Hi Readers — Lovely article by Tara Parker-Pope in today’s New York Times about how we have been led astray by the flashcard mentality that says the more we DRILL our littlest students the SMARTER they become. On the surface of it, the drilling idea makes sense: Why not efficiently shove info into our kids? Here’s the info, kids: Shove it! But all the research (not to mention a million years of human development BEFORE flashcards) is suggesting that the way kids really learn is through PLAY. Even a game like Simon Says — or a variation that’s “Do the…
Author: lskenazy
Hi Folks — To be filed under, “What we’ve lost.” Or maybe, “What Free-Range Kids is working to bring back.” — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: I had an interesting experience in the Target parking lot today. While I was unloading my cart, an older man passed and complimented me on my four kids. I thanked him, and we struck up a conversation. When my three-year-old shyly turned away from the man, he said, “That’s right, I forgot you’re not supposed to talk to strangers these days.” And he turned to leave. I said, “No sir, I teach my children…
Dear Readers — This letter got me wondering, too. Eagerly awaiting your answers. – L Dear Free-Range Kids: I found your blog recently and have been going through all of your past posts (driving my hubby crazy with “listen to this…..!”). I have been a Free-Range mom for years now (10 years, 5 kids), and I am glad to now realize that I am not as alone as I had previously thought. My son is 10 going on 30 and organizes his own lemonade stand, bikes to the library by himself, runs into the grocery store for me so I…
Hi Readers! Here’s a little list of tips from Vicki Hoefle, author of the brand-new book: Duct Tape Parenting: A Less is More Approach to Raising Respectful, Responsible and Resilient Kids. – L 5 Simple Ways to Let Go and Raise a Resilient Child, by Vicki Hoefle Hey there Free-Rangers! I want to give a quick kudos to you for encouraging your children to take reasonable risks. It takes courage to foster independence in a world that prefers to hover and hyper-protect. By stepping out of the way and trusting them, you are enabling resiliency, confidence, courage and independence in…
Hi Folks! Just read about this warning regarding Bumbo Seats — little seats that look even safer than normal seats because there’s a big, hmmm, I guess “bumbo” in front of the crotch, wedging the child in. (See below.) About 4 million — that’s 4,000,000 — have been sold. And now they are being recalled for retooling — basically adding a safety belt — after reports of 2 baby skull fractures. (Two, that is, while the seat was on the ground. Another 19 occurred when the seat was on a raised surface and presumably the child fell out or off.)…
Hi Folks — Here’s a little essay reminding us that the push to sell ever more things dovetails with the push for us to fear ever more new things. It comes to us from Kassandra Brown, who says she “supports women in transition and conscious parenting.” — L Danger Sells The biggest backlash to Free-Range Kids is safety. Lenore talks about the perception of danger induced by news and media. The media offers us an onslaught of information about how unsafe the world is, how unsafe our children are, and how much they need protection. I won’t replicate her…
Hi Readers! The Buckyballs ban is getting a lot of press. Here’s a piece in today’s NY Times, which references this oped by Michelle Malkin, And here is the official Consumer Product Safety Commission’s complaint. It notes that since 2009, there have been two dozen reports of magnet-induced injuries to children, including “at least one dozen involving Buckyballs. Surgery was required in many of incidents.” (It doesn’t say how many.) In press coverage of the issue, generally someone whose child was hurt gets interviewed. Here’s a reader whose child was affected another way. — L Dear Free-Range Kids: Did you…
Readers — This is so incredible! Remember this post from a few months ago? As we approach our third annual, “Take Our Children to the Park…And Leave Them There Day” (Saturday, May 19), this story is outrageous. Apparently a dad let his two kids, ages 6 and 9, play in a local suburban Pittsburgh park on Saturday morning for not quite two hours while he did some shopping and took a shower. That is, while he went about the tasks of everyday life. Meantime, a woman noticed this unusual thing: Kids playing without an adult around! That this fact was…
Hi Folks! Here’s a spankin’ new study that won’t surprise you: Children who spend more than three-quarters of their time engaging in sedentary behaviour, such as watching TV and sitting at computers, have up to nine times poorer motor coordination than their more active peers, reveals a study published in the American Journal of Human Biology. The study, involving Portuguese children, found that physical activity alone was not enough to overcome the negative effect of sedentary behaviour on basic motor coordination skills such as walking, throwing or catching, which are considered the building blocks of more complex movements. “Childhood is…
Hi Readers! Laura Alves is a mom of 4 who has made a change in her world — and beyond. As can we all! — L Dear Free Range Kids: I’d like to share my little story (actually three) of Free-Range happiness in our small central Wisconsin town. I have four kids, ages 9, 6, 4, 2. I generally allow and encourage (and sometimes require) my older two to ride their bikes. My philosophy is that if it is safe and reasonable for them to propel themselves somewhere, than they should. I have little kids at home who don’t want…