Knitting, quilting, and other domestic hobbies appear to have experienced a surge in popularity over the past two decades. Perhaps it is more accurate to state that they have experienced a surge in visibility thanks to social media and other online communities, as the qualities that attract people to domestic hobbies have remained constant for centuries. In previous posts, I addressed their therapeutic benefits and ability to create a sense of community among crafters. There is a third reason why […]

Continue Reading about Domestic Hobbies: The Connection between the Past and the Future Published on:
July 15, 2016

“I knit so I don’t kill people.”
You can buy a mug, a tote bag, or a shirt with this phrase emblazoned on it. You can meet a handful of fellow knitters out on the town for World Wide Knit in Public Day or you can share your projects and patterns with the 5.5 million registered users of Ravelry, the social media site for knitters and crocheters. Surprised? You shouldn’t be: knitting, along with other “domestic hobbies,” is exceedingly popular, and […]

Continue Reading about Domestic Hobbies: The Search for Calm in Life’s Storms Published on:
July 15, 2016

Record low temperatures and un-melting piles of snow kept parents scrambling to entertain house-bound children in the winter of 2015. This winter hasn’t been quite as cold or snowy in Rochester but, just in case the snows return, I’m ready with some practical advice drawn from The Strong’s Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, a research repository devoted to the history of play. Its resources include books that document some of the ways families survived long winters more than […]

Continue Reading about Old Timey Cures for Cabin Fever: Feathers, Forfeits, and Fortune Telling Published on:
March 7, 2016

WARNING!!!!
Do not read this book straight through from beginning to end! These pages contain many different adventures you can go on….
The adventures you take are a result of your choice. You are responsible because you choose!

For 36 years these opening lines have beckoned booklovers and reluctant readers alike to become part of the story in the Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) series. Written in the second person point-of-view, the novels make the reader the protagonist with the freedom to […]

Continue Reading about YOU and YOU ALONE: The Story of the Choose Your Own Adventure Generation Published on:
May 5, 2015

As Director of Libraries at The Strong, I acquire scholarly books on the study of play for the Brian Sutton-Smith Library & Archives of Play. Although tracking down weighty academic tomes is quite fulfilling, I would be dishonest if I said that selecting children’s books for the Grada Hopeman Gelser Library didn’t liven up my job. The books available for check out in each museum exhibit are selected to complement and enhance the theme and subject matter—from Where the Sidewalk […]

Continue Reading about Four Dolls, Three Bears, Two Bunnies, and One Plastic Guy: Books about Play Pals Published on:
January 26, 2015

Autumn is upon us, replete with all things paranormal and pumpkin spice. Hollywood once again offers us an opportunity to be terrified for the cost of a movie ticket and large popcorn. Annabelle (2014) isn’t the first “playful” villain that has captured our collective attention: for a half a century, scary toys have come alive in books, on television, and on the big screen.
“Who Hates Ya, Baby?”
A 1963 episode of The Twilight Zone featured Telly Savalas and a doll […]

Continue Reading about The Dolls that Haunt Us: 50 Years of Terrifying Toys Published on:
October 30, 2014

What is your game? There seem to be an infinite number of games to play with one simple deck of playing cards. What game did you learn, perched on your parents’ or grandparents’ knees? What game brings you feelings of home and belonging?
My family’s game was Rummy. After we had mastered Go Fish, we were armed with egg carton card holders (30 years before the collective creativity of Pinterest) and introduced to the game, “according to Hoyle.” My sister and […]

Continue Reading about Let Me Teach You the Game of My People: Card Games, Identity, and Finding Home Again Published on:
September 16, 2014

“I’m running away to Australia!” This tearful statement greeted me as I entered my son’s room. He pointed to his duffel bag, packed with everything a seven-year-old boy needs to survive the wilds of the outback: his WWE wrestling figures and his well-worn Don’t Know Much About Space book. Clearly, John Cena and Pluto are higher priorities than clean underwear.
“Why are you running away, Jack?” Out came a jumble of pent-up frustrations about being horrible at football, having to clean […]

Continue Reading about Play: The Cure for the Seven-Year-Old Blues Published on:
July 29, 2014

My family was cutting-edge back in the 1980s. We had a TRS-80. My father subscribed to 80 Micro. He dabbled in BASIC programming. My parents and my sister played early adventure games such as Zork and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. We were the most technologically advanced family on the block.
I was not impressed.
I hated computer games. I could not understand the appeal of sitting for hours, huddled over a glorified television screen with a tape player attached to […]

Continue Reading about The Perils of Rosella and the Genius of Roberta Published on:
June 16, 2014