Summer solstice marks the extent of the sun’s northern climb. Our longest day of light has come and gone and although it is now officially summer, it will not technically be summer for me until I hear Alice Cooper sing that classic line: “School’s out for summer.” I am sure that come Friday this week there will be rousing choruses of this song sung around the region. No more pencils, no more books, another school year will come to an end leaving some parents wondering what to do with their kids during those upcoming dog days.
Of course back in the Jurassic age when I was a kid, my parents did not have to worry about what my brothers and I would be doing during our two months off. They did not fret about sending us to daycares or camps. They did not concern themselves with itinerary planning or worry about what we were going to do to occupy our days. That is because we had this thing back then called “going outside to play.” We were expected to be outdoors, in the fresh air, using that even older invention called “imagination.”
We rode our bikes, played baseball and board games, mowed lawns, made forts, hung out at the playground, delivered papers, read comics, went swimming, chopped firewood, drank from the garden hose and only came home when we were hungry, heard our mother call us using our middle names, or when it got dark. We played with the neighbourhood kids most of whom had the same expectations from their parents to enjoy the great outdoors.
Today the concept of sending kinds outside to play is becoming foreign. We are a locked door, fenced in, alarm system, nanny camera society that books play dates, schedules all activities, and encourages more virtual play than pick up a Frisbee kind of play. What changed? Why has the very nature of play changed so radically in the past 30 years? Is it because we are plugged into electronics and no longer plugged into nature?
Some will say the world is simply not as safe a place as it once was. Are we truly that xenophobic? Some may argue that our digital world has evolved such that children prefer to play online versus playing outdoors. Maybe it is the case that some parents feel pressured to have their kids be part of organized everything for fear of being judged as a poor parent. Ever try to arrange a visit with a colleague or go for coffee but can’t find a mutually agreeable time because of your kid’s gymnastics, dance, soccer, karate, swimming lessons, tutoring, and horseback riding? There is no time left for unstructured playtime.
I am not knocking organized activities. They are intrinsically valuable and life-giving. I do believe though in moderation. As an educator I often witness those kids who have every waking moment scheduled for them in activities of one form or another. Sometimes it seems that studies come a distant second or third to everything else. It is no wonder that some kids feel anxious, overwhelmed or simply, tired. They are too busy. What is wrong with a little down time in the run of a week?
It is said “there ain’t no cure for the summer time blues.” I think placing more value on good old fashioned ‘get outside and play’ is a start. St. Albert is a great place to run and have fun in the sun! While school is soon to be out for summer, it will not be that long until we hear that song that all parents love to hear in late August: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”
Wherever your summer takes you, whatever you do on those well-deserved days off … be safe, have fun and play hard!
Tim Cusack is an educator, writer, and member of the naval reserve.
