Soccer league, t-ball practice, swimming lessons, computer camp... American kids are gearing up for another busy summer. But whatever happened to lazy days spent catching frogs... weaving daisy chains... building tree forts and paddling in creeks? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge – putting the play back in childhood.

Etta Kralovec is a former teacher, director of teacher education at the College of Atlanta, and the author of "The End of Homework." She tells Jim Fleming that piling on homework doesn't improve children's edcation, and might even hurt! Also commentator David Maraniss, author of best-selling biographies of Bill Clinton and Vince Lombardi, remembers the ball games of his childhood.

Rusty Keeler is the founder and designer of Planet Earth Playscapes. He tells Steve Paulson about using natural materials, plants and sound-scapes to create alternative play spaces instead of bulldozed fields full of equipment. You can see pictures of his playscapes at earthplay.net.

Child therapist Larry Cohen is the author of "Playful Parenting." He tells Anne Strainchamps how to transform some common parent/child problem areas into positive, fun opportunities for play. Also, commentator David Wallace tells about teaching his son to play one of his favorite childhood games.

Books:

• Lawrence Cohen, Playful Parenting (Ballantine)
• Steven A. Cohen, ed., The Games We Played: A Celebration of Childhood and Imagination (Simon & Schuster)
• Etta Kralovec and John Buell, The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning (Beacon)

Music:

• 1. "Things We Like to Do" -- NRBQ, Kick Me Hard, The Deluxe
• Edition. (Rounder)
• 2. "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" -- Dr. John, on Baseball, A Film by Ken Burns -- Original soundtrack recording. (Elektra Nonesuch)
• 3. instrumental version of same, same CD
• 4. "My Tree" -- Jack Grunsky, Dream Catcher (BMG Kidz)
• 5. "Tree" -- Teletubbies, the Album (Kid Rhino)
• 6. "I Won't Grow Up" from Peter Pan -- Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, "Young at Heart" (Telarc)
• 7. "Patty Cake, Patty Cake" -- Steve Rashid and the Woodside Avenue All-Stars, arrangement by Nat King Cole Trio. On Rashid's "Fidgety Feet" CD (Woodside Avenue)

Distribution dates:

• week of 06/10/2001 - hour 2