Hi iaizaasyii Readers: The letter below brings things full circle for me. While I have been interested in the way we underestimate kids and overestimate danger for a while now, I have been interested for even LONGER in the way decent people become trained not to use their brains or hearts. Eventually they come to […]
Archive | Parks, Playing and Playgrounds
More Outrage! 5th Graders Can No Longer Play Outside “Alone”
Hi adadfhkyfe Readers! The other day my brother-in-law asked me if I ever got really “down” about our culture. I told him that usually I don’t — I get so mad about ridiculous rules and outlandish fears that I just blog in a blind fury and feel better. But this story, sent by the folks at […]
This Is The Playground We Were Discussing the Other Day
Hi banehybrtt Readers! Remember the chat we all had about the playground closed for the winter because of the protective  cushioning frozen to unprotectiveness beneath it? Here it is in all its caution-tape glory! And a note from the mom who first brought the issue to our attention. – L Dear Free-Range Kids: Is a […]
Outrage of the Season: No Winter Recess, Safety Ground Cushioning “Too Hard”
Hi saytbrstni Readers! We are so concerned for our kids’ safety, the apparently the safety of our safety precautions isn’t safe enough, either. Read on. Â – L . Dear Free-Range Kids: It’s been a beautiful week in upstate New York, with temperatures nearing 60 mid-week. But students in my school district cannot play on their […]
Why Johnny Can’t Run
Hi trfzdenyea Folks! This is my piece that ran in last week’s Wall Street Journal. Have a good week (and some “vigorous activity”). – L. The Importance of Child’s Play by Lenore Skenazy A new study of how preschoolers spend their days may make you want to run around screaming, which is apparently more than […]
Where Have All The Jungle Gyms Gone? Long Time Passing…
Hi ykayadfakb Folks! Here’s a great article from the L.A. Times about one of our recurring themes: The dumbing down of playgrounds to the point where they are, well, pointless. The writer, Gale Holland, reports: Last fall as state inspector strode into Great Beginnings preschool and declared the tree house and climbing structure too high. […]
When Kids Have to Play Tag on the Low-Down
Hi nbrbiasnhh Folks! Just got this disturbing little note from reader Jeff Johnson who, I am happy to say, is writing a book about the importance of play. — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: Just wondering how much you’re hearing about the death of games like tag on school playgrounds. I volunteer in a local kindergarten […]
Outrage of the Week: School Cordons Off 3-Foot Hill
Hi itkztbeyff Readers — Just got this note from David Robert Hogg, who blogs about traveling the world with kids at MyLittleNomads.com. Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill!  — L . Dear Free- Range Kids: I live in Seattle. Home to hikers, snowboarders, world travelers. It seemed like everyone I know was giving their […]
The Secret To Happy, Ready-to-Learn Kids (Hint: It’s Not Test Prep. Or Is it?)
Hi Readers! This is just a beyond-belief great playground idea:[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqi1KyJJeKg] As simple as it gets. As fun as it gets. And (if we must justify the idea of kids doing things on their own) as developmentally rich as it gets. Watch it and weep — with joy for the kids with this kind of recess, […]
Guest Post by Greg Olear: Swan Song for Swings?
 Hi byfddtaysd Folks! Here’s a guest post from Greg Olear, senior editor of The Nervous Breakdown and the author of the novels Totally Killer (Harper, 2009) and the brand-spanking-new Fathermucker, which concerns a single tumultuous day in the life of a stay-at-home dad. I absolutely adored Fathermucker — soooo funny and soooo spot-on about parenting foibles (every single, […]