'Taking time seriously' is an enduring human concern and questions about the nature of time bear heavily on the meaning of childhood. In the context of the continuing debates on "readiness for school," 'taking time seriously' has contributed to policies on 'early interventions' which claim to support children in reaching their full…

The present paper is about the author's current research on children's education in urban contexts. It departs from the rising offer of programmes for school children in out-of-school contexts (e.g. museums, libraries, science centres). It asks what makes these practices educational (and not just interesting, entertaining and/or audience…