So, what is play?

I've long believed that the most important keys to staying young are maintain a sense of fun and play in one's life and not to "act one's age"! Teddy took it one step further, calling play a fundamental need and--although his words were oriented toward the need for physical playgrounds for children-- he did not say that play is a fundamental need for children. Whether it's literal or figurative, a great place for having fun and play is a playground.

But what exactly is "play"? The OED defines it as activity engaged in for enjoyment and recreation. Wikipedia has a fairly extensive entry that is far too broad to encapsulate here but (quoting Catherine Garvey, Professor of Psychology at the University of Maine at Orono, in her book Play [Harvard University Press, 1990]), expands upon the OED's definition: a range of voluntary, intrinsically motivated activities normally associated with recreational pleasure and enjoyment.

I can work with that.