“According to research, open-ended play is one of the most important ways to ignite children's imaginations and maintain their creativity into adulthood. schleich® figurines and playsets immerse kids in experiences that are the very epitome of open-ended play.”

--Dr. Sandra Stone

Dr. Sandra Stone is a professor, researcher and author who has spent her entire career studying play and its effects on children. She has joined schleich®’s Power of Imagination campaign to help raise awareness about the unique and critical benefits of open-ended play. Dr. Stone’s research and studies prove that this type of play, in which children are free to let their imaginations run free outside the limitations of rules or objectives, is critical for the development of creativity. 

“I am personally impressed by schleich®’s Power of Imagination
campaign because they are seizing on a significant opportunity to make a positive difference in children’s lives by supporting open-ended, imaginative play.”

--Dr. Sandra Stone

Dr. Sandra J. Stone is Professor Emeritus at Northern Arizona University and founder of the National Multiage Institute, an international leader in providing professional development for educators from all over the world. She has conducted research and taught graduate and undergraduate courses on literacy, play and multiage education. Her books include Playing: A Kid’s Curriculum (GoodYear Books), Creating the Multiage Classroom (Good Year Books) and Understanding Multiage Education (Stone & Burriss; Routledge).

She has written multiple articles on play, symbolic play and literacy and play for The International Journal of Holistic Early Learning and Development. She is a past editor for the Journal of Research in Childhood Education and for columns in the journal Childhood Education. She serves on editorial boards for several international research journals, consults and speaks at education conferences in the US and abroad