Streetlights and Hypocrites

This week I’ve found myself wondering if I’ve become a hypocrite.  It stems from a struggle between a sincere belief that a living in a Playbourhood is both desirable and vital for our children’s healthy development and the natural instinct as a parent to protect my kids. 

Looking around my own neighbourhood, I see plenty of kids interacting with each other, playing in the street and having a great time just being kids.  Recently the kids a few houses down invented a game of tag played on their scooters.  They race up and down, back and forth, around and around.  They’ve found a way to make their own fun.  And, by their laughter and the loud droning hum of little rolling wheels, it is apparent they are enjoying themselves.  It has become a nightly ritual that lasts until well after the streetlights come on.  I’m elated by the opportunity this presents for my own children, when they get a little older, to get involved with this sort of fun with their neighbours.  And that’s where the problem begins. 

• by Chris Churchill
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Little Geeks Need You!

If you’re reading this post, there’s probably two things that are certain.  First, you are reasonably computer literate and can appreciate the value and importance of having access to the resources and information they can provide.  And, second, you are most likely a parent who is concerned about the welfare of your children.  So, let me introduce you to a wonderful organization that puts these two things together.  Little Geeks is a charity that collects, refurbishes and re-distributes donated home computers to children in need. These computers are given free of charge, and are coupled with an Internet connection at the child’s home. The Mission of Little Geeks is to provide free computing technology and education to children and families who cannot afford this resource on their own.  If you can donate your old computer equipment, you won’t have to worry about trying to sneak it into the trash.  Please, consider helping them out. 

• by Chris Churchill

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Get Active!

Yet again, reports and studies show that a rising number of children are becoming obese because they are not active enough.  They are spending far too much time in front of television screens, at computer terminals and with game consoles in their chubby little hands.  Here’s an article from Parentcentral.ca which talks about this very problem. 

• by Chris Churchill
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Playground Review - Glanashton Park

When we first arrived at Glenashton Park, I was struck by the quiet silence.  Despite being located next door to the busy Iroquois Ridge Community Centre, there wasn’t a soul on the playground. That’s a shame, because it’s a great park.  Lots to do for all ages with both low and high slides, tons of swings, and a variety of things to climb including two low rock walls.  The only drawbacks are the pea-stone play surface and the liberal use of metal used for construction.  The problem is that the park is far in off the road and in the middle of a large green space.  Homes area a bit of a walk away, so the only easy access is really through a trip to the community centre.  Most people going to the community centre, however are on their way to an organized activity (swimming, the gym, etc.) And while you’d think that when little Bobby is in the pool, his baby sister could go play in the park, it’s just a little too far away to make it convenient.  I guess the problem is that there are too many distractions to make the park work.  Why it is that the Park isn’t the distraction for kids to begin with, is a shame.  And part of the story behind this web site.  Our kids should be using our playground more, not the community centre.  I encourage you all to try out Glenashton Park.  It’s a lot of fun - as long as you aren’t distracted! 

• by Chris Churchill

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High Gasoline Prices are Good for Children

Adults drive cars.  Children don’t.  They walk or ride bikes.

In suburban areas built mostly for cars, adults in cars dominate.  On the other hand, children suffer.  They usually stay inside or wait to get driven by their parents because: 1) most places of interest are not within walking or biking distance, and 2) the streets are unsafe for young pedestrians or bicyclists.

Fortunately for children, high gasoline prices are making adults less interested in driving their cars, and more interested in walking.

Continued on Playborhood

• by Mike Lanza

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Walking News

The folks over at Safe Routes to School have just released their latest newsletter.  I previously mentioned this excellent group and praised them for their efforts in encouraging kids to walk to school.  It’s an important concept on many levels - walking is good excercise, it promotes social interaction and it connects kids with their neighbourhood surroundings.  Read the newsletter here.  Oh… and look at the nice “plug” they have on page 4 about this Playbourhood site. 

• by Chris Churchill

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Playground Review - Nottinghill Park

Nottinghill Park can be found adjacent to the soccer pitches and ball diamond at the corner of Pilgrim’s Way and Nottinghill Gate.  It’s in the Glen Abbey area of North Oakville.  An older playground, it is small and intimate and well sheltered among the trees, which is great for those hot summer days.  The problem, however, is that it’s tucked away at the north end of the park and hard to access. 

• by Chris Churchill
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Why Are Cruise Ships Better Communities Than Our Neighborhoods?

[ED. Note: Mike Lanza posted this interesting take on his family vacation...]

My family and I have been on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean for the past week.  It’s my first cruise, and I’m amazed at how quickly and effectively community develops.  I’ve become cordial with dozens of people. Why is it that we’ve gotten to know more people here in one week than we’ve gotten to know in our neighborhood in a year? 

