Upsetting trends!

I read these stories today and they really upset me.

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2013/12/forest_kindergarten_watch_kids_in_switzerland_go_to_school_outside_in_school.html
"In their new book, The App Generation, education professors Howard Gardner and Katie Davis argue that kids today are becoming more risk averse. “Rather than wanting to explore, to try things out by themselves, young people are always pushing to find out exactly what is wanted, when it is wanted, how it will be evaluated, what comes next and where we end up,” they said in a recent Q-and-A....."


http://www.scarymommy.com/pedal-desks-for-elementary-schools/


"An elementary school in Kentucky is installing “pedal desks” so students can pedal while they work. Estes Elementary School kindergarten teacher Faith Harralson won a $12,000 grant from the school system to install “pedal desks” in her classroom. Harralson said the desks help “when kindergartners get tired of sitting still.” Yeah. You know what else helps with that? Recess....."

 YIKES.

Maybe we should just return free, unencumbered, unmediated, non-directed childhood PLAYtime to the kids for heavens' sake! I laid in the grass watching ants build their nests, explored the creek in the woods near the house and caught tadpoles, made up my own games with others and with myself (I had a swell Swiss Family Robinson/Robinson Crusoe setup in the back yard where I reenacted scenes from the books, made acquaintance with fairies and nature spirits, rode my bike everywhere (it was actually of course a white and silver stallion cleverly disguised as a bike). I can only shake my head over "kids don't know how to explore." So sad.