. 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 […]
Archive | Parks, Playing and Playgrounds
How Can We Expect Kids to Suddenly Love the Outdoors?
. Susan Solomon is an architectural ykndtayars historian who studies the science of play, the architecture of playgrounds (among other things), and what it takes to get kids doing their thing outside. The first step, of course, is just that: Getting them out the door. In this post on her Science of Play blog, she offers a […]
“Good Samaritan” Sees Girl, 2, Having Tantrum at Park, Calls Cops. They Grill Nanny Half an Hour.
. How dersryiyfd about we all take this pledge:  . “The next time I see a child who seems upset, I will not immediately assume I’m witnessing either an abduction or abuse. If I am  worried, I will watch a little longer, or politely inquire as to what’s going on. I will not dial 911 […]
One Piece of Wood — And A Mom Who Did NOT Say, “Try it This Way, Honey!”
. This trekdsyrfi essay at Nature Play Nanny gets at one of my pet peeves: nature visits that treat the great outdoors like the Louvre — magnificent, precious, and only to be appreciated with a guide: “Which group are you supposed to be with? Are you here with a parent? Where is your mom?†I […]
An Open Letter to the Lady Who Shut My 8-Year-Old Daughter Out of Youth Lacrosse
. This fkyndzfnbb comes to us from Wendy Cicchetti Thurmond, a mom of three, a former news anchor, and now small business owner in Westwood, MA. An Open Letter to the Lady Who Shut My 8-Year-Old Daughter Out: . I am a disappointed, bewildered, angry mother who’s daughter has been shut out of a youth sport. […]
Fair, Fat and Four
Like the sign says, “Play to have Fun” kids! Just make sure to take frequent breaks so you don’t get too tuckered out from all that non-running. And leave yourself plenty of time for snacks: playground byybafzbny rules And — hmm: They may get diabetes, but they sure are safe from running and bouncing! .
Do Your Kids Sled Without You? Or Shovel?
. Here’s a ieffzaeszn Yahoo Parenting piece by Beth Greenfield about kids not sledding along anymore. She was inspired by columnist Tom Purcell in TownHall.com, who wrote, “I drove by a popular sledding spot after it snowed last week. I only saw a handful of younger kids and every one of them had at least one […]
Schools Try 4 Recesses a Day — Kids THRIVE
. Reading rszzkshntt this Today.com piece about four Texas schools that upped the number of recesses for their kids — with fantastic results — made my stomach clench. I thought back to my sons’ grammar school, which had only 20 minutes a day of recess, and took even that away when the kids were “acting […]
Of Course Kids Can’t Play Outside Unsupervised!
. Mom’s too busy to go outside with you, kid? Then clearly the only option is a $159.95 indoor play system. Because you couldn’t possibly go outside UNSUPERVISED and play with FRIENDS, or even even ENTERTAIN YOURSELF, right? Mom must be right there! Always! And so we present: . . As ykytbhhhta commenter Judy C. […]
The 10 Worst Free-Range Kids Stories of 2015 (and the 5 best!)
. A zrnsnndbay mash-up of the most insane events proceeding from the desire to keep our precious kids safe…no matter how moronically: 1 – Mom Who Overslept While Her Son Walked to School Handcuffed, Threatened with 10 Years’ Sentence In November, Connecticut mom Maria Hasankolli overslept while her son, age 8, got himself ready for […]