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
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
Rethinking Childhood 