Bev Bos runs an early childhood center in Roseville, CA. This video shows her program. (Sorry, it doesn't allow itself to be embedded on a blog.) The interview is a little cheesy at times, but it's still interesting to see the environment that she created.

In general, I think children do better with simple, less chaotic environments. Her preschool definitely is not that way!! It's jammed full, stuff everywhere. It reminds me that the most important thing is not simplicity, but to really think and reflect - to be intentional - about the environment that is created. Children will find a sense of peace if we are purposeful, even if things look a little crazy.

A video that helps clarify why play is critical for young children.

Dr. Ken Ginsburg, pediatrician at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and author of Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings, and Dr. Marilyn Benoit, Chief Clinical Officer at Devereux Behavioral Health and former president of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, address critical issues facing children and families today -- rising levels of stress and anxiety, obesity-related health problems, dramatically reduced time for free play and play outdoors, hectic and overscheduled family life -- and offer solutions to addressing these problems.

Produced in collaboration with the Alliance for Childhood and KaBOOM!. http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/ and http://kaboom.org