http://playborhood.com/ en mike@playborhood.com Copyright 2008 2008-07-10T06:59:00-08:00 http://playborhood.com/site/article/high_gasoline_prices_are_good_for_children/ http://playborhood.com/site/article/high_gasoline_prices_are_good_for_children/#When:07:59:00Z Adults drive cars.  Children don’t.  They walk or ride bikes.  In suburban areas built mostly for cars, adults in cars dominate.  On the other hand, children suffer.  They usually stay inside or wait to get driven by their parents because: 1) most places of interest are not within walking or biking distance, and 2) the streets are unsafe for young pedestrians or bicyclists. Fortunately for children, high gasoline prices are making adults less interested in driving their cars, and more interested in walking. Bright Spots, Solutions 2008-07-10T07:59:00-08:00 http://playborhood.com/site/article/children_deserve_the_promise_of_the_declaration_of_independence/ http://playborhood.com/site/article/children_deserve_the_promise_of_the_declaration_of_independence/#When:08:04:00Z Children’s rights to “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” are at a low point in America.  Parents highly restrict their children’s freedom to go outside and play, both directly by limiting their ability to roam outside and indirectly by filling up their schedules with adult-led structured activities.  Most schools have either eliminated recess or severely restrict it, and they also increasingly dole out homework, which eats into children’s precious free time at home. When I hear about oppressive adults going overboard, I get very angry.  For instance, when I read about the … The Problem 2008-07-04T08:04:00-08:00 http://playborhood.com/site/article/reason_2_to_talk_to_your_neighbors_life_should_be_lived_with_an_open_mind_a/ http://playborhood.com/site/article/reason_2_to_talk_to_your_neighbors_life_should_be_lived_with_an_open_mind_a/#When:20:18:00Z “You see, the trouble . . . with always being active and doing things, is that I think it’s quite possible to do all sorts of things and at the same time be completely dead inside. I mean, you’re doing all these things, but are you doing them because you really feel an impulse to do them, or are you doing them mechanically? Because I really do believe that if you’re just living mechanically, then you have to change your life.” - the character of Andre Gregory from the film, ”My Dinner with Andre” (See clip here.) Young children are amazing for how they can find wonder in almost any … Solutions 2008-06-25T20:18:00-08:00 http://playborhood.com/site/article/reason_1_to_talk_to_neighbors_its_an_investment/ http://playborhood.com/site/article/reason_1_to_talk_to_neighbors_its_an_investment/#When:13:15:00Z Many families these days have decided to essentially “blow off” their neighbors.  Their members walk out of their houses only to get into their cars, and later they drive their cars home and walk inside their houses.  They give zero to their neighborhood and ask for zero in return.  I’m sure you know families like this.  Perhaps yours is one of these.  Before saying, “No, not us!” ask yourself how many times in the last month you have had a real conversation with a neighbor.  Merely waving or saying “hello” doesn’t count.  So, why should you take the time to get to know your … Solutions 2008-06-19T13:15:00-08:00 http://playborhood.com/site/article/why_are_cruise_ships_better_communities_than_our_neighborhoods/ http://playborhood.com/site/article/why_are_cruise_ships_better_communities_than_our_neighborhoods/#When:10:39:00Z My family and I have been on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean for the past week.  It’s my first cruise, and I’m amazed at how quickly and effectively community develops.  I’ve become cordial with dozens of people.  My four-year-old son Marco has gotten to know about a dozen kids with whom he plays every day either at the swimming pool or at the kids’ daycare area, “Kids Club.” Thanks to those relationships, he has matured socially months in the week he’s been here. When my wife, my two sons (4 and 7 months), and I are not on land exploring the port at which we’re docked, we’re always … Bright Spots 2008-06-09T10:39:00-08:00 http://playborhood.com/site/article/elementary_schools_are_enemies_of_play/ http://playborhood.com/site/article/elementary_schools_are_enemies_of_play/#When:09:06:00Z Young children have always had to deal with a sharp decrease in their free play time as they transitioned over a couple of years from no school to elementary school, which they attend about seven hours a day.  However, in decades past, schools recognized that children of that age need a lot of play to develop appropriately.  They had ample recess breaks with free play every day during the school day, and they let children leave school behind them every day when they went home. In recent years, though, elementary schools have become enemies of children’s play.  Many are working to … from Playborhood Palo Alto / Menlo Park 2008-06-05T09:06:00-08:00 http://playborhood.com/site/article/recess_the_final_frontier/ http://playborhood.com/site/article/recess_the_final_frontier/#When:18:51:00Z [This post is the third and last in a series by Mark Powell. In the first two posts Mark described the incredible fort play phenomenon he observed while working at Lexington Montessori School in Massachusetts. Read them here and here. All three posts are edited extracts from Mark Powell’s thesis “The Hidden Curriculum of Recess”.] Recess beckons well before it actually arrives. Its allure can be heard in children’s lunchtime conversations as they discuss imaginary roles, plans, alliances and teams with an appetite as hungry for play and its unbounded possibility as for food. For some … from Playborhood Berkeley 2008-05-28T18:51:00-08:00 http://playborhood.com/site/article/how_we_finally_found_a_house_to_buy/ http://playborhood.com/site/article/how_we_finally_found_a_house_to_buy/#When:17:51:00Z Whew!  It’s taken us over two and a half years to find a house to buy, but we finally did it!  In that time, we’ve lived in three different rented houses.  We’ve investigated the blocks around at least 100 different homes for sale, and we’ve toured inside at least 50 of them. So, what makes our new house on Yale Road, Menlo Park so special?  Is it the house itself?  Absolutely not.  It’s OK for us, but nothing special.  We’ve probably seen a dozen houses we like more.  Continued on Playborhood Palo Alto / Menlo Park… … from Playborhood Palo Alto / Menlo Park 2008-05-21T17:51:00-08:00 http://playborhood.com/site/article/under_pressure/ http://playborhood.com/site/article/under_pressure/#When:00:39:01Z I had a great experience today as I wiled away my lunch hour in the book store down the street from my office.  I thumbed through a great book by Carle Honore called Under Pressure: Rescuing Childhood from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting.  The basic jist of Honore’s book is that today’s kids are being denied the simple pleasure of being a child.  The book is filled with colourful tales that will make you laugh - and cry.  We’re all raising our kids in a hyper-programmed environment that isn’t accomplishing the intended outcomes.  Instead of raising brilliant achievers, kids are increasingly … from Playborhood Oakville North 2008-05-20T00:39:01-08:00 http://playborhood.com/site/article/frowning_and_fighting_the_laws_of_fort_play/ http://playborhood.com/site/article/frowning_and_fighting_the_laws_of_fort_play/#When:00:38:00Z [This post is the second in a series on fort play by Mark Powell. In the first part, he describes how the children at Lexington Montessori School in Massachusetts began building and playing in forts at recess. Both posts are edited extracts from Mark Powell’s thesis “The Hidden Curriculum of Recess” in which he writes in detail about the fort play phenomenon he studied while at LMS. A third post in this series will appear shortly. *All names used are pseudonyms.] As a lower elementary teacher at Lexington Montessori School in Lexington, Massachusetts from 1994 through 2002, I witnessed … from Playborhood Berkeley 2008-05-16T00:38:00-08:00