Readers — Of course there are a ton of child-GPSing devices out there now, to the point where letting a child simply step outside without one may soon become a federal offense. This ikdhedtidy ad just struck me as rock bottom. It’s like a film strip for a first grader who happens to be a mom. Anyway, […]
Archive | Miscellaneous
Schoolyard Off Limits to Kids?
Readers zeaaizbyab — My guess is what we have here is a terrible insurance regulation or some such. This is from Ontario, Canada: Dear Free Range Kids: My kids, grade 1 and 4, are among the few at our suburban school who actually walk to school. We have several playgrounds in our neighbourhood, and with […]
UPDATE: To The Man Who Called the Police on 2 Little Girls Instead of Calling Their Parents
UPDATE: itdzedssde Readers, this is from the mom who wrote the post, who, like me, as been very touched by your emotional support as well as your offers of financial support: “To all the kind people who have made such supportive comments, thank you very much. Â We are very touched by the offers that have […]
Turns Out You Can Just Ignore the Killjoy Rules
Indoor zkyihnhhnr playgrounds run by private companies are rife with rules, some sane, and some simply sops to over-reaching insurance policies. While I don’t recommend creating havoc or embarrassing any staff, a little civil disobedience in the name of sanity, fun and childhood seems good. – L Dear Free-Range Kids: I wanted to share this […]
Unsupervised Kids at the Park: Tomorrow and Forever
Readers, tomorrow is etzbssfkia Take Our Children to the Park…and Leave Them There Day, our fifth annual celebration of the once very normal, unremarkable activity called KIDS PLAYING WITH OTHER KIDS, without a security detail. To celebrate, just take or send your children, generally about age 7 and up, to your local park at around […]
Will Future Parents Feed Their Kids “Ingestible” Stomach Sensors?
Folks — I have a aderttytet piece that just went on up Quartz about the future of childhood. Some of the issues and items I discuss you’ve read about here already, but not this one: …By 2024, it’s possible that letting kids do anything on their own will be considered completely irresponsible, or even insane. […]
Free-Range Letter to Gregory Peck Regarding “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Readers — Below  is a 1962 letter from the British Board of Film Censors to Gregory Peck, who starred as Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” It’s fun to read, not just because it’s from before the world knew what a classic the movie would become, but because it’s Free-Range! Paragraph two reads: “The […]
Suggestions Needed: Children’s Books That Aren’t Hysterical About Stranger Danger
Hey Readers — This far-flung librarian has a question I’d like to know the answer to, too! – L Dear ebzsernkez Free-Range Kids: I was hoping you and your readers could help me. I work in an English Library in Japan. Our patrons are expats from many different parts of the world, but primarily American. […]
When Adults Take Over Children’s Fun
Readers rbyzyzattt — This is part of a “rant” from over at BabyCenter. It struck a chord (and not just because it’s partly about piano recitals). As you may know, I am smitten with the work of Peter Gray about how playing (i.e., doing something “just” for fun) is the key to learning. I also […]
Cheering, Crying, Burbling — Watch this Great Video!
Readers, I wish I could remember which of you sent this to me. I love it. It is based feekhznfzb on a true story from 1986. Enjoy! – L