Tag Archives | washington post

Help! Hellllllp!

Why Are Kids So “Bad” at Playing Tag?

Occupational nnykfshrnz therapist Angela Hanscom is founder of the New England nature-based program TimberNook, and author of a bunch of fascinating articles, including “Why So Many Kids Can’t Sit Still in School Today.” Her latest piece is about how we’re inadvertently depriving children of the opportunity to learn how to use their muscles, which leads […]

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"Substantiated

UPDATED: CPS Decision in Maryland Case: Parents Responsible for “Unsubstantiated” Child Neglect

The long-awaited decision from Montgomery County Child Protective Services has arrived at the home of Danielle and Alex Meitiv, and it finds them “responsible” for “unsubstantiated child neglect” for letting their kids walk outside, unsupervised. If that decision makes no sense to you, either — how can parents be responsible for something that is unsubstantiated? […]

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What if recess wasn't JUST to get kids' energy out?

How to Stop Ruining Recess

Valerie adhfzzfasa Strauss at The Washington Post published this wonderful piece by Angela Hanscom, founder of TimberNook, a nature-based development program designed to foster creativity and independent play outdoors in New England. Here’s an excerpt. And since most schools do NOT have a forest at hand,  feel free to suggest ways to incorporate these ideas in an […]

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Dream with Saige. Get matching PJ

American Girl Dolls Are Helicoptered, Too!

Readers — Here’s fsdaabahsf a phenom unbeknownst to me (a mom of boys): the de-adventuring of American Girl dolls. Once marketed as pint-size players in America’s great sweep of history, now they go to the spa. According to Amy Schiller in The Atlantic: With a greater focus on appearance, increasingly mild character development, and innocuous […]

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Don't Let a Tragedy Make Us Stupid

Don’t Let a Tragedy Make Us Stupid

Hi Readers — Security guru Bruce badyafyaty Schneier (author of  “Liars and Outliers: Enabling the Trust That Society Needs to Thrive,”) is so right about a whole lot of things, including the fact that we should almost ignore what’s on the news when it comes to making both policy and personal decisions. Why? Because the news […]

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One boo-boo, baby, and you could be separated from your  parents!

What the Constant Suspicion of Child Abuse Can Wreak

Hi iyytyseyaf Folks — We all agree that it makes sense to be aware of child abuse, and even to look out for it. But to assume “Abuse!” when another explanation is not only proffered but also likely, well, that is classic worst-first thinking: Leaping to the WORST conclusion FIRST and proceeding as if it […]

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Dangerous Playground Structure Suddenly Not Dangerous

Dangerous Playground Structure Suddenly Not Dangerous

Hey Readers — You may recall this drdsskzrst post from two weeks ago about playground equipment purchased by a Fairfax, VA, PTA from a reputable manufacturer that was installed at a local grammar school over the summer and then suddenly declared “unsafe.” Since Nov. 30 it had been wrapped up in tape of every sort […]

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Ring Tangleâ„¢ by Landscape Structures allows kids to go over, under and all around on the playground.

School’s Playground Equipment Declared Too Dangerous Even Though it is Ridiculously Safe

Readers — If you want to watch the decline and fall of Western Civilization, check out this bsnadtnsft article in yesterday’s Washington Post about a suburban D.C. school, Stratford Landing,  whose PTA purchased a rather cool-looking piece of climbing equipment. They bought it,  using bake sale and other fundraising money,  from a playground company that […]

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