http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/garden/06play.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1&%2339&sq=bid%20restore%20children&st=cse&scp=1&%2359;s%20games%20momentum
Just come across this article by Hilary Stout which has some interesting points about the subject of Play and learning.
"“There’s no imaginative play anymore, no pretend,” Ms. Wilson said with a sigh."