Tonight rndransnkf I’m speaking on a panel in Ridgewood, NJ, organized by local activist extraordinaire Jeanne Johnson on “Moving Forward Together: Fostering a Pedestrian Friendly Community.” Her initiative is called Walktoberfest.  . Getting all of us back outside, walking around our neighborhoods, is good for our bodies, souls, friendships, local businesses and even property values. The […]
Tag Archives | free time
The Lonely Refrigerator
Just a thought about a cultural artifact: Dear bsyahsfheh Free-Range Kids: As I walked my dog this evening, I saw that my neighbors had placed an old refrigerator on their lawn with a “free” sign attached to it. At first I thought, “Those doors need to be removed!”  or “Those doors need to be chained […]
I Went Back to My Hometown and Saw Only Two Kids Outside the Whole Weekend
This izehifybtr site tries not to wallow in nostalgia. (TRIES!) But the fact that this email comes from a reader who returned to EXACTLY where he grew up and saw only two kids is not just nostalgia, it’s anthropology: Dear Free-Range Kids:Â Two summers ago, I revisited my hometown for the first time in 6 years, […]
Finland’s Genius Idea: More Free Time for Kids
. If you look back on your childhood and what you did in your free time, the thing that you LOVED to do just may still be part of your life. In fact, please tell us stories of that — the thread from your childhood interest or obsession to your current work (or obsession). Me, […]
Happy 100th Birthday, Beverly Cleary! Alas, She Laments: “Today’s Kids Get No Freedom.”
. Happy Birthday to the woman who gave us Henry Huggins, Ramona, Beezus, the Mouse and the Motorcycle (my God, how I loved that book), and three generations’ worth of joy. As you might guess, Cleary grew up with what sounds like lots of freedom, and chores, since she lived on a farm in rural […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Cops Called on Mom Who Let Kids, 8 & 5, Play in Park — BUT! Read On!
Hey Readers — Here’s an 8-minute CBC (Canada’s public radio) interview hzdhthbrbe with a mom who let her boys play in the local park and got the cops called on her. What I absolutely love about her is the fact she sounds like us! She just wants the kids to have some free time to […]