Large Scale Public Engagement
Roberta speaks all over the world, serves on many boards of organizations to better children’s lives, publishes trade books for parents and practitioners, never turns down an opportunity to engage with a reporter (regardless of the media type), and presents at professional conferences urging her colleagues to share their science with the world.
She has conducted large-scale public events (Ultimate Block Party) in Central Park in New York City to celebrate the arts and sciences of play. Over 50,000 people of all ethnic stripes came to play with LEGO, build with Imagination Playground, and play Simon Sez. Other Ultimate Block Parties occurred in Toronto, Canada, and Baltimore, MD, and Norwalk, CT. Now that the Ultimate Block Party has partnered with the Association of Children’s Museums, we expect Ultimate Block Parties will increase in frequency and range of locations.
Another project we are developing is called Urban Thinkscape. This will be installed in West Philadelphia, offering children the opportunity to participate in engaged learning through accessible and inclusive design. It will explore the potential for such projects to transform communities and multiply the opportunities to develop engaging cities and learning zones.
Blogging
Roberta writes blogs for a variety of outlets, including the Brookings Institution, and the Child and Family Blog. Blogging serves as one of the many ways Roberta communicates her scientific research to a wide audience. She engages with various questions such as: What promotes children’s language development? Why is play important? And, most recently, how are children affected by the COVID-19 crisis and social distancing?
Roberta also blogs for the Huffington Post on topics related to her science. Her goal is to reach audiences to speak about how children can best learn and about why our current course is a cause for concern.
Golinkoff, R. M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2014, June 11). Does Play Matter? [Web log post].
Books for Lay Audiences
With her longstanding colleague Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Roberta has written a number of books for parents, practitioners, and policy makers. Bringing out the work developmental and educational science is one of her priorities.
Op Eds & Selected Newspaper Stories
Recently, Dr. Golinkoff taught a doctoral level class on Sharing the Science about dissemination of scientific findings. One of the requirements of that class was for students to produce an op ed about their own work for the Wilmington News Journal newspaper. This series will appear in the summer of 2016.
A Christmas wish: simple toys and more time to play with them
Delaware News Journal – December 13, 2011
Talk is cheap — so spend heaps of it on your children
Delaware News Journal – November 13, 2011
