Are We Failing To Prepare Children For Leadership In the US? 754
Vulcan195 writes "Would you let your three-year-old play with a real saw? You would if you were a parent in Switzerland. Suzanne Lucas (a U.S. mom residing in Switzerland) writes about the contrasts between the U.S. and Swiss ways of instilling wisdom. She writes: 'Every Friday, whether rain, shine, snow, or heat, my three-year-old goes into the forest for four hours with 10 other school children. In addition to playing with saws and files, they roast their own hot dogs over an open fire. If a child drops a hot dog, the teacher picks it up, brushes the dirt off, and hands it back.' She suggests that such kids grow up and lead the ones who were coddled (e.g. U.S. kids) during their early years."
Not very new. (Score:5, Informative)
These Forest-Kindergartens are all over Europe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_kindergarten [wikipedia.org]
Where I work, I can see them going by foot up a mountain to reach the forest. I can imagine their immune-system must beat those of TV-watching coach-potatoes.
In other news I read that 5 year olds, who did not go to such Kindergartens had to be rescued on a school excursion.
They weren't able to continue because they had never actually _walked_ a mile in their life, only from the couch to the car and back.
Answer: (Score:5, Informative)
No. [wikipedia.org]
Re:In the US they call it Scouts. (Score:3, Informative)
Don't forget the gay kids they toss out or that they ban atheists.
The troop I attended as a kid was no place for a non-protestant child. Just being a catholic made it clear I was not really part of the group. The high school atheist me was glad to get out of that mess.
Re:Always the same BS: 'My way is better because' (Score:4, Informative)
Most people say there are two certainties in life. Death and taxes. ... I'd like to add a third to the list
I'd like to add a fourth: Every generation thinking their kids are dumber, weaker, and more lacking in leadership ability than they were.
Re:Not very new. (Score:5, Informative)
In other places, they have forest kindergartens, in the US, the lawsuit-driven regulations prevent trees, streams and cats at schools. http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/2011/02/12/school-inspectors-say-trees-too-dangerous/ [wordpress.com]
There's a segment of Americans that want to live in a perferctly clean, safe bubble. The lawsuits they file against anybody and everbody when the world doesn't meet their expectations bring about regulations keep the rest of us from having the choice to be dirty and unsafe. The laws have changed significantly even since I was a kid. According to conventional wisdom, I should have never survived childhood.
Even Heinlein had something to say. (Score:4, Informative)
By the following statement: "Do not handicap your children by making their lives easy."
Re:you're all worthless and weak (Score:5, Informative)
Re:you're all worthless and weak (Score:5, Informative)
People keep saying this. I haven't gotten my trophy.
Re:It depends which children we're talking about (Score:4, Informative)
Even if you accept the pessimistic premise of your post there is still plenty of upward mobility available
That is straight up false [time.com].
Re:you're all worthless and weak (Score:5, Informative)
Too bad the actual data doesn't support what you're saying. From the CDC website: "The South has the highest prevalence of obesity (29.4%) followed by the Midwest (28.7%), Northeast (24.9%) and the West (24.1%)."
Not that any region in the States should get too smug... the obesity rate in the Switzerland is 8.2%
Similar to the book "Free Range Kids" (Score:3, Informative)
A well researched and more detailed treatment on what children are capable of, how we as a society went mad, and how they need to learn independently is in the book "Free Range Kids". My wife and I read this with for ourselves and our two kids and are beginning to try to counter the pervasive paranoia one friend at a time.
http://www.amazon.com/Free-Range-Raise-Self-Reliant-Children-Without/dp/0470574755/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340643190&sr=8-1&keywords=Free+Range+Kids [amazon.com]