Natural playgrounds are a solution that speaks to problem-solving deficit disorder, a term coined by Diane Levin in 2003 and has written about (such as in So Sexy, So Soon); and also for nature-deficit disorder, which Richard Louv writes about in Last Child in the Woods. It seems a little sad, perhaps, that we’ve gotten to this place where we actually need designed spaces for kids to play with natural materials.  But there you have it: this is just what we need. Otherwise, for too many of our children, it just isn’t happening. Natural playgrounds remind me of the song “Water, Sand, Blocks and Clay” by Brady Rymer which I used to sing with my 5, 6 and 7 year olds,

“I will make a mountain tall and I will build a castle wall,

I will make a forest green and I will make a flowing stream,

’cause I got everything I want and everything I’ll ever need,

and I will play all day with my water, sand, blocks and clay…”

A great song to sing and a great way to play.

For a related story about nature play on playgrounds, see my previous post about the new book Playing for Keeps:Life and Learning on a Public School Playground by Deborah Meier, Beth Taylor and Brenda Engel.

Here is where there Internet can be a powerful connecting tool. The Alliance for Childhood used it to gather the expertise of early childhood experts from around the country to issue a Joint Statement from Early Childhood Health and Educational Professionals on the Common Core Standards Initiative. CCFC is using the Internet to share their side of the Disney story, refusing to be silenced, and gaining support through a growing membership and financial donations. Facebook and  Twitter help connect like-minded activists and agencies and help the grass-roots movements gain traction.

For me, one vital way to feel empowered is to surround myself with others who are fighting for children. This weekend, I will be connecting with folks at the City College of New York conference In Defense of Childhood – Play and Active Learning in Urban Schools. The conference is held  “in honor of the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and in memory of Professor Emeritus Lillian Weber, whose work honored the active nature of learning and furthered the cause of equity in education.”

Later this month, I’ll be joining a colleague from TRUCE (Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment) to share our new Infant – Toddler Play, Toys and Media  Action Guide with early childhood professionals at the MassAEYC (Massachusetts Association of the Education of Young Children) Annual Spring Conference.  I look forward to hearing the words and ideas of  the keynote speaker, Dr. David Elkind, author of  numerous books including The Hurried Child and The Power of Play.

In about a month I will join hundreds of others at CCFC’s 7th Consuming Kids Summit in Boston. The theme is Market Values, Human Values and the Lives of Children.   From their website: “The values children learn in the marketplace – excessive consumption, impulsive buying, and unthinking brand loyalty – are antithetical to healthy development, independent thinking, spirituality, community, and democracy. What happens to childhood — and society — when market values trump human values? How can we make a difference? What role can parents, educators, public health professionals, faith communities, and policymakers play in stopping the proliferation of market values, and in nurturing positive values, in a commercialized world?”

Today, I work hard to stave off the feelings of doom and gloom. I am trying to rise above feelings that the job of protecting the best interests of the youngest members of our society is damn near impossible.  The powerful wheels of corporate greed and the one-size-fits all educational movement are bearing down harder than ever. Today, I look forward to the personal connections I will form and deepen at  these upcoming conferences. I trust these connections will help energize and empower me and others in the pursuit of protecting young children and preserving childhood. As my friend and colleague Diane Levin says, “Onward!”

For me, the whole “tween” explosion is something I could do without. In fact, I am calling it the worst invention of the decade. Parents already feel their children are growing up too quickly, and children naturally have an urge to grow up. Puberty is hitting at earlier and earlier ages. But why do marketers have the right to exploit children – taking away their childhood and their families’ hard-earned money? The “tween” construct simply serves to indoctrinate children into a culture of consumption at an earlier and earlier age.

Stop the insanity and let our kids be kids. Check out Diane Levin’s book So Sexy So Soon (co-written with Jean Kilbourne) for more about age compression and helpful ideas about what parents can do to protect their children. There is also a powerful documentary, Consuming Kids, by the Media Education Foundation. Check out the Consuming Kids trailer and stay tuned here for news about an upcoming Empowered by Play screening of Consuming Kids.

Here’s to a healthy, happy and playful new year.