Contributed by JC Boushh This week I have been focusing on old-fashion play and the consequences we face when we do not allow children every opportunity to play. I reside in Southern California, which in my opinion has some of the nicest weather in the country year round, but to astonishment I have visited numerous child care centers were at the slightest sign of overcast skies or rain showers the kids are corralled inside to ride out the storm.…

Contributed by JC Boushh An article by Gordon Clark in THE PROVINCE titled “We modern parents are safety freaks” had me reminiscing about my childhood in the 1970’s. At that time my parents, specifically my mother because my father was at work, allowed me to play outside in the rear yard where we had two large acacia trees growing and I was allowed to wander around the neighborhood without to many restrictions. Looking back at the amount of free…

October 23rd is Make A Difference Day.

A great organization to connect to Hands On Network connects volunteers with programs across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino.

This is a great list of 33 ways people can support/contribute to your school:
1. Assist a classroom (support a teacher)
2. Coach a sports team
3. Tutor
4. Mentor a student
5. Teach job and/ or professional skills
6. Start a School Club: Books; Music; Drama; Art; Writing; Ho…

Contributed by JC Boushh I just recently read a blog post titled “The Power of Goofing Off” and started to reminisce about the freedom I had to goof off. Funny that this topic would come up especially since just last evening my church pastor was telling the congregation that he really liked me because I was such a goof off. Where did this ability to goof off come from? Was it my environment as a child, was it a genetic code embedded within m…

Contributed by JC Boushh Every parent wants to provide a better future for their children, and provide them with things they never had as a child, but is this truly beneficial for healthy child development? We all want our children to be successful adults, and the key to raising children into healthy adults is allowing them to experience failure. “There is in these studies a lesson for all parents. Those who allow their kids to find a way to dea…

Contributed by JC Boushh A child’s physical environment has the ability to shape the structure of the brain and form vital neural connections that lead to increased brain functions, and in contrast so do children’s play environments. As children become more exposed to the fast paced technological lifestyle of video games, they crave novel and complex play environments that challenge and engage them beyond what they can experience in the two dime…

by JC BoushhArchitect Gerald Reifert, who specializes in school design, writes in the Daily Journal of Commerce that early childhood outdoor environments need several key design elements. They need areas to test their limits, areas that create comfort, areas for developing competency, and areas for learning self-control, and exposure to nature. Each one of these design elements plays an optimal role in creating not only a great outdoor play envi…