Guns & Knifes

[Greengrass74]

Morning Guys,

hope everyone is ok, yesterday we had a little one turn up with a gun (toy one before everyone panics) when he came in he started running around shouting POW POW your'e dead. Once his Mum had gone we asked him to put the gun away which he did and he took it when he went home.

We did speak to Mum and she was quite shocked that we were concerened about guns, however once we explained what he did when he came in she was ok.

We do not have any toy guns or knifes and explain to parents when we first meet them that we do not allow toy guns or knifes in the setting.

As an ex Police employee I have been part of some horrible incidents involving guns and knifes so I am really anti.

I just wondered what everyone elses views were regarding toy guns and knifes in your settings.

Have a great day everyone

Dave

[Pauline]

Morning Dave

I wouldn't want imitation guns or knives bringing in either and they would be put aside until they go home.

However, where do we draw the line? Children have Buzz Lightyear 'guns' and Star Wars weapons, should these be banned too?

Then there is always a problem because children will make guns from whatever is around, lego, sticks etc. and it can be difficult to know when to let free play go on or step in and say it is not allowed.

Such a hard subject. :o

[Mookins]

Morning Guys,

hope everyone is ok, yesterday we had a little one turn up with a gun (toy one before everyone panics) when he came in he started running around shouting POW POW your'e dead. Once his Mum had gone we asked him to put the gun away which he did and he took it when he went home.

We did speak to Mum and she was quite shocked that we were concerened about guns, however once we explained what he did when he came in she was ok.

We do not have any toy guns or knifes and explain to parents when we first meet them that we do not allow toy guns or knifes in the setting.

As an ex Police employee I have been part of some horrible incidents involving guns and knifes so I am really anti.

I just wondered what everyone elses views were regarding toy guns and knifes in your settings.

Have a great day everyone

Dave


hi hun, i too dont like guns or knives. I dont have them here and ask that they dont get bought here either, if the kids make guns out of bricks though i do let them play because thats what OFSTED ask of us (not play with guns but you know what I mean,BUT I do explain that they make Jenjens sad:( and that they scare me and i dont like them

with regards to knives in my setting we have plastic ones for playdoh and the kitchen toy ones, any other use for those and they would be taken away i will not stand for any pretend stabbing/killing etc

xx

[marnieb]

I agree with Pauilne - you can ban as many toy guns as you like, but little boys and their imaginations will make guns out of anything!!!!!

Personally, I've never bought a toy gun or knife, but ds would build a gun out of lego, and he has hundreds of Star Wars toys that have their own little weapon, but I guess the biggest danger of those is a littilie swallowing one of them!!!!

[Hebs]

i dont allow toy guns that look real however i dont stop role play, and guns can be made from anything or even just using fingers

infact its an ideal opportunity to talk to kids about the dangers of guns etc

just a question................... do you ban water pistols??

[mushpea]

I wont allow toy guns to be brought in but if they use sticks or lego to make them then i wont stop them,, when I was younger I would play cowboys and indians and have toy guns with holsters and noone thought anythiing of it (I was a bit of a tomboy!), I used to go on shoots with my grandad who was a game keeper and watch the men shoot their guns and I havent grown up to be a gun weilding idiot but I have learnt to respect guns and how they are used,,,
you can use the opportunity with older children to talk about guns and their dangers etc and use it as a teaching opportunity.

[Pipsqueak]

Hmm there have been some recent articles about this.

remember when we were little - we played cowboys and indians - with bows and arrows and guns (bang bang you are dead) , we watched gruesome westerns, we played cops and robbers and I would say the majority of us have grown up as sane rational adults. we even watched rather violent cartoons.

If you don't allow the toy imitation then children will fashion guns out of fingers, sticks, other things.

I think where the problem REALLY lies here is that we (as a society) are accepting of young children watching things on tv or video games that are far beyond their capacity for understanding and watching these things alone with no one to explain that 'its not real' that it is 'acting'. Video games graphics nowadays are so lifelike. No one to explain that if we done that for real it would hurt.

The WHOLE mindset is so different to what it was 30 years ago.


i don't stop children playing with imitation guns or knives - they play Army, Soliders, Cops and Robbers, Indians - however i do explain that REAL guns and knives would hurt and even kill people and that it cannot be reversed. I educate rather than eliminate. I would never allow the BB guns in my house - they ARE dangerous.

by banning it you are making it taboo, hiding it away and making it more enticing than it is. What message, by banning them are we presenting about those who do carry guns for a living... a game keeper, some police, servicepersons. Like strangers danger - we cannot teach that everyone is a baddie for carrying a gun.

I do not like guns - they scare the poop out of me. Knives too.





http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Ed_Boys_Guns_Okay_Play/

[breezy]

As has been said where do you draw the line? One child I have uses bananas as guns! We have army toys here and ds is an army cadet, however we talk about the difference between real and pretend, the dangers of guns and the damage they do. When I take on a new child parent has the choice if they prefer their child not to play with these sorts of toys. Ofsted were fine with this at my recent inspection. Unfortuneately children see the news and war films etc so I think its best just to educate them. Surely its no worse than cowboys and indians?

My friend who doesnt have guns in her setting says they make them out of lego!

[Greengrass74]

It seems that this is one of those common sense situations, I like others used to play cowboys and indians as a kid.

I don't think we will stop kids playing this way, it is just down to us as responsible childminders and adults to talk to the children in our care about guns and knifes.

[Happy Bunny]

I don't allow the guns that fire things or swords in the house.
I do however have an army box full of tanks, planes, soldiers etc.
We set up a little camp and pretended that they were looking for lost people.
I try to steer them away from any fighting games and out other ideas in their head for a basis for these toys.
Like previous posters have said you steer the conversations away and explain the dangers of guns etc.

[kindredspirits]

i don't mind guns as long as they're not shouting 'you're dead' - I will not have toy knifes or swords in the house - it would be a lot harder for an older child/teenager to get their hands on a gun than a knife and with the sharp rise in knife crime i am not comfortable in young children acknowledging that sticking a knife in someone can hurt them on purpose iykwim. (on saying that i only care for under 4's so its not so much an issue to if i had say 8 year old boys)

[Ali56]

We don't have toy guns or knives in the house, but I don't stop the children making them or playing games that involve them. I also educate them as they go along. I think the key (for me, anyway) is to go with each individual child. I have a pair of brothers who love the toy soldiers/ power rangers/ cowboys and indians etc and play really well. They use their imagination and their role play is good-they understand the difference between real and play. On the other hand, I have a child (similar age) who gets a bit carried away, the boundaries become blurred for him and he becomes a roaring bundle of aggresiveness. It ALWAYS ends in injuries (not his) tears and upset. So the brothers know that during termtime when the other lad is here, we do our best to avoid those games, but in the hols they can play them and have all those toys out. Not ideal, of course to work this way but until the one child can separate real and imaginary in his other play then we cannot have them out. (we try from time to time, to see how he's going!)

Ali :)

[The Juggler]

only got time for a quickie reply so you'll avoid my essay on this subject:laughing: :laughing:

I dont ban knives/guns. Have both in my dress up box, pirate knives, knight swords, cowboy guns (all toys). As someone said kids will make them out of whatever.

I don't mind gunplay it's how they play's important. We don't kill or partake in mindless violence, we arrest people or fight fairly. It's an opp. with older kids to talk about the dangers of guns and knives and that the CAN kill but with younger children how to play 'cowboys and indians' or 'power rangers' whilst learning about fairplay and not actually hurting each other - imaginary play is great for their development - they imagine, plan, learn PSED skills. It's a great teaching and learning opportunity.:thumbsup: