Showing posts with label play. Show all posts
Showing posts with label play. Show all posts

April 3 – Don't Go to Work Unless It's Fun Day

Posted on April 3, 2018

There is a book called Don't Go to Work Unless It's Fun, and author Frank Sanitate may have started the holiday as a way of publicizing his 1994 book.

I am not sure what points Sanitate makes in this book; if you are motivated to check it out, I cannot think of a better day to do so!!

But here is what I thought of, when I saw this holiday name:

A lot of jobs are really difficult, or exhausting, or dirty, or even boring - but also really important. So I do not want to urge people in difficult, exhausting, dirty, or boring jobs to quit or even to skip work today...

BUT, in any job, people can find a way to make the job at least somewhat fun. This might be a great day for bosses to try to brainstorm ways to do just that! And I would urge people who work in supposedly non-fun jobs to also brainstorm ways to make those jobs better and even, at moments, fun.


Of course, as important as some jobs are for all of society (like, we kind of need someone to collect trash!), jobs tend to be very important to the job holders, because doing those jobs is how they get money! So don't take today off just because it's Don't Go to Work Unless It's Fun Day, unless you know your boss is fine with that!

I often think how important it is for people to try to find work worth doing (to them), work they are good at (or can become good at), work they find fun. Young people should be exposed to eleven-ty thousand different sorts of subjects and activities and jobs and opportunities, and they should be encouraged to explore whatever makes their heart sing - because happiness with careers and work is an important part of happiness with life!


But I also think that, at least in modern "Western" society, the word "work" often gets a bad sort of rap, especially as it contrasts with the word "play." Here are some great quotes to make you think about the work / play dichotomy:






Also on this date:

September 21 – Worldwide Day of Play

Posted on September 21, 2013

Nickelodeon is sponsoring a Worldwide Day of Play to celebrate what we play, why we play, and how we play. Nick is offering a huge free event at Prospect Park in Brooklyn (a really large, really great park!), with everything from football and tennis to dancing and double-dutch jumprope. There's free water, concerts, and a Nick Jr. Zone—and loads of activities from partner organizations such as the YMCA, the NBA, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Did you know that play is really important? It is one of the best ways that mammals learn whatever they need to know. 

Young lions learn hunting skills by playing at sneaking up on others and pouncing; young zebras learn how to escape dangers by playing chase games. 

Humans have to learn more than any other creature—and we learn many things best in freely-chosen play activities!

Watch babies turn meal time into a game of drop-the-spoon. (They're not being ornery, they are trying to figure out how gravity works!) Watch toddlers play by moving things, stacking things, threading things, pushing things—learning how the world works, and practicing hand-eye coordination. Listen to little kids learning language by playing rhyming games and babbling silly sounds. Older kids playing a pick-up game of basketball or kickball are learning all sorts of things about forces and momentum, and they are also learning how to get along, how to negotiate rules—lots of stuff!

Remember, it's not really play unless you are choosing it – and unless you can always choose to quit playing. Free play, pretend play, game play – do it all today!

Some great ways to play...


...hoop play 



...goop play 





















Also on this date:








Independence Day in Belize



Plan Ahead!


And here are my Pinterest pages on October holidays, October birthdays, and historical anniversaries in October.