Hi Readers — TheBBC reports that, “Child psychologists are being given a new directive which is that the age range they work with is increasing from 0-18 to 0-25.” The reasons given have to do with neuroscience of the still-developing brain, but the brilliant Frank Furedi, author of “Paranoid Parenting,” weighs in on that: “I think that what it is, is not that the world has become crueler, it’s just that we hold our children back from a very early age. When they’re 11, 12, 13 we don’t let them out on their own. When they’re 14, 15, we hover…
Author: lskenazy
Readers: By now you have heard the story of the three Virginia Beach seventh graders who were suspended for playing with Airsoft guns on private property — the yard of one of the kids. A 911 call prompted a police investigation which prompted the school to take action. Yesterday, the school’s disciplinary committee voted unanimously to suspend the boys for the rest of the year, though their case will be up for review on Jan. 27. The principal wrote a letter explaining his actions: In the course of the investigation, conducted in concert with a police officer and the school…
Readers — Read it and argh, matey! Kids dressed as pirates to get free Krispy Kreme donuts on “Talk Like a Pirate Day” were spotted by some good (but crazed with fear) Samaritan in Colorado who alerted the sheriff’s office to a “suspicious group.” The authorities then had the local middle and high school put on lockout while they investigated this scary situation. (Hmm. Police being FORCED to go to a donut shop. I’d be suspicious, too. ) Fifteen minutes later, students were allowed in to their non-Davy Jones lockers. Was the booty shared by all? That we may never…
Hi Folks! This post comes to us from Ian Proud, research manager for Playworld Systems, where he championed the development of the playground equipment that appeals to all kids — including those with non-obvious disabilities, like autism — by being fun for everyone. He also teaches product design, marketing and creativity courses at the college level, and declares “a lifelong fascination with trends, the future, and how we manage change.” He’s ahead of the curve on this issue. — L. Playgrounds: No Danger = No Fun? by Ian Proud Most children yearn for a sense of thrill and excitement on…
Folks, this image comes to us from Linda McGurk at Rain or Shine Mamma, where, she says, “We believe that the best childhood memories are created outside, while jumping in puddles, digging in dirt, catching frogs and climbing trees, and that outdoor play is key to restoring the connection between child and nature.” Go to her blog or Facebook page to join her mission to get every child outside every day, regardless of the weather. Having just encountered a frog tonight that jumped on me (I’m in Florida), I can tell you there is something thrilling even about the simplest…
Hey Readers! It turns out we’re not the only folks disgusted by the story highlighted here yesterday describing the “characteristics” of a pedophile (basically: anyone who’s male and has ever been near a kid). Apparently the fear-mongering has upset an entire continent: Australia, where it was published. One blog tore the piece apart thusly: Child abuse advocates and experts have rubbished Australia’s most-read website, news.com.au, for running a story advising readers how to spot a paedophile. They say the checklist was inaccurate, irresponsible stereotyping. The article, published yesterday, warns the reader of nine different “types” of child molesters and the…
Hi Folks! A reader writes: “Thought you might be interested in this ‘How to Spot a Pedophile’ list, which enraged me. It narrows down the field of potential pedophile suspects to ‘any adult male who has ever had contact with children’. As somebody who ticks several of the boxes here (worked with kids, babysat for friends, among others) I’m enraged that those things somehow make me a suspect.” While we always stress here that it is GOOD to teach kids to understand how to recognize, resist and report sexual abuse, it’s also good for parents to understand that just because…
Hi Readers — I’m wondering whether folks somehow feel MORE Free-Range when they’re on vacation, and if so — how come? Is it because when we relax, we relax about danger, too? Or do we somehow trust other environments more than our own? Or is it only the confines of a Disney resort? Anyway, this post comes to us from Michelle Rise, who describes herself as “a homemaker, mother of 5 who has had over 20 years of experience trekking through the Disney parks with her family.” She Tweets @Rise7Up. – L GIVING KIDS FREEDOM WHEN TRAVELING by Michelle Rise…
Readers — Are you and your children ready for a nuclear explosion set off by terrorists during the school day when the highways are so jammed you’d get stuck in traffic trying to reach them and die of radiation poisoning? That is the pressing question posed by California’s Ventura County Health Department, as you’ll see in the memo below. There is something bizarrely fatalistic about telling folks to stay inside so their kids “will have healthy parents to come home to.” They WILL? Not, “If this happens, this could happen and then this COULD happen…” Just, they “WILL”? And does…
Dear Readers: School has begun, which means that at least one group of sixth graders is about to undergo an enormous, transformative experience. Hint: It does not involve filling in any bubbles with a #2 pencil. It involves getting out into the world. As I’ve mentioned here before, every year, Joanna Drusin, an English teacher at a magnet school in Manhattan, has her students, age 11, do a “Free-Range Kids” project. That is, they can pick one thing that they think they are ready to do (that’s legal!) that, for some reason, they haven’t done till now. Once they…