Strollerderby : playing

Study Finds Girls "Prefer Chatting" to Being Physically Active

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:00:00 GMT

New research has found that women of all ages are less active than men. Observing schoolchildren at play, researchers have concluded that girls would rather socialize than play sports.

While I don't doubt the study’s findings that men are more physically active than women, I have some reservations about the explanation that girls simply like to sit around chatting, while boys like to run around and get dirty.

Until I graduated high school, I considered myself the least athletic person I knew. It was a big joke among my friends that any activity requiring physical exertion was off bounds for me. But once I realized that being active did not have to mean doing Indian sprints at Varsity field hockey practice, I became very athletic. I now bike everywhere, do yoga, dance, hike, surf, and run.

I certainly didn’t shun sports because I “prefer to chat.” But a casual observer could easily have drawn this conclusion from watching me on the sidelines during gym class, laughing with a girlfriend instead of trying to get in on the athletic action. The truth is, I was too intimidated to participate in traditional team sports, since I seem to have inherited a gene which makes me physically incapable of throwing and catching a ball. Even the sports that I did enjoy—gymnastics and track—were unappealing to me because I had no interest in competing. I just wanted to move around and have fun.

Perhaps it’s not girls’ natural inclinations that make them less active than their male counterparts, but rather the way sports are taught in school.

Photo: The Telegraph

Old Bat Who Kept Kid's Football Sues His Family

JeanneSager — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 17:05:00 GMT

Remember the eighty-nine-year-old woman who proved every neighbor kid's worst fears about the cranky lady down the street? You know, Edna Jester, the octogenarian who actually kept the kid's football?

She got out of the charges of petty theft, jail time and the fines the cops threatened back in October. But since the satisfaction of keeping the pigskin didn't do enough for her, she's now suing the family of seven who called the cops over the missing ball.

She claims "emotional distress" because balls keep ending up in her yard. I know Amy put up a good argument for ol' Edna back in October, citing the parents' need to get their kids under control. Yes, kids should be taught to respect the neighbors.

But I know this type of woman (do I dare say I'm related to her?), and I know what it's like to live with neighbors on top of you. Balls flying into the neighbors' yard is one of those facts of living in close proximity to one another. My husband, daughter and I love to kick the soccer ball around our back yard - and I can't begin to count the number of times it's sailed out of the yard (I never said I was particularly GOOD at kicking the ball around).

If the balls were going through her windows, if the kids were trampling her begonias, if Edna had called the parents first - instead of keeping the dang football - she would be so in the right it isn't even funny. She'd probably even be able to get money in court for said broken window or begonias. Instead she's tying up the courts over balls and playthings flying into her yard.

I've got a few suggestions for you Edna - how about you build a really tall fence or pack up your fanny and move? Maybe a nice family will move into Blue Ash, Ohio so a pick-up football game can take place across TWO yards.

Image: GovGab

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Toddler Befriends an Orphaned Baby Orangutan

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:20:00 GMT

This is one of those things that's so cute it verges on obnoxious. A one-year-old orangutan named Rishi, born at an animal sanctuary, was rejected by all of the males in his group. So the little guy was sent to The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (TIGERS) in Miami, Florida.

When photographer Barry Bland went to take photos of Rishi in his new home, he brought along his two-year-old daughter, Emily. As you can tell from these photos, Rishi and Emily became fast friends, which actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it: they both communicate largely with their hands, they have the same interests (playing, eating, napping), and they are both the most winsome members of their respective species.

Photos: CFP

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Stick Inducted Into Toy Hall of Fame. Yeah. A Stick.

Jen Chaney — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 14:02:00 GMT

Last week, three classic playthings were chosen as inductees into the National Toy Hall of Fame: The Baby Doll (a given), the skateboard (well-deserved) and ... the stick. Yeah, you heard me. A plain, old wooden stick, which is technically not a toy but -- thanks to the wonders of a child's imagination -- can substitute as one.

The stick got the nod for the same reason that in 2005, the cardboard box made the Hall of Fame: It's simple, all-purpose, cheap and can entertain a child for hours. I understand that next year, the Hall of Fame is inducting a tin can. Because, you know, you can kick it.

