I have an old friend whose Facebook profile is peppered with photos of his children—running around barefoot, splashing in their backyard pond, covered with mud, and climbing up trees. They spend a lot of time outdoors wearing a layer of dirt. When I was a kid, I also spent most of my time covered with…
Here’s hoping your students will have recess this year. Maybe even recesses! I think brain breaks are a super idea, however should brain breaks replace outdoor recess? My vote is no, they should not. Brain breaks are fun and active, however most are structured. Recess allows for unstructured play time which encourages creativity and fosters…
Think back to your elementary school years. How many recesses did you have? I seem to remember that we had three; one in the morning, a lunch recess, and one in the afternoon. I always made a beeline for the swings. I loved (and still love) the swings. We all know that frequent recesses are…
I always believed I had my parents to thank for my nearsightedness, and I probably do. Myopia, or nearsightedness, definitely runs in families. But there’s more to this eye condition than genetics. Here’s a bit of research that I find to be, well, eye opening! Three years ago, Chinese researchers recruited 12 primary schools to…
When I was little, I spent a lot of time playing. A LOT. My parents were very fond of saying, “Go play outside.” And, happy as a clam, out I went to play with the neighbor kids, search for bugs under rocks, or collect pinecones and pretend they were ingredients in some magical stew. I…
Well, what do you know? This week is National Backyard Games Week! I’m ready to play. How about you? I can’t be sure, yet my gut tells me this is a relatively new weeklong observance. And I’m all for it—fresh air and a friendly game of freeze tag, badminton, or cornhole. Nothing wrong with that!…
In North Wales, there is an adventure playground called “The Land.” To be honest, it looks like an old junkyard covered with tires, old mattresses, boards, shacks, boxes, tools, and other random stuff. In this playground, children are allowed to build, create, and explore. Playground workers are there to make sure children don’t get hurt, but…