[pdmunro]

An interesting article on teaching bridge to children:

Few bridge players have trained as many young people as Ed O'Reilly. In the early 1990s the Kingston, Ontario-based club owner began teaching bridge during class hours to students in elementary and middle school. His lessons became so popular - at one time he was told that more youth were learning bridge at school in Kingston than in the rest of North America combined.

"I found over the years you don’t do the bridge class for the kids, you do it for the teacher! If the teacher likes the game and likes the way you present it, they take an interest and see that the kids follow up and play some bridge. ....

I learned quickly I didn’t want to do bridge at outside of class time. Many teachers are coaching sports, holding music practices, or supervising help sessions, and these activities would detract from interest in bridge. Bridge is applicable to the school curriculum because it includes problem solving and math and improves social skills. ....

Our success came from concentrating on introducing bridge through classroom teachers who believed in the game to be beneficial for their students. Respected teachers can sell their ideas to principals, and the principals have to support their teachers or they won’t have a very happy staff!"

http://www.mastering...cle_oreilly.php