New Jersey Governor: "Enough is Enough"🐴 #114

Psychologist Jonathan Haidt on childhood fragility... and how to give new life to your dried-up Crayola markers

Author

Charlie Deist
January 16, 2025

Good morning! Today we're exploring childhood independence, or as your grandparents called it, "Thursday."

In this edition:

  • 💡 Why protecting kids from everything might be the riskiest move of all

  • 📊 The great phone debate continues (and why it matters)

  • 🛠️ The simplest snow activity ever (hint: check your marker drawer)

  • 🤔 Quiz: A surprising lesson from Biosphere 2

If you enjoy this edition, forward this email to a friend! First time reading? Subscribe and learn more at OpenEd.co.

💡 THOUGHT

Why modern America creates fragile children

"Beginning with kids born in 1995, they spend a lot less time going out with friends... What are they doing? They're spending a lot more time sitting on their beds with their devices," observes Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation.

Reminder: Parents who let their kids take reasonable risks aren't being careless. They're preparing them for life.

The most anxious kids today are often the most protected ones, and the most dangerous thing we can do to our kids is try to remove all danger from their lives.

📊 TREND

New Jersey Governor: "Enough is Enough"

Haidt has also been leading a national conversation around cell phones and youth – not just in schools, but in the culture more broadly. He notes the trend of states banning phones across the entire public school system. We don’t take an official stance on whether phones should be allowed in schools, but the topic deserves more discussion.

Kids today spend more time sitting inside on screens than ever before in history. And then we expect them to sit inside even more at school. No wonder (mis)behavior is “off. the. chain.” according to one teacher.

🛠️ TOOL

WAIT. You can draw on snow?

Looking for a way to get kids excited about going outside? Days with Grey suggests the simplest winter activity you'll try all season:

Wait… you can draw in the snow??

What you need:

  • Snow

  • Regular markers (Crayola will do fine)

  • Adventurous spirit

Pro tip: Tilt markers slightly sideways for best coverage (this even works with markers you thought were dried out.)

Beth, the mom of 3 behind the popular blog promoting play-based learning, notes, "My first grader needed a carrot for the nose on his snowman... he ran inside for the orange marker."

🌳 (TRIVIA) OF THE DAY

Why Did the Trees in Biosphere 2 Keep Falling Over?

In the 1990s, scientists built a perfect replica of Earth's environment. Everything was precisely controlled, but the trees kept collapsing. What were they missing?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Stay tuned for the answer in tomorrow’s Daily.

That’s all for today!

– Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)

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