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Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life | Peter Gray

#7days7books That Had an Impact on Me - Day 7
#PeterGray #FreetoLearn #education

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GingerAntics

Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life | Peter Gray

pick

This is a must read for every parent, caregiver, and educator in the western world.
If you do not believe the planet is older than 4K years, you don‘t believe in evolution, or you genuinely believe your children were born bad and have to be taught to be good, this book is NOT for you.
👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

GingerAntics Everyone else, this is a wonderfully insightful book about how as a society we are absolutely failing to prepare our children for any of the things adults demand of them and how we can do a better job. It shows a clear path to less bullying and more learning. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 6y

GingerAntics The chapter on age mixed groups was probably my favourite. Like he said, a lot of it is really obvious, but I would add that a lot of it is also ignored or written off as unimportant these days. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 6y

GingerAntics I really liked the chapter of history, too. It‘s very eye opening about the true origins of our modern education system and that alone, I believe, should motivate a lot of change (especially in societies that value a separation of church and state). #PeterGray #FreeToLearn #Education (edited) 6y

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Izai.Amorim Are there people on Litsy who don't believe the Earth is millions of years old? Holy shit! 😂I thought that reading would be a cure for ignorance... IMO Education is also failing because the emphasis is on employability, skills, etc, not character development. 6y

GingerAntics @Izai.Amorim not sure, but you never know. It‘s funny, the book rarely mentions that as well. Apparently even young children‘s parents are often focused on resume building, but by doing that their children end up LESS prepared for the job market. By letting them play and be more relaxed, they‘re actually better prepared for the uncertain job markets they will eventually face. 6y

RavenLovelyReads Quick question- can you recommend a book for me? I want to learn about Irish history, and I trust your opinion 💕💕 I need a good Irish history 101 🤓 5y

GingerAntics @RavenLovelyReads I actually haven‘t read many Irish history overviews, but I would recommend The Story of Ireland from what I have read. It has a few issues, but it‘s well written and doesn‘t wax poetic for one side or the other.

The Story of Ireland: A History of the Irish People

RavenLovelyReads @GingerAntics Thanks!!! I‘ll check it out!! 5y

Bookwomble @Izai.Amorim Reading is only a cure for ignorance of you're not reading ignorant books 😀 5y

Izai.Amorim @Bookwomble you‘re completely right. As they say in the software business, “garbage in, garbage out.” 😂 But Since I‘ve never seen anyone talking about stupid books here on Litsy, I found the disclaimer funny. But as @GingerAntics said, you never know... 5y

GingerAntics @Bookwomble @Izai.Amorim to be honest, I write one review in my reading journal, then post it both to Apple Books and Litsy, so that disclaimer is less for Litsy and more for Apple Books, really. I thought of leaving it out, but then I thought “hey, you never know who‘s going to stumble upon this at some point.” 🤷🏼‍♀️ 5y

Izai.Amorim @GingerAntics now that Litsy is online as website, the answer is: anyone! It‘s not the walled garden it used to be. 5y

GingerAntics @Izai.Amorim right? It‘s nice to be able to access it from the computer, but I fear it will also change things. 5y

Izai.Amorim @GingerAntics To me it has already changed. I think three times before I post anything. You‘re not talking to friends anymore, you‘re broadcasting to the world. Like on GoodReads or LibraryThing. The intimacy that made Litsy special, is gone. RIP. 5y

GingerAntics @Izai.Amorim that‘s true. I left GR because of the BS and the drama and because I can‘t stand Amazon. I really hope I don‘t end up having to leave Litsy. 5y

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GingerAntics

Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life | Peter Gray

Think of how much better we could pay our teachers if we only needed HALF the budget to educate the children in schools, and the kids ended up way better prepared for life than they are now.
#PeterGray #FreeToLearn #Education

AshleyHoss820 But that would be...downright logical! We can‘t have that! *flips table* 😊 6y

GingerAntics @AshleyHoss820 🤣😂🤣 right? 🤣😂🤣 *rights table just to flip it again* 6y

AshleyHoss820 @GingerAntics 😂🤣😂🤣 6y

Megabooks I‘m sure Betsy DeVos will jump right on this! 😒 Great idea though!! 6y

GingerAntics @Megabooks right? 🙄 I‘m guessing she‘d also manage to make tuition MORE expensive per student because obviously the cost saving just means more profit margin for her and the companies she want to bring in. 6y

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GingerAntics

Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life | Peter Gray

I wish more parents understood this. I no so many educators that would jump at the chance to work with kids in this capacity instead of the stressful, coercive capacity they currently work. I don‘t know a single person who got into education to coerce children, but they have all found themselves there anyway.
#PeterGray #FreeToLearn #Education #freethechildren ##freetheteachers

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GingerAntics

Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life | Peter Gray

We seriously need to stop segregating children by age. It‘s hurting all of the kids. I‘m not sure it‘s helping in any way.
#PeterGray #FreeToLearn #Education #agemixedgroups #agenixedlearning

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GingerAntics

Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life | Peter Gray

This seriously just made me tear up. I think Darren is going to be okay.
💙💙💙
#PeterGray #FreeToLearn #Education #agemixedgroups #compassion

CarolynM 💔 6y

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GingerAntics

Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life | Peter Gray

Through out this book, I‘ve thought about the adage that to teach is to learn again. Now, I‘m also thinking it‘s easier for a student to say “I don‘t know” to a younger student than to an adult, which also opens up the next part of the answer, “let‘s find out” or “let‘s look it up.” My older cousins did this with me all the time when I was growing up, and I frequently did it with the younger kids in my neighbourhood.

