Maximize Learning through Play
by Denise Chasin

One of the most important activities our children engage in, and the one that truly amplifies their chances of learning, is play. And yet for some reason, play is getting bad press these days. Growing numbers of youngsters are herded into organized sports and other structured activities, leaving less and less time for unstructured interaction. [...]

A Place Where Kids Love School
by Denise Chasin

We all have memories of growing up that include dreading school, homework assignments, tests, mindless lectures, and all the rest that is part and parcel of being told what to learn and when. Many of us have spent (or I should say are still spending) a good bit of our [...]

No Tests, No Homework
Washington Post article about the Brooklyn Free School

Think about your typical school day: reading, math, maybe a geography quiz. Raise your hand. Sit down. Stand in line. At the Brooklyn Free School, a typical day could include horror movies, chess and making caves for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. At the Brooklyn Free School in New York, students can have a snack, practice yoga, play chess — or do almost anything else — anytime they want [...]

Learning on Their Own Terms
Washington Post article about  Fairhaven School, a Maryland Sudbury school

Between Rollerblade aerials and rail slides, Justin Reed described how he landed at a school that lets him do whatever he wants all day long. He burned out on high-powered Eleanor Roosevelt High School in his home town of Greenbelt. Lost interest in the college track. Despised cafeteria food. By 11th grade, he was ready to drop out [...]

Paths of Learning

Links to Essays by Dr. Ron Miller

Play — It’s Good For The Brain
by Dr. Larry Cohen, author of Playful Parenting

I love when scientific studies confirm what we’ve known all along — like that it’s good for kids to play outdoors. It’s kind of comforting that we aren’t just repeating old clichés without any basis in [...]