Are Your Kids Getting Enough "Dirt Pile" Play?

When I was a kid, we would hit the front door right after breakfast, and my Mom might not see us back until the sun was down.  Don't get me wrong. She knew where we were, but we weren't being shuttled to piano lessons, dance lessons, soccer practice, etc.  We were "playing," a concept that seems to have fallen out of favor, but in my opinion, desperately needs to make a comeback.

Our favorite place to play was an empty lot about a block long, across the street from my house.  We called it "The Dirt Pile," as in: "Where are you going?"  "I'm going to ride my bike at The Dirt Pile."  No, there wasn't one pile of dirt; there were many - and trees and vines and mud puddles.  There was no fancy equipment at The Dirt Pile, just dirt and a child's imagination.  But I spent many happy hours constructing forts of sticks and vines, jumping hills with my bike, and hanging out with my friends there. 

I'm so glad I had that childhood, and I think the children of today need the same type of free time and fun.  MSNBC has an article on this subject, and it points to this lack of play as the reason for a "generation of socially inept young people" with "high rates of youth obesity, anxiety, attention-deficit disorder and depression."  It's Experts: Lack of Play Time is Hurting Children.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

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