The Swain School

Award-winning author and educator Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek Ph.D., will speak on “The Role of Play in a Quality Education” 7 p.m. Feb. 1. The presentation, which will focus on how play and arts benefit learning by children of all ages, will be held at The Swain School, 1100 S. 24th St., Allentown, as the second in the school’s Parenting Education Series.

The presentation is free and open to the public. Attendees are asked to register at swain.org.

The author of the newly-released “Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells us About Raising Successful Children” - a New York Times best-seller - and 11 other popular titles is a scientist on a mission. In a world dominated by digital gadgets and high-tech toys, the Temple University developmental psychology professor hopes to show the world children learn best through old-fashioned creative play.

“The real educational toys are not those that scream numbers and letters at you. Rather, they are the ones where children are in command – where they discover academic principles and master social skills,” Hirsh-Pasek said in a Temple University publication.

Hirsh-Pasek is the recipient of a host of prestigious international awards, serves on the boards of numerous professional organizations, and is an invited blogger for the Huffington Post. Among other distinctions, she serves on the Core Team for the LEGO Research Network and is a spokesperson on early development for national media like The New York Times and NPR. She tweets at KathyandRo1.

Swain’s series will conclude with author/educator Rachel Simmons speaking on “Peer Relationships in the Age of Social Media” 7 p.m. April 19.