April Update
April 2014
PlayinNewsPlay in the News

* An excellent article by Hanna Rosin entitled "The Overprotected Kid" ran in The Atlantic last month. She visited The Land, an adventure playground in Wales, and discusses attitudes toward play and risk. 

* The U.K.-based Save Childhood Movement has published an important report on early education. "Manifesto for the Early Years: Putting children first" is great reading and available for free download.

* Alliance co-founder Joan Almon was recently interviewed by Aggie Sung Tang of Princeton TV's Education Roundtable. The topic was "Is the Common Core Developmentally Appropriate?" Very interesting viewing - watch it here.

* On April 2, the Nature Conservancy released the results of the first global survey to capture not only how much time children spend outside, but also parents' perspectives on the importance of time spent in nature. The survey included parents of children aged 3-18 in the U.S., Brazil, China, France, and Hong Kong. This infographic highlights some of the key findings.

EventsUpcoming Events

* May 7 in Chicago: Inspiring Nature Play in Spaces Large and Small. Registration is now open for this workshop, sponsored by our friends in the Alliance for Early Childhood, together with Chicago Wilderness and the Chicago Botanic Garden. Alliance co-founder Joan Almon will give the keynote speech.

* May 14-16 in Phoenix: Interactivity Conference 2014 hosted by the Children's Museum of Phoenix. The conference will focus on reimagining the role of children's museums in the 21st century.

ScreenFreeWeekScreen-Free Week is May 5-11

This is an annual celebration where children, families, schools, and communities turn on life - by turning off screens. Visit the Screen-Free Week website.

RecentArticlesRecent Articles and Publications

* Adventure: The value of risk in children's play. This booklet, written by Alliance co-founder Joan Almon, explores why children need adventurous play and how they learn to assess risk.

* Community Playthings offers resources for educators, parents, and others. The Wisdom of Nature, a free publication, features 12 educators writing on the importance of children connecting with nature. You can obtain a copy here.
 

* A Research-Based Case for Recess, authored by Olga S. Jarrett, documents the importance of recess, which has been severely cut back in recent years.

 

We invite you to keep up with media coverage of issues affecting children by visiting our Facebook page regularly. You'll find many interesting articles from around the country and the world.
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