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s/o "Free Play"
I pulled this off the Free Range Kids blog; it was a letter from a reader. I LOVE it!
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IF SUMMER IS FOR PLAYING, HOW CAN WE MAKE THAT HAPPEN?
This summer, instead of just enrolling my 6yearold in camp, I decided to find a way to get her some real FreeRange experiences. Ive organized for a group of about ten 5 to 7yearold girls from my daughters school to have two weeks of free play camp in local parks. Heres how it will work:
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Each day, well pick a different park, preferably one that is BIG. The parents will drop their daughters off at the park in the morning, and pick them up late in the afternoon. One parent will stay to provide minimal supervision basically, to make sure no child leaves the park, and to serve as a safety net in case there is an injury or allergic reaction the kids cant handle themselves. Mostly, she stays in the background. The goal is to leave the girls to themselves, to just play, like we used to do.
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Since where we live, its not practical for the girls to just roam around the neighborhood at age 5 or 6, this is the next best thing. And the parks were choosing have forests, big concrete slides, climbing walls, bike paths, creeks, even a lake. Well bring some gear balls, picnic blankets, bikes, Frisbees, and lots of extra clothes and then, of course, there are all the cool things that nature provides!
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Im very excited to see what the girls come up with: what games theyll invent, how theyll solve the problems and conflictsand how theyll enjoy this new experience. I thought Id share this idea with FreeRange Kids, which is part of the inspiration of making this camp happen, because maybe it will catch on. Ive been very encouraged by how excited the parents I approached have been about this idea. And its a great way to have a free summer camp, as each parent only has to supervise 12 days during the two weeks! Wouldnt it be cool if parents all over the country started offering their elementary age children a similar FreeRange camp experience? Maybe it can really happen!.
.
Cheers, Heike
.
IF SUMMER IS FOR PLAYING, HOW CAN WE MAKE THAT HAPPEN?
This summer, instead of just enrolling my 6yearold in camp, I decided to find a way to get her some real FreeRange experiences. Ive organized for a group of about ten 5 to 7yearold girls from my daughters school to have two weeks of free play camp in local parks. Heres how it will work:
.
Each day, well pick a different park, preferably one that is BIG. The parents will drop their daughters off at the park in the morning, and pick them up late in the afternoon. One parent will stay to provide minimal supervision basically, to make sure no child leaves the park, and to serve as a safety net in case there is an injury or allergic reaction the kids cant handle themselves. Mostly, she stays in the background. The goal is to leave the girls to themselves, to just play, like we used to do.
.
Since where we live, its not practical for the girls to just roam around the neighborhood at age 5 or 6, this is the next best thing. And the parks were choosing have forests, big concrete slides, climbing walls, bike paths, creeks, even a lake. Well bring some gear balls, picnic blankets, bikes, Frisbees, and lots of extra clothes and then, of course, there are all the cool things that nature provides!
.
Im very excited to see what the girls come up with: what games theyll invent, how theyll solve the problems and conflictsand how theyll enjoy this new experience. I thought Id share this idea with FreeRange Kids, which is part of the inspiration of making this camp happen, because maybe it will catch on. Ive been very encouraged by how excited the parents I approached have been about this idea. And its a great way to have a free summer camp, as each parent only has to supervise 12 days during the two weeks! Wouldnt it be cool if parents all over the country started offering their elementary age children a similar FreeRange camp experience? Maybe it can really happen!.
.
Cheers, Heike
TTC since January 2007 -Dx Stage IV endo - 1 removed tube
Just hanging out!
Just hanging out!