Playing Is Educational

My wife and I discussed the matter at length, and we finally decided to install some playground equipment in our backyard. The time was right as our kids just turned 5 and 7. We would have bought the structures sooner, but we were concerned about adequate safety measures. With a combination of adult supervision and protective ground covering, we’ve found a sensible solution.

Anytime the kids feel like playing on the wooden outdoor play structures, either my wife or I will go outside with them to keep a close eye on their safety. I bought some excess wood chips to cushion any potential falls – covering the surrounding area with a foot of chips. We learned from experience that sand and grass, while soft, tend to erode and disappear from underneath the structures.

If you’ve been reading newspapers or checking online news sources in the last few years, you may have noticed a series of stories detailing the downfall of Americans’ geographic knowledge. In 2006, a National Geographic poll found that almost 33 percent of young Americans couldn’t locate Louisiana on a U.S. map. This came less than a year after Louisiana was grabbing headlines in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Of course one could cite sample size and other statistical problems with the study, but there’s no denying that young people could benefit from learning more about the world around them. Educational childrens books like Merriam Webster’s Notebook Atlas are an indispensable resource that kids can use at home as well as at school. It seems that our public education system is leaving a bit to be desired, so it’s up to parents to help fill in those knowledge gaps.