Risk essential to childhood

[Simona]

How many will allow children to climb trees and allow more risky play?...go on be honest!!

Risk is essential to childhood (http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/14/risk-essential-childhood-children-danger?CMP=share_btn_tw)

[Simona]

Here is another good article
Children should be free to play, not prisoners in their homes.
Children should be free to play, not prisoners in their homes | Housing Network | The Guardian (http://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2015/oct/15/children-free-play-not-prisoners-homes)

Would any parents do that?

[Mouse]

Very interesting articles, Simona.

I used to love climbing trees when I was young. I can remember I only really felt comfortable going to a certain height, but would often try one branch higher and be absolutely terrified! I also used to climb out of my bedroom window, onto the outhouse roof and drop over the wall into the lane behind the house - it was quicker than going downstairs and out the door :laughing:

My own children were always encouraged to climb trees, though when they got too high I'd panic and look away. I didn't want to stop their fun, but I didn't want to watch it either! I'd probably not have been so happy about them climbing out of their bedroom windows!

I haven't ever really encouraged mindees to climb the tree at the bottom of our garden. I guess a lot of it does come down to the worry about the consequences if they should fall. I wonder if Ofsted and our insurance companies would congratulate us or slate for allowing risky play? I think it would do some of my mindees the world of good to swing from tree branches though, so I'm going to give it some thought.

[blue bear]

My lot love climbing trees but I've got to be honest I'm there ready to catch like they described under the monkey bars. I like climbing trees too, nothing the children like better than chanting me on to go higher :) I do think as a childminder leaving children to play totally unsupervised is not really possible, yes I stand back and let them thrash it out, sorting out the pecking order but I'm always watching or listening and ready to step in if I feel it's appropriate.

[Maza]

I also used to love sliding down the bannister at my grandparents home every weekend - I must admit if DD tried it I would have to look away!

DH and I were talking the other day about the increasing number of children who are growing up in flats, most of them without a garden. I know there have always been children who have lived in flats but it really is becoming more commonplace due to lack of affordable housing. I've mentioned many times that we live in a flat and it is hard. When DD was little I would always obviously have to be out with her anyway but now she is six and I know that I had unsupervised play at her age in the garden while my mum would be cooking tea or whatever. It does really concern me. We are lucky in that we do have a decent sized garden, but it's not right outside our door and so I still have to go with her at the moment. I was chatting to another mum in a similar situation (but without a garden) and we were saying how time consuming it is to always have to be there when our children do outdoor play, even though we are both committed to it. We live on a main road and so can't let them all play out there.

[SYLVIA]

My mindees all love climbing trees. They all ask to spend school hols on places where they can do these kind of things. A cm friend who usually comes too is very good at climbing trees too so I feel duty bound to join in

[AliceK]

With my own children I have and will allow them to take risks when they are playing although I must admit to being rather more afraid with my DD as a small bump could be life changing for her due to medical conditions but I certainly don't wrap her in cotton wool. My DS has always been allowed to do what he feels capable of, climb trees, skateboard, at the moment he is very keen on parkour and some of the stuff he tells me about I tell him I don't want to watch it lol. Like Mouse I too used to climb out of bedroom windows onto the porch roof and then off out to play. Some of the things I got up to tbh I don't think I would be too happy about my own children trying.
With mindees it is very different. I do allow them to try and climb one of the trees in the woods, I have photo's over the years of various children trying, usually the older they are the higher up they manage to get, the little 3 yr olds don't manage to get very far but they all have a go lol. BUT I wouldn't let them do some of the things my own 2 do, after all I'm not going to sue myself if one of my children have a fall and hurt themselves am I.

xxx

[bunyip]

Nice to see this has the complete and unreserved backing of the erstwhile Minister for the Destruction of Childhood, Liz 'Class Traitor' Truss. Well, at least she recently paid lip service to the notion that "Children should be climbing trees, not the walls."

Let's hope she passed that pearl on to her DofE colleagues who'd like to have all 2yo's in school before they've even climbed out of nappies. :mad:

Her other gem was that children should all know "the proper names of animals."

So, let's all remember (with irony) that our beloved Ms Truss, currently serving as Minister for the Destruction of Small Diary Farms is not a 'Silly Moo' nor a 'Sanctimonious Cow', but should be accurately referred to by children of all ages as "that clucking useless Bos Taurus". :thumbsup:

[Simona]

The problem with these articles is that they are from the parents' perspective....many choose to eliminate risk altogether.
We as providers are requested in the EYFS to 'manage risks' but as Mouse said we would be very careful due to insurance and other factors....fear of being sued maybe?

We now seem to do nothing about indoor and outdoor environments which are very clinical, sterile and lack any sort of challenge to children...many of whom spend 10 hours a day within it.
I have seen toddlers 'not allowed' to use chairs in case they fall !!!...a bit too far maybe?