Look, I don't mean to be a killjoy, but this seems a little absurd to me. I get the cardboard box, even though it's technically not a toy either. All of us have taken a box and turned it into a racing car or an awesome fort or a sweet robot costume. But a stick? That seems like more of a leap. You shouldn't go around inducting things based on what kids imagine they might be. Hell, I often imagine that I'm the frontwoman in a kickass punk band. That doesn't mean I should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In its 10 years of existence, the Toy Hall of Fame (which was acquired in 2002 by the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y.) has added 41 toys to its ranks. This year, the stick beat out several finalists for inductee status, including Hot Wheels (!), the Flexible Flyer sled (!!), Wiffle Ball (!!!), Yahtzee (!!!!!) and the Rubik's Cube (!!!!!). I'm sorry, sticks have their charms but there is no way that they are more iconic than the Rubik's Cube or the Wiffle Ball, which, I should also point out, are actually legit toys.

Perhaps I am too fired up about all this. After all, this "Hall of Fame" thing is just a nice way to recognize the beauty of being a kid. Still, something about this stick selection makes me want to whack the members of the selection committee upside the head with something. If only I could find an object suitable for whacking people...

Image: AP Photo

Do You Play With Your Kids' Toys?

JeanneSager — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:32:00 GMT

This picture reminded me just how lucky parents are - we've got our kids' toys to play with too. At least, you say they're your kids' toys, right? But you really, kind of, maybe, sort of bought them so you could give them a go.

You don't have to be embarrased. Unless you've got 1,700 Transformer action figures like this guy, in which case, yeah, you're a bit of a geek.

Otherwise, just think of yourself as luckier than all those "child-free by choice" people out there who buy toys for themselves and then have to admit to the clerk, "Uh, no, no kid at home. No, no godchild. Nope, not for my nephew. Butterscotch, the Fur Real Pony is going in my bedroom."

I haven't ponied up the $200 price tag for Butterscotch for anyone in our house, but I don't complain when "ordered" to take part in a little coloring book action or hop alongside her for a go on the swingset. It's relaxing. It's fun, and it proves I'm not old yet - no matter what the 3-year-old says.

So where does your kids' playroom end and yours begin? Do you do your gaming at work or take it on home?

Image: Hahakiri

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Tag: No Longer 'It'

Jen Chaney — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:02:00 GMT

When I first saw this story about a McLean, Va. elementary school that has banned tag at recess, I thought it was absurd. First schools started outlawing dodgeball. Now we're putting a stop to tag. What's next, a moratorium on four-square? A cease-and-desist order for hopscotch?

But then I read farther into the article, and I realized I was wrong. It turns out the principal at Kent Gardens Elementary School was right to halt, at least temporarily, the playing of tag. And here's why.

The kids at this school are not simply tapping their opponents to make them "it." They are knocking down kids who aren't even playing and often piling on top of each other, an approach to the game the principal characterizes as "the nouveau tag." In other words, students are getting hurt. And the bottom line is that if kids are getting injured on a regular basis, whether it's physically or emotionally, it's the principal's responsibility to take control of the situation. We should not, as one of the parents quoted in the article does, spend our time asking why "we are regulating the fun out of normal childhood activity," although I understand why someone would have that reaction. If indeed these children can't play nicely, we should be asking why they insist on behaving so aggressively, then correct the behavior so that a normal childhood activity like tag can be a normal, no-big-deal activity again.

Every time a violent act is perpetrated on America's young people by another young person -- whether it's a Columbine or a mass shooting like the one that took place a year ago today at Virginia Tech -- the shooter is almost invariably characterized as someone who felt bullied or harassed by his or her peers and built up more rage than he or she knew how to handle. Now, I am not saying that anyone who gets knocked down during a game of tag is going to grow up to become a murderer. But before we all find ourselves scratching our heads over yet another national tragedy, I think we need to look at the seemingly small things -- the kids being knocked down over and over again at recess, or the cheerleader getting beaten up on YouTube -- and do what we can to prevent those incidents from piling up and leading to something bigger.

All that said, I must object to something else noted in the article: The office of risk management in Fairfax County, where Kent Gardens Elementary is located, keeps a list of activities prohibited at school. In addition to dodge ball and tug-of-war, another no-no: Break dancing. Now that's just not right. If China winds up raising a generation of kids who can do the worm better than American young'uns, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Photo: Myspacehun.com

The Serious Side of Play

Madeline Holler — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:01:00 GMT

I kept waiting to get my pat on the head this morning while I was reading the New York Times Magazine cover story on taking play seriously. I just knew I'd be congratulated for not overscheduling my children. The author was certain to conclude my kids' preschools were excellent choices -- devoid of any emphasis on academics and early reading and Suzuki violin classes as they were.

