Kids Deserve a Break Today: 5 Things to Know About Kids This Week

Our curated list of kid-related news for February 12, 2016.

By
Parker Barry
Categories
  • 1. Kids deserve a break today. Many kids in Florida do not have daily recess (or even any recess in some schools), but a proposal mandating 20 minutes of recess daily in Florida elementary schools seems to be stalling in the state legislature this week. Last year, a committed group of kids and parents began pushing for daily recess in one Florida county, and that movement quickly expanded to include upset parents and play-deprived kids across the Sunshine State. Will Florida lawmakers let kids play? Stay tuned… (Florida Recess Proponents are Getting Nervous)

traffic_3posters

  • 2. Celebrate love on Sunday. Valentine’s Day isn’t just for adults. Kids love the Day of Love, too! Consider making heart-shaped pancakes or a red-themed breakfast for your kid Sunday morning, and check out the American Academy of Pediatrics’ suggestions for 14 Ways to Show Love for Your Child on Valentine’s Day and every day.
  • 3. Thinking about tinkering?: So are lots of other people, from elementary school kids to M.I.T. professors. An article published this week in The New York Times highlights the popularity of D.I.Y. communities, Maker Faires and other ways that tinkering is taking the education world by storm. (Wood Shop Enters the World of High Tech)
  • 4. Gender-neutral bedding’s on Target. Target Corporation announced this week that a gender-neutral bedroom décor line for kids called Pillowfort will hit stores later this month. The “1,200 pieces of furniture, bedding and more (including everything from teepees to felt animal head wall decor),” focus on interests — including “Tropical Treehouse,” “Stellar Station” and “Ocean Oasis” — instead of pink and blue themes. One company rep interviewed about the new collection on its corporate site said it’s “cute enough for a three-year-old, and cool enough for a ten-year-old.” Pillowfort items are scheduled to arrive in Target stores Feb. 21. (Calling All Parents & Kids: Pillowfort is the home collection of your dreams)

target_pillowfort

  • 5. Your kid’s first job may not even exist (yet). Only 40 percent of the 1 billion young people entering the global workforce in the next decade will be working in traditional jobs that currently exist, according to a report in The Economist. Teens who sense this trend and are starting their own businesses and may someday put the “tyke in tycoon,” the article quipped. However, as “economies grow more sophisticated, demand for cognitive skills will keep rising. The world’s schools are not even close to meeting it.” (The Walled World of Work)

Related stories