Children possess programs to fully use the capabilities of the mind and body. CRN's starting point is the concept that playfulness starts these programs in operation. When children are absorbed in play, filled with excitement and a joie de vivre, the programs of the mind and body work at full capacity. We also define the "playful spirit" as a certain feeling or emotion, the thoughts, curiosity and inquiring mind that arise when an individual is absorbed in something. The definition of "playful spirit" also includes sympathy for others, positive attitudes, and a concern for people and things. In other words, a playful spirit encourages children's spontaneous learning.

Nagayama-chikichi observes the factors that encourage children to be playful and studies how the "learning engine" operates from four perspectives: 1) program content 2) relationships with people 3) tools (media) and 4) hardware environment.

Playshop is a workshop that explores the conditions that make children playful, mainly the correlation with program content and people including volunteers and other families. This workshop was held temporarily from 1999 to the spring of 2001. We have been holding and observing this workshop regularly since June 2001.