http://playborhood.com/ en mike@playborhood.com Copyright 2009 2009-10-08T22:47:00-08:00 http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/explorers_in_our_own_neighborhood/ http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/explorers_in_our_own_neighborhood/#When:23:47:00Z Yesterday, my son Marco (5), niece Andrea, and I ventured down the San Francisquito creek bed about a mile from our house to Marco’s preschool.  I’m sad and excited at the same time to say that it was a wonderful, frontier-like adventure. I’m sad because we encountered absolutely no one on our hour plus trip down there.  In fact, in my many visits to that creek, I’ve hardly ever seen anyone else there.  Thus, I feel sad for all the kids who live around here and never get to experience our creek bed as we did. On the other hand, it was wonderful because the creek bed is so beautiful, … Allied Arts / Stanford Park, Downtown North 2009-10-08T23:47:00-08:00 http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/a_play_day_parent_seminar_in_menlo_park/ http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/a_play_day_parent_seminar_in_menlo_park/#When:19:56:00Z 226 Yale Rd., Menlo Park, CA Sunday, September 27 RSVP to Mike Lanza for the Play Day and/or Parent Seminar Play Day 3pm - 5:30pm Bring your kids to play with us in our Playborhood! See how we’ve transformed our front and back yards into venues for everyday play. Fun activities include the following: draw on front yard white board play with vintage (circa late 1960s) hot wheels track and cars build huge structures with Slotwood, which is like life-sized Lincoln Logs play in sandbox play in fountain (also see this video) play street hockey do the following with our huge playhouse: Allied Arts / Stanford Park 2009-09-10T19:56:00-08:00 http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/weve_changed_our_mind_on_kindergarten_redshirting/ http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/weve_changed_our_mind_on_kindergarten_redshirting/#When:01:28:00Z My article on kindergarten redshirting (i.e. holding a child back a year before entering kindergarten) this past spring elicited heated comments on both sides of the debate.  There, I announced that my wife and I had decided not to redshirt my son Marco, born in July of 2004. Well, in the past week and a half, we’ve had a change of heart.  We scrambled to find a spot in a good “Young 5s” or “Pre-K” program for him, and we found one.  We just informed our neighborhood elementary school, Oak Knoll in Menlo Park, that he would not be attending this fall. So, why did we change our minds? … PAMP General 2009-08-20T01:28:00-08:00 http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/home_for_sale_in_my_playborhood/ http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/home_for_sale_in_my_playborhood/#When:22:47:01Z It’s three houses down and across the street from my infamous front yard and our surrounding Playborhood.  3 BR, 2 BA, $1.6m.  for more info on the ‘hood.  For info on the house, see for yourself. Allied Arts / Stanford Park 2009-07-24T22:47:01-08:00 http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/the_kindergarten_decisions_neighborhood_public_school_or_not/ http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/the_kindergarten_decisions_neighborhood_public_school_or_not/#When:23:11:00Z This fall, my son Marco will start kindergarten at our neighborhood public elementary school, Oak Knoll.  So will our next-door neighbor Jonathan.  So will the girl who lives behind us, Bailey.  So will the kid around the corner, Eli.  So will the kid one block away, Spencer.  So will my good friend’s kid, Emma, who lives three blocks away. Marco will ride his bike to school most days along with many of those kids.  I fully anticipate that our kids will have a wonderful time playing outside here every day after riding back from school.  All the groundwork we’ve laid in making outdoor … Allied Arts / Stanford Park 2009-04-24T23:11:00-08:00 http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/home_available_in_iris_way_playborhood/ http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/home_available_in_iris_way_playborhood/#When:21:46:00Z [Editor’s Note:  The author, Wendy Kandasamy, is the listing real estate agent for the property discussed in the article below.  She works for Alain Pinel Realtors.] I lived in a “Playborhood” long before I heard of this word.  I live on Iris Way, which is a micro-community within the Green Gables area of Palo Alto.  It is more than a beautifully tree-lined street.  It really is truly a community!  There are seniors, families with children of all ages, and young professional couples who were drawn to this street because of the charming homes, canopy trees, and close to Duveneck … Duveneck / St. Francis 2009-04-14T21:46:00-08:00 http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/9_months_later_is_it_a_playborhood_yet/ http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/9_months_later_is_it_a_playborhood_yet/#When:07:39:00Z My family’s lived for nine months now in a home we spent 2-1/2 years searching for.  We were determined to live on a block that had great Playborhood potential, and I was pretty sure we’d found it. So, how’s it going?  In brief, my verdict is that we’re right on the verge of becoming a bona-fide Playborhood now.  I consider a Playborhood to be a place where children, ideally from more than one family, play outside on their own on a regular basis - i.e. at least a couple days a week.  At least three or four nights a week after dinner, I play with my two boys - Marco (4-1/2) and Nico … Allied Arts / Stanford Park 2009-03-20T07:39:00-08:00 http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/what_about_the_creek_down_the_street/ http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/what_about_the_creek_down_the_street/#When:00:16:00Z Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we live in a land of wonderful public parks.  There are countless web sites and books telling us how to take advantage of them.  What’s more, we all know dozens of people who go there every weekend. Unfortunately, almost all of these are not accessible to us and our kids by foot.  In other words, getting there depends on planning and driving. The picture to the right shows my sons at a beautiful creek scene.  You might have a photo like this, too.  What’s interesting about this one for me is that it was taken on the bank of San Francisquito Creek, … Allied Arts / Stanford Park, Linfield Oaks, The Willows, Crescent Park, Downtown North 2009-03-10T00:16:00-08:00 http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/south_palo_alto_playborhood_has_eichler_for_sale/ http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/south_palo_alto_playborhood_has_eichler_for_sale/#When:22:15:00Z A street in the Palo Verde neighborhood of South Palo Alto well-known for having lots of kids and outdoor activity has a nice Eichler for sale.  The address is 720 Holly Oak.  A friend of mine and reader of this blog who has a 3-1/2-year-old boy just bought a home here because of its Playborhood reputation.  So far, he’s very happy with his decision to purchase there (He’ll probably respond if you post questions as comments to this post.) I’ve spent time on Holly Oak myself.  I agree that it’s one of the few bonafide Playborhoods we have in Palo Alto and Menlo Park.  I can’t say much … Palo Verde 2009-02-06T22:15:00-08:00 http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/nice_new_house_on_my_block_is_for_sale/ http://pamp.playborhood.com/site/article/nice_new_house_on_my_block_is_for_sale/#When:19:29:00Z A nice new house is for sale on my block.  It’s at 324 Yale Road in Menlo Park, which is eight houses away from mine.  Recall that I spent 2-1/2 years looking for this house and chose it because it had great Playborhood potential for children in the preschool years.  Later, I wrote about how calm the streets are here and how great Halloween is here (i.e. we have a high “Trick-or-Treater Index).  Last, but not least, recall that I’m building an outdoor family room in my front yard, so by spring there should be a very cool neighborhood hangout a few houses away. I must admit that there are … Allied Arts / Stanford Park 2009-01-21T19:29:00-08:00