I agree with Lange's view. Childhood has changed in sooo many ways since I was a child. We were all free range and yet somehow survived! I look back in horror at my schools sliding board (12 ft high?) that kids would climb to top of and stand up before slide down the slide, or climbing over the slim, low rail, to slide down one of the poles! All on concrete playgrounds no less. I don;t recall anyone ever being injured.... By the 80's times had changed. Concrete was replaced with mulch and playground equipment was made considerable smaller. I can recall a few accidents tho'. mulch could still break and arm when hit right, and, of course, teeter totters could still cause injuries with kids hopping off them or running into them. Now I see playgrounds with some kind of soft asphalt and enclosed playground equipment. AND accidents still happen! Can't protect kids from everything. Young, dumb, and clueless. What can you do? Wrap the kids in bubble wrap and make sure they only crawl, I'm guessing! Fun and fascinating read. If you have children in you life it's worth a look/see.

I am looking forward to having THE DESIGN OF CHILDHOOD by Alexandra Lange on our shelves soon. This very interesting text was written by an architecture and design critic who clearly loves history and children. As the subtitle notes, the text explores "how the material world shapes independent kids." Lange views a child's world (filled with stuff) as an ever-expanding environment, growing from building blocks to their house to school to neighborhoods and urban centers. She therefore writes about toys (noting parallels from blocks to Legos to Minecraft), about classroom chairs and desks and about parks and playgrounds. The tone is quite conversational and engaging throughout as she weaves in the changing theories about raising children.

It is clear that this book will be of interest to parents and educators. I also think our students taking AP Psych and/or Child Development will certainly be intrigued by this text. There are many more, though, who will definitely enjoy her description of some of our local architecture, particularly Crow Island School which is a nationally recognized landmark building. Designed with growing children in mind (the benches in the auditorium are in graduated sizes, for example), the building and staff evoke fond memories for many of our current students.

Link in post: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crow_Island_School

Wow! This book was eye-opening. I have long been saying that children are a product of their environment and that we are becoming too worried about keeping up with everyone else. The author did a lot of research and presented proof that children's development is being heavily influenced by the toys they play with and their environment. I do not have children, but do work in a school and see how timely this book is.

I'm not a designer and have no obvious interest in the topic. But I'm a parent keenly aware of they trends in child upbringing. Lange's lucid, engaging, informative book offered great insight into how my child's world is being shaped by the kinds of toys, playgrounds, learning spaces that surround him. A great read that parents and educators alike--not just people versed in design--will find illuminating.

This book was fascinating on a number of levels. I currently work in elementary education and found the history of educational practices quite helpful. The design thinking element was also very interesting; I was prompted to discuss implementing a number of things at my school. If you are at all interested in primary and secondary education, interior design, psychology, architecture, or history, check out The Design of Childhood!