Putting the Skinned Knees Back Into Playtime

New York Times ^ | May 20, 2007 | ALEX WILLIAMS

[fgoodwin]

JOSEPH GALLO, 10, of Santa Cruz, Calif., is well armed in the battle against childhood boredom, with a bedroom arsenal that includes a computer hooked to the Internet, a DVD player, two Game Boys, as well as an Xbox and GameCube.

But in recent weeks, the hum of that war room of machinery has quieted because Joseph has acquired a new playtime obsession that would have seemed quaint even in his parents’ day: marbles.

But lately, a number of educators like Mr. Cohill, as well as parents and child-development specialists are trying to spur a revival of traditional outdoor pastimes, including marbles, hopscotch, red rover and kickball. They are attending play conferences, teaching courses on how to play, and starting leagues for the kinds of activities that didn’t used to need leagues — just, say, a stick and a ball. They are spurred by concerns that a decline in traditional play robs the imagination and inhibits social interaction, by personal nostalgia, and by a desire to create a new bridge to connect generations — a bridge across both sides of the Nintendo gap.

Although their efforts have mostly yielded modest results, a hint that they may be on to something comes with the success of an unlikely best seller, “The Dangerous Book for Boys” (Collins), a sepia-toned celebration of the lost arts of childhood, complete with information on how to make a tree house, fold paper airplanes and skip stones. Within days of its publication earlier this month, the book had soared to No. 2 on Amazon’s sales ranking, right behind the latest Harry Potter installment. The book, by Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden, sells for $24.95 in hardcover and may be appealing as much to fathers who are nostalgic for a youth they never quite had as to children.

[cripplecreek]

one of my toys when I was a little kid was an old single shot shotgun that had a piece of wood jammed into the chamber.

[svcw]

Well, lets see the school have taken out mot of the play ground equipment because some one might get hurt. The kids can not run, play tag, dodge ball or just case each other around. Most completive sports are gone because some ones feeling might be squashed so we now are having seminars on how to play.
Why not let kids be kids and figure these things out.
It used to be as easy as go out side and come back when the bell rings.

[bravo whiskey]

have to take courses to learn how to teach kids how to play stick ball (or curb ball, or step ball or wall ball). wow what a disturbing concept, having to teacg kids how to play.
i’m 55 and we younger kids learned the rules by watching and then playing with the older kids. and we made adjustments for number of people, playing area (pitcher acts as first baseman, right field hit is a foul ball unless a lefty is at bat.) and i was a good hopscotch player too. also played chess as a kid, sitting in the shade of a tree in the summer.

[04-Bravo]

My knees were always skinned up as a kid, especially in the summer. My Levi’s always had holes in both knees. We bought iron-on demin patches, and just patched the jeans during the summer, and bought me a new pair when school started.

[John Will]

Heh, I have scars over both of my knees.