Hot off the press publications news

If you would like to order copies of any of our publications, don't forget to ask us for a quote first rather than go through the shop so that we can give you your training client discount! Our latest publications brochure with all of our publications is available to download here or take a look at the shop pages.

Buskers Guides - small (in stature; not content!), handy and perfectly formed, with cartoons! You can also download a fact sheet about these guides here.  Latest edition:

• The Buskers Guide to Risk - how to put risk into a playful perspective.

Other publications new to our 2008 list include;

• Several Perspectives on Children's Play - Scientific Reflections for Practitioners. Edited by Tom Jambor and Jan Van Gils. Play research, theory and practice from academics and practitioners from around the world - including Bob Hughes, James E. Johnson, Waltraut Hartmann, Maritta Hannikainen and many more. 
• Good Toy Guide - The NATLL has been testing toys with children and producing the results in the Good Toy Guide for 34 years! All the toys tested are reviewed by the children, their parents, carers, teachers and a trained team of appraisers who work with toy libraries in many different settings, all over the UK. Children really are, by far, the best judges of the toys they like to play with and all the toys tested offer the children the opportunity to learn, develop or practice skills. Essential reading to help select the toys you want to buy for the setting you are in - whether that be for a small or large group of children, a school club or for the special children in your life!
• Playing and Learning at Home - activity pack for 3 to 6 year olds to help parents and others recognise how children develop through play and how they can easily support this learning. The pack consists of colourful, easy to follow A4 size cards which relate to the 'six areas of learning' and their 'early years goals'. You can adapt many of the activities to incorporate the child's current interests, making them easier or harder depending on their level of development. The pack is particularly suitable for use by parents but will also be an extremely valuable resource for childminders, home childcarers, nannies, classroom assistants, playworkers and other early years childcare workers. Can also be adapted for older or younger children.
• Play At School - PLAYLINK's Play At School Scheme - which takes a whole approach to improving playtime in schools. Contains a report on a PLAYLINK project with three primary schools. Raises general points about organisational change. 
   

Playtime!

A practical guide to putting play back into the playground

Shelly Newstead

Based on the work undertaken by the author with schools in Wigan, this textbook and accompanying DVD is for anyone working in or with schools which want to improve the quality of children's playtime. The book looks at practical advice on how to support a whole-school approach to play. The DVD features staff and children talking about the challenges they faced in changing the way that playtimes worked in their school as well as lots of really great footage of children demonstrating what a great playtime should look like in practice!

For more information on the Playtime! project take a look at our new website www.playinschools.org.uk.