RE: Play in Early Childhood

We have had great success with the Montessori School preschool program, where they integrate all natural materials to play and learn with.  The children play with more complex and thought/cognitive motivating results.  It involves beads for counting, real life items like shirts to button, shoes to tie or pouring and scooping...all things that they callpractical life, that the children really enjoy.  It's fun but it is called work.  There are many of you on the master plan who may have had exposure to Montessori, if not it's a wonderful program that could be integrated into a public school setting.  
I know that Assemblywoman Fran Pavley is very involved in this so she would be a great person to involve in this discussion.  My children were reading an writing by the age of five and they were self sufficient and confident in their everyday needs.
That's the way every child should enter into Kindergarten. Physical play is tantamount... but a more stress reducing and fun exercise we could integrate into their physical play is yoga!
With the preschool children the sky is the limit on what they can absorb... as long as you entice them to be involved on their level.  My children are at John Muir Elementary in Santa Monica and are loving it!  Thanks Deborah for including the preschool children... they definitely deserve the attention.