The Power of Play: Designing Early Learning Spaces

By now, most people who are involved in early childhood development know about the importance of play. Research has confirmed that play is vital for a child's healthy growth and development. Traveling around a community, one sees more and more play areas designed specifically for very young children. However, for librarians, incorporating play areas into an existing library or, if you're lucky enough, a renovation or new building project, is not something that comes easily. What kinds of materials should you buy? What furniture will work best? How will you designate and support the different ages and stages of a child's life? And how, most importantly, do you design a space aligned to your specific library size, funding, and staff? These and other hefty questions are answered in this important text. It's hard not to get a serious case of library envy as the authors highlight some wonderful "Play-and-Learn Destinations." Librarians may even be inspired to take a road trip to see some of the sites. The authors describe how the various libraries maintain their areas to keep it exciting and fun for the children who visit. Especially useful are the appendices that include sample floor plans, surveys, activity plans, logic models, evaluation plans, and guidelines for cleaning.