Customer Reviews

Unplugged Play: No Batteries. No Plugs. Pure Fun.

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Playfulness is the name of the game in childhood. Unfortunately, in their workaday world, many parents forget that all work and no play makes Little Johnny a bored, lethargic boy. Thanks to Bobbi Conner, Little Johnny just got 710 reasons to get up off the couch and join his hopscotching playmates outdoors.

Veteran radio show host on NPR, Bobbi Conner is concerned about today's kids and their lack of creative outlets. Instead of being busy with electronic entertainment such as video games and push-button toys, she suggests myriad avenues to get down to the business of play in fun, very simple ways. Unlike many guide books that read more like a Martha Stewart manual (and must be secretly backed by major craft store chains), Bobbi's approach is simple - take what you have at home and let `er rip.

The book is divided into three useful sections - toddler play; preschooler play; and grade school play. It was gratifying to see many of the games we've thought up on our own are in the book. Necessity is the mother of invention. This book is the mother of children's creativity.

Bobbi's tone is real-life and compassionate, not patronizing or oozing with `expertise'. She was once a time-strapped single mom raising her kids with nothing more than her ingenuity to keep them occupied. When we think back to our own childhoods or that of our children, the best times were those spent together around a Parchese board or telling stories to one another. But if you think you have to spend hours with your children to right the wrongs of those hundreds of TV hours your kid has logged, you're wrong. Bobbi recognizes the reality in today's world. She recommends ways in which children can learn independent play by sparking their creative thoughts and having them vary the activities themselves. You needn't micromanage their play. In fact, Bobbi warns against it.

This book came in the nick of time as my son recently had a playdate with a boy who is very `plugged' into video games and TV. Concerned we wouldn't make the three hours without hiscrying for TV, I grabbed the book and discovered some cool, easy ways to interest the boys in a new game of toss the button in the bucket. My son's friend only asked to watch TV once, but after I showed him the book and all its possibilities, he never asked again!

I highly recommend Unplugged Play for its usefulness, inventiveness, and fun. It may even remind you that all work and no play makes Little Johnny's mommy and daddy very dull girls and boys, too!

~Christine Louise Hohlbaum, author of Diary of a Mother: Parenting Stories and Other Stuff and Sahm I Am: Tales of a Stay-at-Home Mom in Europe, is a freelance writer living near Munich, Germany, with her husband and two extremely playful children.

As a pediatrician and parent, I can attest to the fact that children learn by doing, not by watching. In this wonderful book, Bobbi Conner makes it easy for parents to turn off the TV and have a ball with their children the old-fashioned way. Unplugged Play is overflowing with fun, creative ideas for how to have fun and engage young minds along the way. I hope parents buy this book in droves and put their "developmental" videos in the attic.

If only I had this book five years ago, when my son first started asking for a Game Boy! I might not have bought the device, but even if I had, I would have had a much better idea how to balance electronic, programmed "play" with free, physical, creative play. Bobbi Conner, the host of NPR's The Parent's Journal, has gathered more than 700 different games and activites together and organized them in a practical way: by age, indoor vs outdoor, by how long they take, etc. Some are active running around games, while others are quiet indoor exercises like "Doggy Diaries," in which kids imagine the secret lives of the neighborhood dogs. There are games your parents played that you forgot the rules to, and fresh ideas. The sidebars are crammed with additional information, including scientific studies showing how unstructured play helps children think more creatively and stay more active. A gem.

After reading many great reviews I purchased this book thinking it would be a useful resource for games and activities for my children. I was greatly disappointed. Almost every activity is the same, just a different variation. Most require yet another trip to a store to buy some plastic "toys" If a parent already had what the author has listed as a "well-stocked" toy room they should have no problem thinking up the games listed in this book. For any parent or caregiver with even the slightest bit of imagination this book is unnecessary. In place of this I would recommend Playful Learning from Le Leche League or any book from Bev Bos. They require more imagination and less trips to a store.

This book is full of so many creative ideas for playing with my children. Some of the games I remember from childhood. I am so excited to teach my children things that they will think of and smile about in 20 years.
I love the way this book is organized. It begins with a great introduction and explanation of why children need play that stimulates (rather than siezes) their minds. The games and activities are organized into age appropriate sections and begin with the youngest children. (I loved this feature as we have an infant and a toddler). There are also ideas for individual play, parent and child play, single child play, indoor play, outdoor play and group play.
I know this is a book that we will use for years to come!

There are some parents who always have crayons, bubbles, and homemade play-doh on hand. Their children are adept at drawing, cutting, and pasting, can reliably kick a ball, and are the first to join in the games at birthday parties. To these lucky kids a homemade birthday cake in the shape of a tyrannasaurus rex is no big deal. Their parents do not need to read Unplugged Play.

For the creatively challenged among us, however, this is a great resource for making your time together count. It's filled with hundreds of articles with activities for ages 1-10, each with a sidebar giving the number of children needed, indoor/outdoor location, and materials needed. I especially like the fact that it is organized into three age ranges, printed so the sections are visible on the fore edge so a harried parent can flip the book open and start looking for ideas. There is an introductory chapter describing the benefits of non-media play, and appendices with suggestions for family game night and materials to keep on hand.

Some of the activities require materials you may not have, and many will not fit the personality or specific interests of your children, but the book provides a wide variety of options to satisfy most needs. It may be especially handy when caring for children you do not know well or who are a different age than you are used to. Because of its exhaustive content, it's probably best treated as a source of inspiration rather than a to-do list, and after using it for a few weeks as creative "training wheels," parents and children may find that they no longer need it.

This book has solid playtime ideas for toddlers in all different environments. Many things may be intuitive, but you'll be sure to find something good in here for your bored toddler to do indoors. Great book for a library collection!

My title says it all. That is exactly why I wanted this book. The only reason it got a 4 star was because it didn't have anything special for infants or small babies. Basically a lot of the games I have to wait until my baby is older. On top of it, I was able to actually show that there was more to TV for children, especially educationally.

I purchased this book about six months ago and have used it repeatdly. It is something I can grab when my children are getting restless and bored and I am not going to let them watch TV for another minute. The games are easy to understand, only require items that I usually have around the house and are just plain fun. Many are games I played when I was young but had forgetten about. I especially like the layout of the book, it makes it easy for you to find activities for various ages.Unplugged Play: No Batteries. No Plugs. Pure Fun.

I absolutely love love love this book. I am not a creative mom and I hate my kids vegging out in front of a video game or DVD. This book has such great ideas for engaging your kids in activities that are hands on. I have three kids (1, 3, 6) and this book has activites that are applicable to each of them. I highly recommend this book to any mother that is looking for some great activites for their kids that don't involve a controller!