Continued on Playborhood. 

• by Mike Lanza

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Playground Review - Valley Ridge

Valley Ridge park is located in the Upper Glen Abbey Greens area of West Oak Trails.  It’s at the corner of Valley Ridge Drive and Highvalley Road just a block west of Bronte Road (Highway 25).  Having recently been built in a new development, the park is clean and well-kept, the equipment all in great shape and of the latest design and features.  The park also has a soccer field and the kids coming and going between games took full advantage of the playground area.  I was there with my two young children (aged 5 and 2) last weekend and the playground was jam-packed with kids. 

• by Chris Churchill
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Guerilla Intelligence

Taking a page from the Guerilla House Hunting guidebook, I thought I’d help out anyone looking for a great Playbourhood.  While I suggest that you do your own research of the sort Mike Lanza suggested in his Guerilla articles, here’s the low-down on the area immediately around this home that’s for sale on Copperwood Drive.  It’s a fantastic place for families.  Okay… I may be a bit biased, Copperwood is where I live, but it really is a wonderful child-friendly neighbourhood.

• by Chris Churchill
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Guerilla House-hunting Tips

Our good friend Mike Lanza has posted a wonderful series of articles about ways to find a home in a great kid-friendly neighbourhood.  Here’s how he introduces his Guerilla Hunting Techniques: “My wife and I have made “Neighborhood for Kids” - i.e. a Playborhood - our #1 criterion in searching for a home in Palo Alto and Menlo Park. Think about that for a moment. It makes searching for a house extremely difficult, given the information that the real estate industry provides us. Basically, all that stuff other than price that we see on all the real estate sites and the newspapers is useless to us before we find a house in a neighborhood we like. Architectural style? Whatever. Bedrooms, baths, and square footage? All that may be important, but it’s secondary.  None of these things can give our kids a good life like a Playborhood can.”

Mike points out that that traditional real estate information just doesn’t cut it.  Agents shy away from telling you anything beyond the “numbers”.  And, they probably don’t take the time to learn anything beyond the numbers anyway.  So if you want to find a great place for your kids, what do you do?  Here’s a few ideas.

1. Start by doing your own research.

2. Research the neighbourhood reputation.

3. Check on the neighbours.

4. Visit the neighbourhood and talk.

When you find that perfect home in the perfect neighbourhood, don’t forget to thank Mike.

• by Chris Churchill

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Dads Matter

I’m beginning to notice a trend.  It’s something that what we’ve been talking about at Playbourhood is just a small part of.  It’s a reflection, I believe, of our desire to recapture the essence of what makes us family and forms a community.  As a society, we’re coming to realize that piano lessons, power skating, a perfect golf swing or advanced geometry tutorials are not the best way to help our six year olds get a head start in life.  What they truly need are better social skills, emotional stability, self-confidence and a sense of community belonging.  These are the very things that we learned as children growing up - with far less structure.  The Playbourhood movement is just the tip of the iceberg.  There is a growing awareness and a variety of people are taking a look at other sides of the iceberg. 

• by Chris Churchill
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A growing revolution!

“The free-range child. No flash cards. No swimming lessons at three months. No hand-holding. Just a whole lot of unstructured time. A growing number of parents are espousing a radical philosophy: It’s time our children got some life skills by actually living.” That’s the byline on a recent article by Tralee Pearcein the Globe and Mail newspaper about how more and more parents are joining the Playbourhood revolution!  The impetus for the article was a review of Carl Honore’s book, Under Pressure: Rescuing Childhood from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting.  I reviewed it previously here.  I’m happy to see that the idea is taking off!  Read the article here.

• by Chris Churchill

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Forts are fun!  (Shhhh…. they’re also edcuational and encourage social development)

For some children recess provides the most important reason to come to school. With its promise of games of chase and tag, clique-bound conversations, solitary wandering and exploration, pretend and war play, recess provides reliable access to a scarce resource of immense value in the lives of children: spontaneous self-direction.

Continued on Playborhood Berkeley

• by Mark Powell

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Another Local joins the family!

A great big welcome goes out to the Playborhood Berkeley!  Led by Tracey Taylor, Gina Moreland and Mark Powell, the gang is already making a great impression with their wonderful comments and stories.  I’ll pick up a few and post them here in the next little while, as I have with stories from the main Playborhood site and from our other local in Palo Alto-Menlo Park.  If you’re interested in starting your own local site to share news about your own neighbourhood, let us know.  Or just contribute a story or two.  We always love to hear about great places where kids get to play.  Places like Berkeley. 

• by Chris Churchill

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