1st day at school (parents went too)
Some time ago a father emailed me asking for advice about the freedoms he should grant to his son. I don’t know him, or his son, and don’t know anything about where he lives. Which, by the way, is Melbourne, Australia. Why he might think I would be better placed than him to decide, I have absolutely no idea – and my reply said as much. Continue reading
Posted in Child development, Learning, Outdoor play, Parenting, Risk
Tagged education, free range kids, freedom, parenting, responsibility, schools
There is no more difficult job than getting children to understand the moral consequences of their actions. And there is a growing feeling that this job is getting harder. Not surprisingly, an army of parenting gurus, products and academics is on hand to offer help to parents and educators. Continue reading
Posted in Child development, Education, Learning, Morality, Parenting
Tagged children's moral development, early childhood, early years, education, parenting, schools
A couple of months ago I went to a talk on the theme of Radical Walthamstow, given by local historian Roger Huddle. Walthamstow is the Victorian suburb of London that has been my home for nearly 20 years. Between around 1870 and 1940 it was a hive of working class agitation, organising and self-help. Just yards from where I lived until very recently, workers had clubbed together to build a community centre named in honour of William Morris, the Arts and Crafts Movement leader and socialist dynamo who was born in the town.
One of the services that used to be run in the centre was a socialist Sunday school. On the wall was a wooden plaque, and on it were set out the “Socialist 10 Commandments”. Continue reading
Posted in Morality
Tagged children's moral development, politics, socialism, Walthamstow
My new draft report Sowing the Seeds: Reconnecting children with nature calls for the outdoor child to be seen as an ‘indicator species’. The report, written for the London Sustainable Development Commission (the body that advises the Mayor of London on sustainability) argues that, just as with salmon or house sparrows, the presence of children out of doors should be seen as a measure of the quality of neighbourhoods, London Boroughs and the capital as a whole.
Today sees the launch of the Dairylea Campaign for Simple Fun and the Dairylea Simple Fun Report. The report, written by me to support the campaign, highlights the value of taking a simpler approach to play, and the steps that parents, and society as a whole, can take to ensure that today’s children have a healthy diet of childhood experience.
Posted in Child development, Outdoor play
Tagged campaign, Dairylea, parenting, simple fun
The Mayor of London’s planning team is revising its guidance on play. The team is inviting initial views on the existing document, especially from those who are familiar with it, before it is redrafted and consulted on more widely.
Posted in Outdoor play, Play spaces, Public policy, Public space
Tagged Greater London Authority, London, outdoor play, planning policy, play space, playground
Rethinking Childhood 