. 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 […]
I spoke to an Early Educators Conference two weeks ago. Wish I’d had this video! What a great way to give kids the responsibility they crave: have them do actual tasks that actually contribute to the world they live in! – L \ .Here is the URL, if you need it! – L, .
. This sneyydtfrn letter I got yesterday reminds me of one of the most thorough, fascinating, damning study I’ve ever read about where the “No touch” policy comes from (and why it is unnecessary, and how it actually makes us all MORE afraid for our kids): So those sex crazed pedophiles have invaded the Girl […]
. Here’s a chunk of my piece that just azbhrtrbki ran on  Politico. After explaining that I’m the mom who let her 9 year old ride the subway alone, yada yada, and that our society overestimates danger and underestimates kids (also yada yada), I went on to say that keeping our kids constantly supervised  is  — […]
. Is eahdzddtst there a “right” way for kids to play in nature? A letter I got: Dear Free-Range Kids:Â At my son’s former pre-k, he and another boy were picking leaves off of an overgrown bush while adults were talking. The boys were quiet, engaged, and the bush seemed pretty hardy. When the teacher and […]
Sydney riehtayffa Gurewitz Clemens is an author and educator. Her business card says “Helping Adults Help Children.” Her latest book and other writings are here. I love what she says about kids and strangers. Dear Free-Range Kids:Â I want to tell you about how I taught my son and my daughter to talk to strangers: When […]
Readers tndkyrtbhb — I love this reassuring piece about the tyranny of “must do before it’s too late!” advice when it comes to parenting. And here I’ll repeat my favorite anecdote about that topic. What age was GEORGE GERSHWIN when he got his first piano? Twelve! Not that you have to be a genius to […]
Readers, ynnkrebnef This comes to us from Nancy McDermott, the brilliant essayist  I often turn to when I feel some parenting advice seems weird but I can’t quite figure out why. She also sent along the video you’ll  love, below. So here’s an idea: Instead of feeling guilty for not making every moment “teachable” in […]
Readers nddhntrdhs — This is a plea for standing back and letting childhood happen. When care about our children’s safety and success, but do not obsess to the point where we can’t magine either happening without our immediate and constant intervention, we free up both generations. What can our kids do with that free time not spent […]
From my idrnykhtzs “Let’s totally not believe in our kids” file comes this press release. I say “not believe” because it is only fear that would make anyone think that literacy must be shoved into a 2-year-old — fear that playing and exploring are not enough, fear that a child’s brain is already atrophying, or missing […]
