May 30, 2017
Fidget Spinners: Addictive Stress Relief for Kids Who Need to Move
Published in ChicagoNow, May 30, 2017 Fidget spinners have been banned by most schools, and rightfully so. If I were having a hard time...
Apr 18, 2016
Why Some School Kids Can’t Compete in Fitness Week
The school playground Published in ChicagoNow, April 18, 2016 My granddaughter came home last Monday with a Fitness Week worksheet from...
Apr 13, 2015
Play Must Follow Kids from Preschool to Kindergarten
Just a box Published in ChicagoNow, April 13, 2015 Many years ago, the teachers of Cherry Preschool in Evanston, Illinois, tried an...
Mar 9, 2015
What Schools Could Learn about the Importance of Recess from a Third Grade Science Fair Project
Cartoon by Marcia Liss` Published in ChicagoNow, March 9, 2015 On Tuesdays, I watch my third-grade granddaughter after school. My...
Nov 19, 2014
Fun and Play are Good for Kindergarten – What a Surprise
Literally constructing knowledge Published in ChicagoNow, November 19, 2014 The headline in today’s Chicago Tribune reads “Fun plays a...
Aug 18, 2014
Kids Are Finding It Harder to Make Friends These Days
Posted in ChicagoNow, August 18, 2014 (Cartoon by Marcia Liss) It’s National Friendship Week and I am wondering: Why is it harder for...
Jul 28, 2014
Let’s Move Even More
Why Kids Need More Chances to Move, Starting with Infancy Posted in ChicagoNow, July 28, 2014 (Cartoon by Marcia Liss) I’ll never forget...
Jun 19, 2014
Let’s Celebrate Mud Day
Childhood Play Belongs in our Kids’ Lives and Learning Posted in ChicagoNow, June 19, 2014 Bet you didn’t know that today is Mud Day....
Feb 5, 2014
All Work and No Play
Published in ChicagoNow, February 5, 2014 It's been over 25 years since Robert Fulghum published Everything I Wanted to Know I Learned in...