It may shock you to learn that we spend an average of 4-7 minutes outside each day--while we spend 4-7 hours using devices with screens. Needless to say, our physical, mental, emotional, and relational health has suffered. But there is a ready solution: get outside! A homeschooling mother of five and founder of the global 1000 Hours Outside movement, Ginny Yurich explains how we got to this point--and how to get back to a healthier, more engaging relationship with the world outside. With a mom's heart and an educator's eye, Ginny shows you · the importance of unstructured play for children · what boredom actually contributes to our brains · the value of sunlight and social play · the role of play in lifelong learning · how to make time outside more attractive to your child than screentime · and much more If you want your kids to grow up curious, resilient, and with a sense of adventure and community, it's essential to make outside play a priority. This book shows you why and how.

Remember when Facebook didn't exist? No video games, no online games, no Instagram, no Periscope. Remember when social media was really just a nosey neighbor? Remember when everybody used to play outside with their friends? Playing Tag, Hide and go seek, jumping Double Dutch, or sitting on the stoop playing, "That's My Car." Remember Saturday morning cartoons? Or when a phone book doubled as a booster chair, and putting baseball cards in the spokes of your bicycle tires was the coolest thing ever?When the Streetlights Came On, by comedian Kevin Jordan is a fun look back on a time when you knew the difference between your school clothes and your play clothes, respect was a given and kids played outside...all day, until the street lights came on!

Back then you played hardTill The Streetlights Came On. It was a time when chores were plentiful and toys were simple; when bad attitudes weren't treated with a prescription—you just beat the kid good. Video games and shopping malls didn't exist, and hands got dirty in backyards and vacant lots. Such was the life of Stevie, a boy addicted to play. Whether being burned at the stake as a cowboy or escaping a Nazi POW camp, Stevie's life is one adventure after another—often comical, but always filled with spiritual consequence. Or at least that's the way his guardian, Uncle Harry, sees it. Whether facing the 'green mile' to pick out his own switch, being consigned to dreaded 'miscellaneous chores,' or obediently struggling to follow the complexities of how questioning the intelligence (or lack there of) of cats relates to the reality of God, Stevie knows he can always rely on Uncle Harry to provide answers—whether he can understand them or not—and look after his immortal soul. Capturing the waywardness of youth, and all the hilarity inherent in young boys and their crackbrained schemes, author Stephen Langdon's stories will keep you reading till the streetlights come on.

Nothing about Jimmy McMullen's childhood was dysfunctional, unless you consider having big ears a "dysfunction". He grew-up in the late 50's with twin sisters, a year younger than himself, and had one good friend to accompany him on the journey from childhood to adolescence. But growing-up is hard, especially for a kid! A first kiss or life's most embarrassing moment-two entirely different events I assure you-become monumental moments when viewed through the eyes of a kid. This book is a collection of such stories, all of which are true, that define one such life. But in a way they define all of us. It's about the feelings attached to the experiences of growing-up and one kid's attempt to make sense of the world around him. When the Street Lights Come On is about going home to a place in the heart that's warm and familiar. It's a book for kids about to embark on the journey called "growing-up" and for everyone who's already been initiated. In the end you'll be reminded that sometimes just showing up for the game of life can be the bravest thing a kid can do.

An expert explains how the conventional wisdom about decision making can get us into trouble—and why experience can’t be replaced by rules, procedures, or analytical methods In making decisions, when should we go with our gut and when should we try to analyze every option? When should we use our intuition and when should we rely on logic and statistics? Most of us would probably agree that for important decisions, we should follow certain guidelines—gather as much information as possible, compare the options, pin down the goals before getting started. But in practice we make some of our best decisions by adapting to circumstances rather than blindly following procedures. In Streetlights and Shadows, Gary Klein debunks the conventional wisdom about how to make decisions. He takes ten commonly accepted claims about decision making and shows that they are better suited for the laboratory than for life. The standard advice works well when everything is clear, but the tough decisions involve shadowy conditions of complexity and ambiguity. Gathering masses of information, for example, works if the information is accurate and complete—but that doesn't often happen in the real world. (Think about the careful risk calculations that led to the downfall of the Wall Street investment houses.) Klein offers more realistic ideas about how to make decisions in real-life settings. He provides many examples—ranging from airline pilots and weather forecasters to sports announcers and Captain Jack Aubrey in Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander novels—to make his point. All these decision makers saw things that others didn’t. They used their expertise to pick up cues and to discern patterns and trends. We can make better decisions, Klein tells us, if we are prepared for complexity and ambiguity and if we will stop expecting the data to tell us everything. “I know of no one who combines theory and observation—intellectual rigor and painstaking observation of the real world—so brilliantly and gracefully as Gary Klein.” —Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers and Blink

