One family’s playborhood
That’s because the San Francisco father of three boys turned
his garden into a “front yard family room,” where all the kids in the
neighborhood have received an open invitation to hang out, play on the swingset, draw on the 30-foot whiteboard, shoot hoops and just enjoy being outdoors.
"When I think about my boys' futures, I'm terrified," Lanza told The San Francisco Chronicle in a story headlined “From landscape to playscape.” "I'm not terrified that they will have inferior educations or live in an unsafe world. I'm terrified that they won't have very much fun."
One of my son’s susbstitute preschool teachers, a bright young man who is also majoring in
Child Studies at Eastern Washington University, sent me a link to this story.
He and I have been exchanging e-mails on the philosophy of “free-range kids”
and how parents need to relax a little more and just let their kids explore and play.
My own front yard is the size of a postage stamp so this would never work, but we
do have a wonderful park just two blocks away where our neighbors and others
congregate for pancake breakfasts, play dates, dog walks and other gatherings. (Our dear friends and next-door neighbors got married at the park.)
If a community like this is something you’re interested in for yourself and your children, the article gave some great advice:
Knock on doors: Get to know your neighbors. Then, encourage them to let their kids play out in the front yard and take turns supervising them. Eventually, older kids can look after younger ones.
Play close to home: Instead of driving your kids to activities, be it sports, ballet or playdates, stay home and do things in the neighborhood: informal potlucks, block parties, games of T-ball or flag football.
Show, don't tell: If your kids see you spending time on the porch or in the garden with friends in the evenings, they may venture to do the same.
Loosen the leash: Allow your children to have independence in stages as they grow older and more confident.
What’s your neighborhood like? Is it a great place for kids to play?