Peekaboos

I have taken advice from some business savvy mentors and developed a survey to help focus Peekaboos’ development requirements. Lately I have had to force myself to take a breath and be more patient in this business development process. A lot needs to get done and I want to do it all NOW. My almost 5 year old daughter is so excited about the idea of Peekaboos and I can identify with her questions, “When can we invite kids and their parents to come and play at Peekaboos?” and “Can we open Peekaboos today?”
It is important to me that Peekaboos be built on a firm foundation with a clear plan and attainable goals, so I’m willing myself to be patient. Even so, I really want to open Peekaboos today with my 5 year old.
Starting today I will be touring my area, with my three children in tow, asking caregivers to fill out the survey. Help Peekaboos get closer to opening by taking a moment to answer a few questions.
Thank you!
And if you’re an entrepreneur, I would really appreciate a comment on how you discipline yourself to make your passion a success.

The lag in my posting has been due to my tremendous stack of reading that I’ve been trying to whittle down. The problem is, the more I read, the more I find to read. Here’s a list of a few things that have been keeping me busy thinking about play:

The American Academy of Pediatrics has a report out on the importance of play, particularly “free and unstructured play”, which our society has been eradicating. Here’s a quick summary of the report, and it also links to the full report (pdf) if you’re interested.

A few weeks ago, the blog PhD in Parenting had a carnival of play for which other bloggers wrote posts pertaining to play. These have been wonderful, quick reads and the book reviews have added to my to-read stack.

Another blog that is on my must-read list is The Grass Stain Guru. Bethe has wonderful posts and supports play whole-heartedly! She also has added to my list with her book recommendations.

There are also a lot of organizations promoting play. The Alliance for Childhood has a great Play Resource List. The National Institute for Play looks more into the science of play. Founder Dr. Stuart Brown and his co-author Christopher Vaughan wrote Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. Needless to say, I will be reading that this summer. I’m also intrigued by the organization KaBoom! They help communities come together to create play spaces. A little birdie, named Twitter, told me that Michelle Obama has met with them recently!

So now you know what I’ve been up to. All of this reading has been great research to develop Peekaboos upon. It’s encouraging to me that I’m not the only one wanting more unstructured play for children and parents.

What have you been reading about play lately?

…doesn’t always keep the doctor away.

I just recieved notice that Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home is now out in paperback! I’m so excited because I’ve been wanting to read it but I prefer the feel (and price) of paperback. I receive email updates from the organization. With all the information floating around out there, it can feel overwhelming as a parent to stay on top of it all. Check out how these pocket guides can make all this information practical in our busy lives. I’m hoping to use their information and advice to make Peekaboos a clean, green, and safe place for young children to play.

To learn more about this organization, visit Healthy Child Healthy World.

Over a year ago I began developing a business idea that was sparked while on a family vacation. Since then, every time I think about it, I get a burst of adrenaline. This is great because a parent cannot function on caffeine alone. The rush I get when brainstorming about Peekaboos makes me believe that it will happen. After working briefly with a SBA counselor, my formal focus on the business plan tapered off due to the dwindling economy as well as the birth of my third child. However, with the loving, supportive kick in the pants from my husband I’m ready to get back to work…and start playing.