There are so many things to do on a farm. You could head to the barn to play with the kittens or go fishing in the small pond. You could grab a jar to catch fireflies in or swing high on the porch swing. Childhood outdoor adventures are fun to experience and they are fun to read about. Come along on this childhood adventure and imagine spending a summer with your family at a little farmhouse in West Virginia.

Meet Dolores Price. She's thirteen, wise-mouthed but wounded. Beached like a whale in front of her bedroom TV, she spends the next few years nourishing herself with the chocolate, crisps and Pepsi her anxious mother supplies. When she finally rolls into young womanhood at 257 pounds, Dolores is no stronger and life is no kinder. But this time she's determined to rise to the occasion and give herself one more chance before really going belly up. In his extraordinary coming-of-age odyssey, Wally Lamb invites us to hitch an incredible ride on a journey of love, pain, and renewal with the most heartbreakingly comical heroine to come along in years. At once a fragile girl and a hard-edged cynic, so tough to love yet so inimitably loveable, Dolores is as poignantly real as our own imperfections.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST CHILDREN’S BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES • FIVE STARRED REVIEWS Visit a truly special street bursting with joy, hope, and dreams. Inspired by the neighborhood where they grew up as cousins, this gorgeous picture book from an award-winning illustrator and critically acclaimed author is the perfect gift or keepsake for every generation. Welcome to Dream Street--the best street in the world! Jump rope with Azaria--can you Double Dutch one leg at a time? Dream big with Ede and Tari, who wish to create a picture book together one day. Say hello with Mr. Sidney, a retired mail carrier who greets everyone with the words, "Don't wait to have a great day. Create one!" On Dream Street, love between generations rules, everyone is special, and the warmth of the neighborhood shines. A magical story from the critically acclaimed author of Nana Akua Goes to School and a Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Award winning illustrator. Illuminating this vivid cast of characters are vibrant, joyful illustrations that make this neighborhood--based on the Roxbury neighborhood in Boston where the author and illustrator grew up together as cousins--truly sing. This book is a perfect way for parents to share with their children the importance of community.

A guide to gardening for the entire family offers advice on how to plant a pumpkin seed, create theme gardens, and plant a "pizza patch" complete with tomatoes, zucchini, oregano, and basil

Learn to raise independent, can-do kids with a new edition of the book that started a movement In the newly revised and expanded Second Edition of Free-Range Kids, New York columnist-turned-movement leader Lenore Skenazy delivers a compelling and entertaining look at how we got so worried about everything our kids do, see, eat, read, wear, watch and lick -- and how to bid a whole lot of that anxiety goodbye. With real-world examples, advice, and a gimlet-eyed look at the way our culture forces fear down our throats, Skenazy describes how parents and educators can step back so kids step up. Positive change is faster, easier and a lot more fun than you’d believe. This is the book that has helped millions of American parents feel brave and optimistic again – and the same goes for their kids. Using research, humor, and feisty common sense, the book shows: How parents can reject the media message, “Your child is in horrible danger!” How schools can give students more independence -- and what happens when they do. (Hint: Teachers love it.) How everyone can relax and successfully navigate a judge-y world filled with way too many warnings, scolds and brand new fears Perfect for parents and guardians of children of all ages, Free-Range Kids will also earn a place in the libraries of K-12 educators who want their students to blossom with newfound confidence and cheer.