If you have not come across Tim Gill read his 'No Fear. Growing up in a risk averse society'...good piece of research and he is too ...a real inspiring speaker.

http://www.gulbenkian.org.uk/pdffiles/--item-1266-223-No-fear-19-12-07.pdf

Bunyip....I assume you watched the speech Truss gave at the conference praising 'her' wonderful 'curriculum' where children now have to learn the trees and animals names...WOW!

I am surprised anyone lets her free to speak ...she is embarrassing to say the least! she should have kept to going to China and promote the 'pork market' !

[bunyip]

The problem with these articles is that they are from the parents' perspective....many choose to eliminate risk altogether.
We as providers are requested in the EYFS to 'manage risks' but as Mouse said we would be very careful due to insurance and other factors....fear of being sued maybe?

We now seem to do nothing about indoor and outdoor environments which are very clinical, sterile and lack any sort of challenge to children...many of whom spend 10 hours a day within it.
I have seen toddlers 'not allowed' to use chairs in case they fall !!!...a bit too far maybe?

If you have not come across Tim Gill read his 'No Fear. Growing up in a risk averse society'...good piece of research and he is too ...a real inspiring speaker.

http://www.gulbenkian.org.uk/pdffiles/--item-1266-223-No-fear-19-12-07.pdf

Bunyip....I assume you watched the speech Truss gave at the conference praising 'her' wonderful 'curriculum' where children now have to learn the trees and animals names...WOW!

I am surprised anyone lets her free to speak ...she is embarrassing to say the least! she should have kept to going to China and promote the 'pork market' !

I regard it as a tribute to free speech that Truss can ever open her mouth without someone putting their fist in it. :rolleyes: Maybe that's one "British Value" worth retaining, even at the price of occasionally having to suffer her stupid outpourings. :rolleyes:

One thing the British do not value is a sense of proportion when it comes to risk. The reason children aren't out climbing trees is that adults suspect they will be abducted and killed the moment they set foot outdoors. Yet that particular crime statistic has been pretty much static for a few generations. The streets, parks and woodlands are not full of child-harmers, but the children are kept indoors where they can shorten their life-expectancy in more acceptable ways such as becoming obese whilst simultaneously being groomed online. :mad:

Even CMs are encouraged to contribute to this, as we lock our doors to keep those roving bands of paedophiles at bay, thus increasing the chances of them all dying trapped in a house fire. Daft. Daft. Daft. :panic:

[bunyip]

Nice to see this has the complete and unreserved backing of the erstwhile Minister for the Destruction of Childhood, Liz 'Class Traitor' Truss. Well, at least she recently paid lip service to the notion that "Children should be climbing trees, not the walls."

Let's hope she passed that pearl on to her DofE colleagues who'd like to have all 2yo's in school before they've even climbed out of nappies. :mad:

Her other gem was that children should all know "the proper names of animals."

So, let's all remember (with irony) that our beloved Ms Truss, currently serving as Minister for the Destruction of Small Diary Farms is not a 'Silly Moo' nor a 'Sanctimonious Cow', but should be accurately referred to by children of all ages as "that clucking useless Bos Taurus". :thumbsup:

OOps.

That should read ".....Small Dairy Farms....." just in case anyone was beginning to think they could get next year's appointments book from the fresh produce section. :o

[clareelizabeth1]

I am very lucky i have access to 8 acres of private woodland which we roam free in most days but although i let my son do pretty much anything hes not yet 3 yet climbs trees has started to learn to light fires. I am not like that with minded children. Parents dont seem to understand bumps and bruises are part of childhood and if the children havnt been with me from a very young age i find they have no idea how to risk assess what they can and cant do. If my son is up a tree and gets stuck he doesnt let go or try anything silly he will yell for help and will stay there till i come. I have found with friends children who come rou d their children end up with lots of injuries because they have suddenly been let free and go a little crazy and have no knowledge of their ability.

[JCrakers]

I always encouraged my own children to climb trees and have the element of risk in their day to day lives but as a childcarer its a whole lot harder.

There's so much red tape nowadays that it is really hard to let children do something out of the safety area. I do allow my 10yr old mindee climb trees because he's fantastic at it. Mum knows what he's like (A bear Grylls wannabe :D) and if I didn't let him climb a tree he would be miserable. He's been with me from the age of 2.5yrs and i've always encouraged him to be adventurous but at a limit because I'm limited with the health and safety policies.

His brother on the other hand is 18ms older and climbing trees is not his forte. I am more cautious of him as he is well know for falling over his own foot. Even without the risky play he's broken his arm, whacked his head on numerous lamp posts and the last time he attempted to climb a tree he came away with a massive gash on his leg....bless him.


I think its about knowing the children you look after and knowing what they are capable of.