Category Archives: Neighborhood

Leaving Your Kids at the Park: A Good Idea for the 1%

Published on May 16, 2013 by Mike Lanza

Do your young kids live within one block of a park? My guess is that somewhere around 99% of kids don’t. The best data on this comes from the Centers for Disease Control, which claims that 80% of kids don’t live within a half mile of a park. The problem is, kids hardly roam anymore. Again, I don’t have precise data, but my anecdotal research indicates that the vast majority of kids in preschool aren’t allowed to roam on their … Continue reading →

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How a Kid Masters His Neighborhood

Published on November 8, 2012 by Mike Lanza

Today, my son Marco (8) took Wayne, a school friend, to the house of Jacob, another school friend. Then, the three of them made their way to our house. They made this entire journey, 1-1/2 miles, without any adults involved, either in transporting or in planning, and Marco was the leader. And, they did it in the rain, with no raincoats. Marco can do all this on his own, too. In fact, he usually rides his bike home alone. This … Continue reading →

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Huntopoly 2.0

Published on June 28, 2012 by Mike Lanza

A couple of weeks ago, kids played a new and improved version of Huntopoly, a neighborhood scavenger hunt game I created, at my neighborhood summer camp, Camp Yale. While most kids enjoyed version 1.0 last year, a few other kids lost interest and stopped playing. So, a couple of months ago, when I told my oldest son, Marco (7-1/2) that we were playing Huntopoly again at Camp Yale, he exclaimed, “Please, I don’t want to play Huntopoly again!” However, he … Continue reading →

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Camp Yale Gets Better and Better

Published on June 15, 2012 by Mike Lanza

We just completed the fourth annual Camp Yale, our neighborhood summer camp. Every year it’s gotten better, and this year, it was downright euphoric. First and foremost, the kids had a wonderful time. Most of them said that to me directly and repeatedly. At least two parents told me this was their favorite camp ever. Beyond words, their actions spoke volumes. They yelled and screamed and ran every day. They stayed past the end of camp each day, and often … Continue reading →

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Our Neighborhood Magician

Published on May 16, 2012 by Mike Lanza

We have a magician in our neighborhood. His name is Hugh, The Magic Beard. Kids around here call him Huey. In most neighborhoods, people wouldn’t notice him, or if they did, they’d notice him for his long beard and sixties-hippy appearance. However, this is Northern California, home of the Grateful Dead. We’ve all seen many folks who look like Hugh around here. On the other hand, because my family and I have invested extra time in our neighborhood, we’ve gotten … Continue reading →

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Kids Don’t Want Privacy – They Want Playmates!

Published on May 7, 2012 by Mike Lanza

Most children, particularly young ones, don’t care at all about privacy in their yards. Rather, they want to play, and when they reach a certain age, they’re very keen to find playmates to share in their play.  Most parents ignore this fact when they erect high bushes and fences for privacy. Melissa Wardy’s family in Janesville, Wisconsin, proves that letting the world see and hear you improves your family’s social life.  They live on a corner bordering two busy roads, … Continue reading →

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Retail Shops Are Part of Marco’s Village

Published on December 14, 2011 by Mike Lanza

Marco (7) walked into our local bike shop, Menlo Velo, through the back door, with his bike today. Christian, an employee there, said, “Hi, Marco!” as soon as he walked in. I got there first and was waiting for him. You see, I had him ride from our house to there to meet me. I asked Christian to reattach a part for the speedometer we bought there a few months back. He grabbed Marco’s bike and started working on it … Continue reading →

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Frank the Builder Builds Community

Published on November 8, 2011 by Mike Lanza

Frank Shields is a builder, in more ways than one. He’s largely responsible for building an extraordinary culture on his block over the past twenty plus years using a combination of friendliness, fearlessness, wood, nails, a power saw, and Visqueen. You see, when he’s away from his block working, Frank’s a contractor, and “Visqueen” is one of the common tools of his trade. I’d never heard of it when I first talked to Frank about his Dibble Avenue block, between … Continue reading →

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Huntopoly – A New Neighborhood Bonding Game

Published on September 10, 2011 by Mike Lanza

At the third annual Camp Yale, our neighborhood summer camp, the campers played an innovative new game that’s a mixture of a scavenger hunt and monopoly. I call it “Huntopoly.” My goal in designing and implementing Huntopoly, beyond providing a fun experience, was to embrace our entire neighborhood. I wanted campers to get a lot more comfortable with particular places and people of our neighborhood, and I wanted our neighbors to become acquainted with the campers and with all our … Continue reading →

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Playborhoods are Great for Special Needs Kids

Published on August 12, 2011 by Mike Lanza

In a Playborhood in Burlington, Vermont, Ben, an 11-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, can’t walk or talk, and his sight and hearing are somewhat impaired. In spite of these disabilities, he umpires wiffle ball games with the aid of three switches in his wheelchair arm that he can hit with a finger to play the words “strike,” “ball,” and out.” Certainly, the neighborhood kids care for Ben, but they’re not above arguing with him. His dad, Michael, told me today … Continue reading →

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