On our bookshelf
Where Do The Children Play?
Highlights: The PBS documentary Where Do The Children Play? explores how children living in different settings–a remote island, a suburb and the city–play and engage in nature. Richard Louv (Last Child in the Woods) and other experts discuss the importance of nature and play for children, the environments that support their exploration and those that present less opportunities.
The film finds that city neighborhoods build community, while suburbs and organized children’s activities can isolate kids.
Lowlights: The strong point of view may not appreciate parents’ efforts to balance responsibilities and lifestyles.
Why we like it: A great, short film that gets us thinking about how we’re raising our kids as well as our own childhoods. We can see what our lives might look like if we lived in a different place, and how to incorporate some of those advantages into our current family experiences. The play expert’s insights about a class of children building a cardboard town and playing at a park are fascinating.
Child’s age: Any age.
I haven’t seen the film yet, but maybe it will explain why my 2 year old son bypasses the park toys and heads straight for a grassy hill with rocks where we spend our time climbing rocks, jumping from one to another and pretending they are airplanes! We usually have much more fun in these natural environments and they hold his attention longer.
I just ordered and saw this film with my husband. Both of us really liked it, and since we are looking for a new house to move in to, this has changed our perspective of what to look for.