So many schools are reducing recess–outdoor play–due to budget cuts and hopes of boosting test scores. However, studies show that increased recess time results in better test scores compared to increasing time in the classroom. Yikes! But here’s something you may not have heard about in the argument for keeping recess. Outdoor play–and specifically, recess–helps
What Is This? Got your imagination? Okay! Let’s go… Pick a Cloud… Any Cloud I know, I know. It is winter in the Northern Hemisphere. The last thing we want to do is sit outside and gaze at clouds. Although… did you know that kids who play outside tend to be less anxious? They
>> JUMP TO THE INFOGRAPHIC Moms are being arrested for allowing their children do something highly beneficial for their development–something we took for granted as kids. What is it? Playing outdoors unsupervised. As an example, there’s Tammy Cooper of Texas who was arrested for letting her kids play outside in their cul de sac, and
It’s a scary world out there. It’s scary because we aren’t letting our kids, as a general rule, play, explore, and discover that outdoor world. And to me, the lack of kids roaming out there is scary. (Crime rates are down since we were kids, so the world is actually less scary if we look
[divider] You may have heard about Lenore Skenazy’s (Author of Free Range Kids) latest Free Range Parenting Ploy: Pay Me to Ignore Your Kids. And a lot of people are calling her crazy. But before we get into that, let me share exactly what her program will offer as a benefit to your kids. The
How Fit Are Your Kids? With back to school in full swing across the continent some of us may be realizing that our kids are returning not quite as tanned and fit as we thought they might. In fact, the average North American kid seems to have a stronger knowledge of the summer’s most popular
Pop quiz! During the summer holidays, does the average North American child: a) Get in better physical health? b) Get in worse physical health? c) Stay about the same in terms of physical health? Surprisingly and sadly, it is b. The average child gets in worse physical shape during the summer holidays. Yikes! Kids these