GingerAntics I think the default with adults is to just think “I‘m a kid” or if it was my grandmother, I was sent away to “look it up.” It was a demand, not something I chose, so it stuck with me less than if the time had been taken to have a conversation about it. I also still do not see the value in my asking how to spell something and my grandmother telling me to look it up. If I can‘t spell it, how am I supposed to look it up? 6y

GingerAntics Google is great at guessing what I mean when I can‘t spell something, but that was still a good 15 years off when I was a kid. #PeterGray #FreeToLearn #Education #agemixedgroups #agemixedlearning (edited) 6y

Chrissyreadit Another perspective- I teach in trainings- children in same age groups are not able to imitate and engage in play that helps them gain developmental skills naturally. Instead everything must be manufactured. They also do not learn positive, appropriate social mores because teachers create the rules, vs groups developing fluid rules and learning how to change or transition in a natural environment. I‘m also very passionate about this topic. 6y

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Chrissyreadit Have you read

The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way

Chrissyreadit I really enjoy the information provided regarding education systems, but truly the best education would reflect developmental understanding and opportunities. 6y

GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit I agree with absolutely every part of that. Our current education systems are totally failing at developmental appropriateness or giving them opportunities for developmental advancement. I have not read that book, but it‘s getting added to the list. 6y

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GingerAntics

Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life | Peter Gray

Outside of school, I was generally with much older kids or significantly younger kids. At one point, my 4th grade teacher complained to my mother that I wasn‘t content to just be with other 4th graders. I wanted to play with everyone and she thought something was wrong with me. Too bad for her it was actually making me smarter.
#PeterGray #FreeToLearn #Education #agemixedgroups #agemixedlearning

GingerAntics I like that he‘s also addressed that nuclear families used to be larger (allowing sit mixed groups at home) and greater connection with extended families (allowing further age mixing when visiting or being visited by cousins, etc), but that these things rarely happens today, so Age mixed groups rarely if ever happen for today‘s children. 6y

wanderinglynn Wow, I can‘t believe how short sighted your teacher was. 6y

GingerAntics @wanderinglynn I think she was just looking for things to complain about. I was the only kid in catholic school whose parents had never been married, so prejudice was most of it. She claimed my mother worked as a store clerk and that I couldn‘t read by 4th grade. The principal happened to be my uncle, so when he read her assessment, he laughed in her face and informed her that I‘d taught myself to read at age 3 and she was way off base. 6y

wanderinglynn Again, wow. So short sighted that she would make up lies about a child. That woman had issues. 6y

GingerAntics @wanderinglynn right? It was ridiculous. She made up lies about a child and a parent she hardly knew. We found out about the claim I couldn‘t read when my uncle told us. I don‘t think I was supposed to overhear it. I was pissed. He laughed and said that he gladly dismissed her by telling her that I probably read more and better than she did. 😏 6y

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GingerAntics

Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life | Peter Gray

It‘s amazing the number of people who say it‘s cruel to do this to animals, but necessary to do to children. Nope.
#PeterGray #FreeToLearn #Education #play #freethechildren

Chrissyreadit 👏👏👏❤️❤️❤️yes- one of the many reasonsI love homeschooling 6y

GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit I always wanted to be homeschooled. My parents didn‘t believe in it. I think I‘ve wanted to homeschool my kids since then. If I ever get to have kids, those kids are so not going into the school system. They‘re going to get to be kids and they are never taking those ridiculous standardised tests. 🙄 6y

Chrissyreadit @GingerAntics homeschool is the way to go! It is very freeing and my kids love to learn because of it. It‘s so common now too!!!! I hope you get to also. 6y

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GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit I‘ve heard that from so many homeschool parents. I kind of want to start a school like the one described in this book. It‘s basically homeschool in a group. Same things, the kids are happy, they‘re free to be kids, the kids are amazingly successful as adults. It‘s basically homeschooling for parents who can‘t homeschool their kids for whatever reason. 6y

Chrissyreadit Nice!!! 6y

GingerAntics @Chrissyreadit right? Bring the joys of freedom and play for more children who otherwise would get shoved through the system. 6y

readinginthedark I don't know that I'd agree with this. My son goes to public schools, and they have two recesses and lots of "wiggle time" and little dance parties and yoga and stuff as well as the sit-down reading and writing moments. Schools have changed a lot since we were kids. And I do think it's important for kids to learn that there's a time for different kinds of activity, both active and quiet. Not to mention grounding my son so he learns not to lie, etc 6y

GingerAntics @readinginthedark your son‘s school is the exception to the rule. Most schools is doing away with recess and even PE because it‘s not on the tests. Children playing doesn‘t mean they don‘t learn not to lie, there is actually evidence they learn this better through play because their are consequences besides timeouts or being hit, they won‘t have playmates. That‘s more important to them. 6y

GingerAntics @readinginthedark Yoga is nice, but adults are still telling him what to do for his down time. This is talking more about self-directed play and free time. It‘s hard to explain the book in one quote, really. 6y

readinginthedark That makes sense. He gets a lot of free play, too, but I see your point. Too bad all of the public schools can't have the same standards for this; seems ironic. 6y

GingerAntics @readinginthedark it seems they try to standardise all the wrong things. 6y

readinginthedark Agreed. 6y

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GingerAntics

Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life | Peter Gray

Love this. The golden rule is oddly selfish...not to mention most people treat themselves horribly (and they learn to do so in childhood).
#PeterGray #FreeToLearn #Education

readinginthedark Yes, this is so good! 6y

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