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Podcast: The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast
Episode: 1KHO 689: Play Is Disappearing So Here’s How to Bring It Back| Pat Rumbaugh, The Play Lady
Description: Get our free Top Ten 1000 Hours Outside Podcast Books from 2025 here
What if the simplest solution to so many modern childhood struggles is… more play?
Ginny sits down with Pat Rumbaugh - aka “The Play Lady” - a longtime PE teacher, coach, TED Talk speaker (yes, she hula-hoops while she talks), and founder of Let’s Play America. Pat shares what she’s witnessed since she began teaching in 1981: a steady decline in free, child-led, neighborhood play, and the ripple effects it has on kids, families, and communities.
Together, they unpack why play builds flexibility, creativity, empathy...