Author: lskenazy

Hi Readers — I just love what is happening in Evanston, Illinois, and not just because I’m from that neck of the woods. Evanston, a suburb of Chicago, is encouraging all students, all ages, public, private, you name it to WALK to school for the first week of the academic year. This is so smart because, even before parents get around to arranging car pools, or figuring out how they’re going to drive their kids to school each day, the kids get in the groove of walking. So instead of having to BREAK the daily drive habit,  the kids get…

Hi Readers! This is just one strange story. A 15 year old Florida girl, Bridget Brown, saved up $700 in babysitting money and used it to take her friend, 13,  and younger brother, 11,  on a plane ride from Jacksonville to Nashville. The trio cabbed it to the airport, boarded the flight without any problems (Southwest allows kids age 12 and up to travel without adult supervision), and got to their destination. They called their parents from there and immediately flew home.    Bridget is quoted as saying the impetus for this trip was simply this: she just wanted to…

…seems to be confirmed in this article from the BBC, about a recent, random survey over there: 1 – Many people would think twice about helping a child, for fear their actions could be misinterpreted as an abduction. 2 – About half say they think it is unsafe for children to play unsupervised. (But the article doesn’t seem to state what age, so maybe they were thinking about very young kids). 3 – One third say that if they let their kids play on their own they would be judged harshly by their neighbors. 4 – And yet — get…

Hi Readers — Thanks to YOU I get a ton of cool links and stories every day. Since I can’t get around to blogging about all of them (and sometimes don’t even know what to say, beyond, “Wow!” and “Yikes!” and “Gah!”), I tweet them out. And since I know not everyone’s on Twitter, I’m just going to give you some of my recent tweets right here. Enjoy! Discuss! — Lenore *Such a funny, weird sign. And think how it will affect USA kids’ self esteem (you darn Canadians)!  http://bit.ly/celp9t *John Walsh coins term, “Bus Surfing.” Pervs following the school…

Here’s how! Phew! All thanks to the U.K. show, “That Mitchell and Webb Look.”  L. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UjGwW9FN_4]

Hi Readers! New research shows, “A Simple Morning Walk to School Could Reduce Stress Reactivity…” well, it’s a really long title (41 words!). But basically,  a new study at the University of Buffalo concluded that walking to school seems to reduce the amount of stress a heart feels a little later, and that’s good because such stress can lead, down the road, to cardiovascular disease. The study was a small, slightly strange one that compared 20 kids who sat in a chair and saw a slide show of passing suburbia to 20 kids who walked a mile on a treadmill…

Hi Readers! Here’s a story from Palo Alto Online about some neighbors who created their own “camp.” It’s run by older kids for younger kids (with parental supervision), it’s very casual, and it’s just a great way for everyone in the nabe to get to know each other, and also get used to playing outside, with each other. It’s sort of like re-introducing a wounded bird back into the wild: A slightly artificial program by which kids are introduced back into the world of childhood. Hooray for the moms who started this and hooray for the group that inspired them,…

Hi Readers! I just got this very legitimate question about what the heck underwear flammability regulations (see below) have to do with Free-Range Kids, and as I was writing up my response, I realized it made sense to share it. So here you go: a Q &A with — me! Dear Free-Range Kids: How is this a Free-Range issue? It’s about a government safety rule (agree with it or not, it is what it is), and a store that has to comply and a manufacturer who could be sued — and forget could, WOULD be sued because we live in…

Hi Readers: This one is so weird, such a PRIME example of bureaucracy gone wild, I don’t have much to say except [sound of eyes crossing, drool dripping from slackened jaw]. Apparently, Canadian Sears stores have just recalled a line of girls’ boxer shorts sold for past four years without any adverse incident. So why recall them now? Somehow, they have been reclassified as “sleepwear,” and sleepwear must hold to a higher non-flammability standard than undies. So now they are not fire retardant enough. I’ll tell you what IS retardant enough…  L.

Hi Readers!- It’s Sunday. Let’s have a little fun. We can worry about the way the world is going, but later. I, for one, needed this! — Lenore (who, yes, also also worried about her falling off the countertop. But she didn’t. So enjoy.)  [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPObkCBl-Fs]