ABSTRACT
"Play is the breath of life" is Ursula Wise's mantra. In response to the many letters on how best to educate one's child, her principal and consistent message is to offer a wide range of play opportunities. The necessity for physical occupations and plenty of open-air play comes up regularly – they are invaluable to the child's health and development. Experience shows that the nursery school for the child over three is extremely helpful, always assuming of course that it is a well-run one, with a good attitude on the part of the grown-ups and plenty of the right playthings and methods. Wise's emphasis is primarily that early teaching should include very little formal work or lessons – such work should never replace play. For Wise, the education of the "whole child" is essential – the physical and physiological must not be neglected or considered to be of secondary importance.
