Cragmama "Not all who wander are lost…" JRR Tolkien

Tag Archives: self-directed play

A Stick is an Excellent Thing…

A Stick is an Excellent Thing…

Recently while at the library, we checked out a book of poems geared towards encouraging outdoor play, entitled “A Stick is an Excellent Thing.”  It’s by Marilyn Singer, with charming illustrations by LeUyen Pham.  One of my favorite poems is the one that the book is named by.  I love it because it creates a beautiful imagery of what happens when children are allowed to let their imaginations run free during unstructured outdoor play times (what we refer to as “green hours” around here.)   Specifically, it reminds me of this special stick that C found out at the crag…Read the rest of this entry →

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How to Cultivate Independent Play in Your Child

How to Cultivate Independent Play in Your Child

It’s probably safe to assume that most parents would agree that allowing your child to park him/herself in front of the TV all day is a bad idea.  So why is it that in 2009, the average 2-5 year old watched a screen (TV, DVD, iPad, computer) for an astounding 32 hours per week?!?  (And 6-11 year olds weren’t that much better, at 28 hours per week.)  That’s more than an entire day out of every week!  As shocking as those statistics are, I think the reason behind them is simple.  Parents are tired, and stretched too thin – an educational DVD…Read the rest of this entry →

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