in the Exchange CD Book, Promoting the Value of Play, observed...

"The block center can be the most exciting place in the early childhood classroom. A center that is attractive and well stocked with unit blocks is an invitation to learning that will last a child a lifetime. Why is it, then, that in many classrooms it is only a select group of boys and the occasional girl who are taking advantage of these blocks?"

She goes on to cite the value of inviting both boys and girls into block play...

"Girls often relish the opportunity to become skilled block builders. They are using numbers and math concepts in a very real way. They are eager to expand their storytelling abilities to include what they are building with blocks. Boys enjoy dramatic play with the blocks in a way that is different from their play in the housekeeping center. There can be a time for talking and sharing about what was built and comparisons to buildings that had been built previously in the block center.

"Most of all, it gives boys and girls a chance to work together on a real project, to share in the planning, building, and evaluation of the structure and possibly plan future structures together. Early childhood educators often lament that boys and girls don't play together often enough. Building and playing with unit blocks provides opportunities for them to play and learn together from this most valuable tool — the unit blocks"

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Exchange has packaged six of its play resources into a single Play Tool Kit and is offering the entire set at a 37% discount. Resources in the kit include:

Books:

• Beginnings Workshops Book #6 - Play
• Promoting the Value of Play CD Book

Four Out of the Box Training Kits (Print versions):

• Play and the Outdoors: What's New Under the Sun
• But They're Only Playing: Interpreting Play to Parents
• Supporting Constructive Play in the Wild
• Designing and Creating Natural Play Environments

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