“Technology, Play and Physical Activity” is the theme of the fifth annual Play Symposium at MTSU, which is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 14, in the Business and Aerospace Building.

The free public gathering is for student teachers, public school and home-school teachers and parents who want to enhance their children’s learning through physical activity and play.

Experts at the symposium will focus on the importance of children’s play and the issue of childhood obesity through both panel discussions and physical activity. Participants should dress for play and movement.

“Childhood obesity is a growing problem in the United States and always leads to adult health problems,” says Dr. Kathleen G. Burriss, a professor of elementary and special education at MTSU and director of the event.

Burriss notes that Tennessee ranks as the third highest state in the nation in childhood obesity. She also says that today’s children are overly hurried and hyperstructured, leading to lost opportunities for exploration, adventure and imagination.

The event is sponsored by the MTSU Center for Physical Activity and Health, the Association for Childhood Education International and the Association for the Education of Young Children.

For more information, contact Burriss at Kathleen.burriss@mtsu.edu, or visit the symposium website at www.mtsu.edu/~play.

— Gina K. Logue (Gina.Logue@mtsu.edu)