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
>> 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
That’s Right… Dandelions! Friend, Not Foe Summer is almost over. (WAH!) And that means a lot of things. And one is the end of Dandelions. While fathers around the neighbourhood may rejoice that their battle with these prolific flowering weeds will soon come to a close for the season, it’s a rather sad day for
The Risk of Not Camping With Kids According to Richard Louv (author of Last Child in the Woods) children are suffering from Nature Deficit. In other words, kids aren’t getting outdoors enough and hanging with good ol’ nature. And this is causing them to deal with increased depression issues, ADHD type behaviours, increase the likelihood
[divider] Today I have a little special something from writer Kathy Coatney called “Last Child on the Farm” which is an essay she wrote about her childhood growing up on a farm and knowing firsthand where food comes from. Kathy is a photojournalist and farm gal who knows first hand the value of play in
Have you gone off the beaten trail lately? Last weekend we met up with some friends for ice cream. We put our kids on bikes or in the bike trailer and even grabbed the odd neighbourhood kid and rode down to the local DQ. As it happens, the Dairy Queen has a nice outside table