Playing

Questions

1. What do you learn from playing ?
2. Do you prefer playing alone, or with / against friends?
3. Do people play enough in your country?
4. Does play time use to much energy?
5. Have you ever played in the rain?
6. Should schools have more playtime in the schedule?
7. Can you remember the first games you played?
8. What will playtime be like in the future?

Videos

Since the 1980s, the Rubik’s Cube has captivated the minds of puzzle solvers around the globe. But how did one of the world’s most addictive and prolific puzzles come to be? It all began in the beautiful city of Budapest,

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in the beautiful mind of Ernő Rubik, a design and architecture lecturer looking for a tactile way to teach his students about three-dimensional space. But the story’s real “twist” came when the creator had to engineer a solution to his self-made conundrum. Think you have what it takes to crack the code? Take it up with the master himself.

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Category:  Sports
Keywords: Inventions | Playing
Vox
There’s a case for making playgrounds riskier.
The stereotypical modern playground — with its bright colors and rubberized flooring — is designed to be

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clean, safe, and lawsuit-proof. But that isn’t necessarily the best design for kids.

US playground designers spent decades figuring out how to minimize risk: reducing heights, softening surfaces, and limiting loose parts. But now, some are experimenting with creating risk. A growing body of research has found that risky outdoor play is a key part of children’s health, promoting social interactions, creativity, problem-solving, and resilience.

Some communities are even experimenting with “adventure playgrounds,” a format with origins in World War II Denmark, where bomb sites became impromptu playgrounds. Filled with props like nails, hammers, saws, paint, tires, and wood planks, these spaces look more like junkyards than play spaces — and parents are often kept outside of the playground while children are chaperoned by staff. Now, that question of keeping children safe versus keeping children engaged is at the heart of a big debate in playground design.

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Category:  Science
Keywords: Children | Playing

Vocabulary:
cove
secluded
float
shore
anchor
lighthouse
greenhouse
handsaw
hammer
power tool
nail
board (noun)
ton
land sick
biomass
canoe
paddle
real estate
prosper
fulfilled

Expressions:
subsistence living
hon

Vocabulary:
word
word
word
word
word
word
word
word
word

Expressions:
expression
expression
expression
expression

Vocabulary:
prestigious
involuntary
swindler
fraudulence
unwarranted
concern
unfounded
impostor
syndrome
faculty
pervasive
prevalent
disproportionately
underrepresented
downplay
abnormality
self-esteem
spiral
accolade
threshold
susceptible
voice (verb)
peer
dismiss
excel
ease
mentor
competence
banish
frank

Expressions:
nagging doubt
shake a feeling
put something to rest
surefire way

Vocabulary:
filmmaker
principle
handcuff
clown
distill
underdog
aspect
familiar
unfamiliar
chopsticks
keyboard
organic
grounded
clarity
stuntman
steady
gag
perfectionist
rhythm
distinct
continuity
elbow
bunch
flail around
unlike
invincible
impressive
humanize
asset
payoff
relentlessness
finale

Expressions:
kick ass
going above and beyond
get smacked in the face
sell a joke

Vocabulary:
explosion
smoke (noun)
engine
unique
pilot
route
unemotional
terror
instant
reach out (to someone)
postpone
urgency
purpose
regret
humanity
ego
reflect
eliminate
frame (verb)
artistic
talent
bawl
miracle

Expressions:
bucket list
brace for impact
mend fences
make sense
connecting dots