Perhaps you’ve seen the commercial recently being run on television — a very child needs at least 1 hour of exercise and play every day for healthy physical, emotional and mental development. The commercial ends with a view of a rather young girl on her back doing yoga like stretches. Something as a runner I wish I would do more regularly. That image caught my attention as I never expected to see someone so young actually doing a formal yoga stretching exercise. Needless to say, it made an impression. I believe the ad was sponsored by Groundwork Ohio, a nonprofit advocacy dedicated to improving early childhood health and education outcomes from children from birth to age 5.
The United Way of Northeast Michigan is also focused on improving childhood health and education outcomes from children from birth to age 5. We sponsor the Dolly Parton Imagination Library for children in Alpena and Presque Isle Counties that provides a monthly free age-appropriate book mailed directly to the child’s home. This program is available at no cost to participate and parents can register their child at imaginationlibrary.com.
Here is what else we believe: Every child deserves the chance to build, create, and imagine freely.
We think you’d agree, right? Yet when we look around, we see something that honestly breaks our heart.
Kids glued to screens. Playgrounds that tell them exactly how to play. Toys that do all the thinking for them. Where’s the magic in that?
Thinking back to my childhood, I remember what it felt like to build treehouses and forts and make up indoor baseball games with baseball cards, pencils, marbles and toy blocks. That is real play. Creative real play.
But here is the thing — our world seems to have forgotten this. We’ve traded imagination for instruction manuals. Wonder for predetermined outcomes. And we believe this is robbing our children of something precious — The ability to think for themselves. To solve problems creatively. To feel proud of something they built with their own hands.
That exactly why we’ve purchased and are promoting the Imagination Playground. We believe children are natural architects of their own play. Give them loose parts, and they’ll create worlds we never imagined.
No Rules. No Right Way. Just Pure, Creative Freedom.
If this resonates with you — if you believe kids deserve to be creators of their own adventure — bring your children and join us at the Alpena Flower Fest at the pocket park next to Mango’s on Saturday from 10 am–2 pm as we introduce the Imagination Playground.