Empowered by Play » So Sexy So Soon

A Great Way to Play

Geralyn — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:53:17 +0000

I wasn’t surprised yesterday to read in Newsweek that creativity in the United States is on the decline (The Creativity Crisis). Innovation, flexible thinking and problem solving have all been disappearing from our lives, so it is no wonder our creativity is down. It was heartening then to hear a fantastic story on WBUR about something GOOD that is happening: a new kind of “natural playground” which has just opened in Boston (A New Kind of Playground). This new playground features stepping stones, sand, water and other natural materials, including blocks made from trees that were on the site of the playground. The teachers have noticed a new kind of play happening with their students, where children are interacting with these materials in creative ways that just don’t happen on typically equipped playgrounds.

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.

"Boyfriend jeans" for toddler girls?!?

Geralyn — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 01:57:00 +0000

Wow, it has been a week since I last posted – but my time has been well spent getting the new website ready. Stay tuned because we will launch it later this week.

In the meantime, a friend sent me a link to an item on the babyGap website. He was looking for jeans for his just-turned four-year-old daughter. He wanted something that was not flowery, pink or “skinny”. He came across “boyfriend” jeans for toddler girls - as young as 12 months – for “your budding fashionista”. Whoa! What are they thinking?! Why would babyGap name them “boyfriend” jeans? The jeans are also “comfy-cool”. Why can’t they just be “comfy”? This is a great example of age-compression. Marketers use this term to describe the phenomenon of younger children doing things that older children used to do. Age-compression is an effective way to sell more products – such as expensive clothes and electronic gadgets – to younger and younger children. It’s not so great for kids who are being pushed to grow up too quickly. My friend was outraged, and worried about the future his young daughter will face. I was outraged, too, and disgusted as well. You can be sure I’ll be writing a letter to the Gap to let them know.

The babyGap “boyfriend jeans” reminded me of another friend who has a four-year-old daughter. This little girl suddenly took a strong liking to a certain pair of sparkly jeans. She wore them to preschool one day – and then wanted to wear them every day. Guess why. A little boy in her class had told her the jeans were “cool”. Her mom said to her, “You’re four. You’re cute – not cool.”

Raising daughters in today’s highly-sexualized world is a daunting task. In my post from December 28th I mentioned So Sexy So Soon; The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids Diane Levin’s book (cowritten with Jean Kilbourne) as an excellent resource for parents. Another great resource is Joe Kelly, The Dad Man, and an expert on dads and daughters. He has written a whole bunch of books on this topic. Here is the link to his 10 Tips for Dads and Stepdads with Daughters.

If you see things that outrage you as a parent, share your outrage. Let companies know when you aren’t happy. Write to me about what outrages you, and I will share your stories.

Empowered by Play’s nomination for worst invention of the decade: "Tween"

Geralyn — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:08:00 +0000

There is some debate about where and when the term “tween” first hit the mainstream. There is also debate about the exact tween parameters. Some say tweens are the 8 to 14 year olds; others say 9 to 13 year olds; and others claim 6 to 12 year olds. And now, we even see the term “pre-tween” for the 4 to 6 year old market. Scary! Without debate, most tween marketing is aimed at girls, and is often over-sexualized. Many folks attribute the tween explosion to the emergence of two marketing moguls: the Olsen Twins (Mary-Kate and Ashley who grew up on the television show Full House).

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.

Healthy Media Choices: follow-up, reflection and new directions

Geralyn — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:49:00 +0000

Thanks to all of you who tuned in on Tuesday to the Healthy Media Choices Hour radio show. It was great fun for me, and talking with Mary Rothschild was a perfect opportunity to cross-pollinate and share ideas. Look on her site for a link to Mary’s blog, too.

We talked about so much, but of course afterwards there was even more that I thought about. Luckily the on-going blog gives me the chance to continue the conversation. One great resource, which I am honored to have contributed to, is the book So Sexy So Soon by Diane Levin and Jean Kilbourne. The book is now available in paperback it is an invaluable resource for all parents (toddlers through teens). I know that Jean has been on The Healthy Media Choices Hour talking about the book, and this is a shout out about the new paperback edition and the newly launched blog!

In the interview did I make clear that good teaching is a craft? That one reason why good teachers are leaving the field due to No Child Left Behind. They are too smart and too creative to be fulfilled in a job of scripted curriculum. Good teachers are good thinkers and need to be in places that are interesting and stimulating. Losing skilled teachers is part of the fallout from NCLB. As I’ve said in the past, Debbie Meier is an expert at starting schools that are interesting places for students and for teachers. It is not only possible – it is essential.

I also loved the question one listener emailed, about me getting money from companies I endorse. As I stated on the show, my endorsements are free. I simply believe that people who are doing good work on behalf of kids deserve to be recognized. Parents and kids are constantly marketed to by companies more concerned about growing cradle-to-grave consumers than they are about growing thinkers and doers. I also aim to celebrate great toys simply because the current world is saturated with absolutely terrible toys.

Finally, I recently added a link on my blog for folks who are looking to host workshops for parents and teachers on the topics presented in the blog. I have been presenting for years at schools and conferences across the country, and now that my sons are starting school, I will have more time for presenting again. Thanks, again to everyone – we’ll see where the new (school) year brings us…