But no pat. No congratulations. Likewise, no admonishments or wagging fingers that my children aren't being adequately enriched. What I learned from the piece is that there's still so much to learn about play -- why kids (and other animals) do it, what the benefits of play are, whether a lack of play harms, and whether totally undirected play is better than directed play (there's no evidence that it is!).

So what do we know about play? For one, parents and educators are slightly freaked out about it (guilty!). Do they get enough? Too much? Does it need direction? Are adults too involved? We know that we don't know enough.

Researchers in play also know that as intuitive as it may be, there's no scientific evidence that play is a way of rehearsing for real life.

But we do know some stuff about play and brain growth. One researcher found that cerebelum growth tracked perfectly with the especially intense period of childhood play -- from 4 years old to puberty. Fascinating, but what does it mean? This discovery prompted other experiments -- giving baby rats lobotomies, raising some in play-free environments -- and then examining their brains at puberty. They found that the brains cells in the play-deprived rats weren't as refined and organized as those who got to play. Which, again, means what? Who knows. The researchers can only conjecture -- maybe it means those played-out rats were better with subtle social cues. But they don't know whether it's made up in some other way.

Come on, we want some play/brain answers! Play is THE most important form of childhood development and education, no?

No. In fact, some of the play experts think that the effect of play might be one of the many brain redundancies -- a another means to a certain human brain end but by no means the only.

So which is better -- turning the kids loose in a room full of dress up clothes or toddler Mandarin classes? Answer: we still don't know. Crap. I hate being not entirely right.

Playing is Fun! But You Wouldn’t Understand

Madeline Holler — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 19:33:00 GMT

Need to bone up on the finer points of peek-a-boo? Want to take vroom-vrooming Hot Wheels to the next level? Yeah, me neither. Which is why I recently passed up a free seminar with Stevanne Auerbach, aka: Dr. Toy. (Is her Ph.D. in fun?)

Auerbach’s book "Smart Play/Smart Toys" and her seminars on how to play with kids aim to boost your child’s PQ, that’s Play Quotient, and teach you to teach them how to play … better. I knew my foolish girls weren’t feeding and burping dolls to their fullest potential!

Though I can’t distinguish a PQ from a BM, I did like Dr. Toy’s list of recommended play things (Click with caution – some links are PDFs). It made shopping for a 10-year-old boy – a species I know nothing about – less painful. Auerbach has even been named 2007’s “The Wonder Woman of Toys.”

But recommending toys is quite different than offering to teach parents how to teach their kids how to play with them. There's something so intrusive about that idea -- another expert chipping away at parents' confidence in their abilities to, oh, properly maneuver a plastic gingerbreadkid around the Candyland board? Play catch? Make cookies from playdough?

Does everything have to be optimized for our children? Do we parents have to intellectualize everything related to our kids? Do we have to really be so involved, so trained, so workshopped? Isn't it OK to fail or under-perform or just do a half-assed job, I don't know, 25 percent of the time? Won't our kids be more interesting in the long run? No, not your baby? Fine.

You know, as long as we’re teaching kids what parents have mistakenly believed comes naturally, like playing, I’d like to plug my own upcoming workshop: “Get your kids to eat dessert and leave them begging for more.”

Cheap, Easy Entertainment for Kids

Karen Murphy — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:34:00 GMT

I swear, if I hear "Mama, what can I doooo...?" in that whiny I-have-no-idea-how-to-entertain-myself-anymore voice one more time this summer, I'm going to spontaneously combust. And then they'll be sorry!

So I'm pretty sure that my coming across this great post on Lifehacker today has saved my kids from the gory sight of a smoking pile of ashes with a charred and melted laptop atop it and the resultant experience of phoning 9-1-1 for the first time. Here's a sampling:

1. A big cardboard box. We've covered this before, but it's so ingenious it deserves another mention.

2. Rubber-band-and-pencil toy. Need instructions? I did.

3. Origami projects: paper poppers, airplanes. You can make tons of stuff and instructions are easily searchable.

4. Home Depot kid's workshops. Suh-weet! I had no idea these existed. Kids can make birdhouses, airplanes, cars, and other stuff.

