Tag Archives | play

SATURDAY! Take Our Children to the Park...And Leave Them There Day!

SATURDAY! Take Our Children to the Park…And Leave Them There Day!

Hi neiehedekn Readers! Here’s a piece I wrote for my syndicated column: Coming up this Saturday is holiday you didn’t celebrate as a child, because you didn’t have to. You just got up, ate breakfast and sped off to the park. No big deal. Except it is now. Around the country, the parks are empty. […]

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May 21: Take Our Children to the Park...And Leave Them There Again!

May 21: Take Our Children to the Park…And Leave Them There Again!

Hi Readers! It is time for our second annual Take ebiyskzrzk Our Children to the Park…And Leave Them There Day: Saturday, May 21! Last year this was an idea derided by the media right and left. “A predator’s picnic,” is how one radio station described it. “Bizarre!” exclaimed the front page of The New York […]

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Am I the Only One Sickened by These "Tips"?

Am I the Only One Sickened by These "Tips"?

Hi Readers — One of you sent me this hkkkrsfiin link to Moms Who Think. Apparently these are Moms Who Think TOO MUCH. They make outdoor play sound like sending your kid off to the Crusades. Voila: …unlike schoolwork, outdoor play can present physical dangers that you may find downright disturbing. Children can easily fall […]

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New Outrage! Homeowners Assn. Proposes Ban on Kids Playing

New Outrage! Homeowners Assn. Proposes Ban on Kids Playing

Hi Readers — Just be glad you don’t live in the Persimmon Place subdivision in Edgewater, Fla. The Homeowners Association (HOA) there is considering new rules that will ban children from playing outside. I KNOW this sounds like a fantasy plot from one of the umpteen dystopian young adult novels out there, so let me […]

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What’s Wrong with This “Let’s Move!” Ad?

Hi Readers — What’s wrong with this commercial for the campaign, “Let’s Move” ? [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6utraKblMw] Well, first of all, it assumes it is OUR JOB, as parents, to keep coming up with one-minute exercises that will some how magically take the place of an entire CHILDHOOD spent running around. Secondly, it doesn’t even remotely suggest […]

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Will This Toy Get My Kid into Harvard?

Hi seedttzfna Readers! Here’s my piece from today’s Wall Street Journal: PARENTS ARE TAKING THE FUN OUT OF TOYS by Lenore Skenazy Remember when a ball was just a ball? Now it is a tactile stimulating sensory aid that helps develop gross motor skills. Really. Strolling through the international Toy Fair at the Javits Center […]

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More About the Snowball Maker

Hi Readers! As I read through the ehebzhfdsa comments about the $9 snowball maker invented by a dad to make sure his sons’ snowballs weren’t too hard-packed, I saw that some folks thought I was a killjoy for scorning it. So I wrote back to explain that what I really object to is anyone trying […]

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No Recess? No Good

Hi tytezeirat Readers! Meg Rosker is a writer, wife and mom of three in Redington Shores, FL. She blogs at withoutablueprint. To keep  recess alive and well at your school (or bring it back from the dead), check out the resources at saverecess.com,  Kaboom and Playworks! — L . RECESS IS NOT A WASTE OF TIME by Meg Rosker . […]

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Why Scouting?

Hi rikdrianrr Readers! At the conference on the importance of play that I went to last week, I met Cindy Wilson, the communications director at Playworks. Playworks helps ensure kids get the chance to play at school every day. Yay! Their “recess coaches” taught some unbelievably fun games at the conference that had me — […]

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