The Design of Childhood: How the Material World Shapes Independent Kids, Lange Alexandra

Nothing short of spectacular . . . A secret guidebook to a landscape in which we all dwell, but so often fail to see. --Tom Vanderbilt, bestselling author of Traffic

From building blocks to city blocks, an eye-opening exploration of how childrens playthings and physical surroundings affect their development.

Parents obsess over their childrens playdates, kindergarten curriculum, and every bump and bruise, but the toys, classrooms, playgrounds, and neighborhoods little ones engage with are just as important. These objects and spaces encode decades, even centuries of changing ideas about what makes for good child-rearing--and what does not. Do you choose wooden toys, or plastic, or, increasingly, digital? What do youngsters lose when seesaws are deemed too dangerous and slides are designed primarily for safety? How can the built environment help children cultivate self-reliance? In these debates, parents, educators, and kids themselves are often caught in the middle.

Now, prominent design critic Alexandra Lange reveals the surprising histories behind the human-made elements of our childrens pint-size landscape. Her fascinating investigation shows how the seemingly innocuous universe of stuff affects kids behavior, values, and health, often in subtle ways. And she reveals how years of decisions by toymakers, architects, and urban planners have helped-and hindered-American youngsters journeys toward independence. Seen through Langes eyes, everything from the sandbox to the street becomes vibrant with buried meaning. The Design of Childhood will change the way you view your childrens world-and your own.