This is a bit of a follow-on from my comments in the extended school year thread.
Has anyone seen
this piece in Newsweek about declining creativity in American children?
I'm not sure about everything in the article, but the basic point about declining creative abilities seems reasonable, and it's definitely something I've been wondering about.
The article cites a few possible reasons. One is the way our schools operate today (rote learning, nationalized testing, too little time for classes like art). Another is too much TV and too many video games; I have my doubts about the TV part, as people were complaining about kids watching too much TV in 1975.
I've often wondered about the potential negative effects of too much homework and too many scheduled/structured activities. Both take time that could be spent playing freely. Kids today just don't seem to be able to play a lot. I don't know fully what causes this.
As an example, I have a friend who lives in a townhouse complex. There's a lot of open space there, and it's relatively protected from busy streets. Lots of kids live there, but I never see them out playing on all that grass. There are people across the street from us with a child, and we never, ever see her outside.
Val
