Playtime!

I absolutely love to play! I have so many toys in my office (well... Jessica's office) that I can entertain myself to my heart's content.
I practice my hunting and attack skills. I also enjoy exploring and learning about my environment.

My playtime reminds me of what Jessica told me about the importance of play. I did a little research of my own last weekend (I do my computer work over the weekend when no one is here-it is quieter) and found information on play from some guy who goes by Mister Rogers. His picture seems to be of a very nice man, and seems to know about playing...

He said this about playtime: "For children, play is both a serious and necessary business: a way for them to try on different roles, pretend to be bigger than they really are, stronger than they really are, or even, at times, smaller than they really are. And playing gives children a chance to rehearse for events that may be worrisome to them - a visit to the doctor, a first haircut, or the first day of school. By pretending about such things, children can find out how they feel about them.

Young children who are just learning language often use a variety of other ways to “talk about” things that concern them. Playing or drawing may be an easier way for them to “tell” us what’s on their minds. Giving children many opportunities for pretend play can set the stage for them to work on their feelings and to communicate their thoughts and ideas to others."

...sad news Jessica just told me that Mister Rogers passed away... too bad anyone who has a character named Henreitta Pussycat is ok in my book.


You can read more about this cool guy, Mister Rogers and about playtime at: www.fci.org