Movies like Stand By Me and A Christmas Story are glimpses into a different life for children, one where kids are allowed to roam, explore, get into jams and get out of them all by themselves. Kids used to get kicked out of doors and told to come back at dinnertime, and once upon a time? They did, and parents didn’t worry about them overly much.
Today, we live in a society where our children have scheduled ‘play dates’; are chauffered to organized team sports, rehearsals, and ‘enrichment’ activities; talk to their friends in shorthand IMspeak; and sit in front of a computer screen or the television. Our kids are hyperactive, overweight and out of touch with the very Earth we’re asking them to save.
Which is why I’m drawing your attention to the fact that October 11 – 17 is Earth Science Week, and as part of that advocacy week, they are urging folks to organize “No Child Left Inside” events on Tuesday, October 13. You can find everything you need on their website in the NCLI section. I hope at the very least you’ll grab your kids and go for a walk somewhere greenish.
If you are as annoyed by the teaching to the test idiocy that NCLB has created, I urge you to get outside and have some fun.