Table of Contents

Foreword by Iona Opie
Acknowledgements
Introduction

Part one: Today's play: adult and child perspectives

Three myths about children's folklore
The ins and outs of school playground play
children's use of 'play places'

Part two: Creativity, continuity and variety in contemporary play traditions

Counting in and counting out
who knows what in the playground
It's not all black or white
the influence of the media, the classroom and immigrant groups on children's playground singing games
'We like singing the Spice Girl songs.. and we like "tig" and "stuck in the mud"'
girls' traditional games on two playgrounds
The saga of Susie
the dynamics of an international handclapping game

Part three: Widening perspectives: the possibilities of play

Rhythm, repetition and rhetoric
learning language in the school playground
From hopscotch to Siji
generations at play in a cross-cultural setting
'Our dreams in action'
spirituality and children's play today
Conclusion
the important of play for today
Bibliography
Index.

Promotional Information

This title received an honorable mention at the Kathryn Briggs Folklore Award 2001

About the Author

Julia C. Bishop gained her PhD in Folklore from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, in 1992, specialising in traditional song. She has published articles on folksong, folklore fieldwork and the use of folklore in education, and was Editor of Folk Music Journal (1993-96). She currently teaches at the University of Sheffield and is researching into the James M. Carpenter Collection of folksong and folk drama.

Mavis Curtis has worked for many years with both adults and children in Education and Social Services. She gained her PhD in 1998 with a study of children's oral tradition. She has published articles on children's play and is currently researching into the relationship between oral tradition and change in a school's physical environment.