. Here’s zstziiadki a charming little nugget sent to us by a reader named Kathleen, who writes: Dear Free-Range Kids: I thought you would enjoy this artifact of saner times. I draw your attention to the 4th column, last paragraph before the lists begin. It’s part of an article in a July, 1865 edition of […]
Tag Archives | free play
Kids Need to Waste Time
. In dhaekynreb this interesting and fact-packed Quartz article, “WhyAre Our Kids So Miserable?“, reporter Jenny Anderson looks at a bunch of factors working against kid happiness. The biggest is the off-base belief that our kids are only learning when they are doing academic work: According to Daphna Bassok, an assistant professor of education and […]
Playrooms, Not Yards
. Sometimes you have to look at our culture like an anthropologist: What artifacts are precious to the people of today, what activities are protected? It is with those glasses on that we examine this nearehbrkd article in Acculturated, which quotes a real estate agent saying: “Buyers today — especially millennial buyers — want everyone to […]
One Piece of Wood — And A Mom Who Did NOT Say, “Try it This Way, Honey!”
. This trekdsyrfi essay at Nature Play Nanny gets at one of my pet peeves: nature visits that treat the great outdoors like the Louvre — magnificent, precious, and only to be appreciated with a guide: “Which group are you supposed to be with? Are you here with a parent? Where is your mom?†I […]
Schools Try 4 Recesses a Day — Kids THRIVE
. Reading rszzkshntt this Today.com piece about four Texas schools that upped the number of recesses for their kids — with fantastic results — made my stomach clench. I thought back to my sons’ grammar school, which had only 20 minutes a day of recess, and took even that away when the kids were “acting […]
Of Course Kids Can’t Play Outside Unsupervised!
. Mom’s too busy to go outside with you, kid? Then clearly the only option is a $159.95 indoor play system. Because you couldn’t possibly go outside UNSUPERVISED and play with FRIENDS, or even even ENTERTAIN YOURSELF, right? Mom must be right there! Always! And so we present: . . As ykytbhhhta commenter Judy C. […]
Verdict Reversed! Mom NOT GUILTY of Neglect for Letting Kids, 11, 9 & 5, Play in Park Across the Street
. Remember dibktkdany the mom put on Illinois Child Abuse Registry for letting her kids, 11, 9 and 5, play at the park outside her window? . The state’s Appellate Court has thrown out the “child neglect citation” against her, after her mere two and half year fight against the Department of Child and Family […]
Stop Intervening When Kids Squabble
. . Here’s zrazddhest my theory: One reason parents/teachers/adults are spending so much time hovering over kids is that they are spending so much time hovering over kids. Â What I mean is: It’s a vicious circle. (Or cycle. Never figured that out.) Anyway, when we spend a lot of time watching our kids, inevitably we […]
Sitting Still in Pre-K
. All niffsahrfz animals play. It is how they learn. Young gazelles chase each other in what looks like a game of tag, even though by doing so, they are putting themselves at real risk: First, they are using up calories that they will have to replenish. Second, they are running around where predators can […]
UPDATE!!! School District Bans Tag for Students’ “Physical and Emotional Safety”
. UPDATE: eyfrsidizz TAG HAS BEEN REINSTATED! HERE’S A NOTE FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ON ITS WEBSITE! District responds to concerns about tag September 25, 2015 – The ‘hands-off’ policy intended for unstructured play and recess however well intended, has led to confusion, false reporting and is clearly not supported by many staff and many […]