5. Bubbles. Duh. But how about engineering repurposed stuff to make ingenious new bubble wands?

6. Cup-and-string phone. They really work!

Also, check out the comments on the post for more great ideas: painting concrete with water, using butcher paper to make life-sized portraits, a scavenger hunt, engraving with tinfoil and then making prints from them, simple card games, and more!

I'm feeling inspired now. What fun things have your kids been doing this summer?

Playing With Your Kids May Not Be Good For Them

Patti — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 19:04:00 GMT

Parenting philosophy is a lot like fashion: if you wait long enough, everything comes back into style. Looks like our friend Christie Mellor was on the cutting edge of a trend that might emerge from latest reseach indicating that playing with your kids is not only not the natural order of things, but it might not even be very good for them. Which means it could very well be that my exasperated pleas to "go play. With anything. With my makeup. In my wedding dress. I don't care, just GO AWAY" mean I'm doing exactly what nature intended.

One problem with the whole "play with your kids" directive, it seems, is that parents feel guilty if they aren't really into it. And of course, guilty parents are crappy ones, because getting back to biological basics doesn't mean shaking off centuries of accumulated pop-psychology wisdom. And another problem is that kids raised with the modern idea that they need to be played with by their caregivers grow up spoiled and unable to entertain themselves. Which...yes.

I'm going to go on a limb here though, and say that balance is probably the key.

Fabulous Urban Playgrounds (for Your Kids)

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 18:34:00 GMT

The urban parent is often willing to pony up serious dosh to insure their kiddie has good fun, even if it involves weird inflatable birthday toys. But sometimes there is no substitute for the free public parks in your own neighborhood. Cities are investing in creative and fabulous high quality climbing toys for public parks that are a peaceful counterpoint to the short-attention-span-video world many of our children inhabit.

Here is a round-up of some of the great parks in your area.

Washington D.C. Area - If you live in the Washington D.C. area, you should check out Clemyjontri Park in McClean, Virginia (pictured right). "Park" seems like a vast understatement in this case.

Los Angeles - Griffith Park is in the heart of the city and hosts the LA Zoo and Griffith Observatory. Griffith Park also includes several playgrounds, a bird sanctuary and a merry-go-round.

Seattle - Discovery Park in West Seattle is 534 acres of natural and scenic beauty, with occasional play equipment thrown in for good measure. Discovery is the biggest and arguably the most beautiful park in Seattle.

New York - The city that boasts Central Park needs other options? You bet!! For a change of scenery, check out Mohonk Preserve in New Paltz. The 90 mile drive will be worth your time. Mohonk is a 6,500-acre nature preserve in the Shawangunk Mountains. No play areas to speak of but gorgeous scenery will make up for it.

Boston - The Charles River Bike Path is obviously a place to ride bikes with your kids but you know.. a great antedote to childhood obesity if there ever was. This 17-mile paved path happens to roll by Harvard, the Museum of Science and the Charles River Esplanade.

San Francisco - Apparently the trick here is finding the right combination of urban playland sans needles and crackheads. My sources here at Strollerderby rave about Helen Wills Park in Russian Hill. Also home to the famous nose-breaking incident of 2007 for those of you following along at home. And did you know, they serve up some free lunch for all kids during the Summer?? Now that's what I call the Summer of Love, baby.

Any others to add?

[Photo Credit: Washington Post]

10 Spring Break Activities with Your Kids

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 12:02:00 GMT

Spring Break can be stressful for families, but with a little preparation and creativity, days away from school can be much fun for all. Some great ideas around the web include

Mommy Camp (young kids seem as enamored by the names of things than by the actual activities),
Taking a Road Trip (and how to keep them entertained on the way).
Hiking
Spring skiing or snowboarding (probably better for the tween and teen set)
Bowling (my kids are still too young but I cannot WAIT to try this out as a family and put down the gutter guards)
Bird Watching (even without the expensive gear, you can identify some basic birdies like Chickadees, Robins, and the like)
Swimming (local pools often have open family swims during the day)
Fishing (even little toddlers can enjoy fishing, as long as you keep them away from the orange marshmallows)
Family Bike Ride (dust off those mountain bikes and take the whole crew out for a whirl).
King/Queen for a Day (Give each child a chance to be king or queen for the day. That kid gets to pick activities that the whole family participates in.)

Get out there and have some fun!!