Monthly Archives: July 2012

When anxious parents are the problem, what is the solution?

Posted on July 25, 2012 | 13 Comments

baby-girl-knee-padsHow should schools, nurseries, kindergartens and other education, childcare and play services respond to anxious parents? I was asked this question recently by an Australian early years educator who heard me speak a couple of months ago.

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Posted in Education, Learning, Outdoor play, Parenting, Risk

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“To be nowhere at home but in life itself”

Posted on July 19, 2012 | 8 Comments

dribble sculptureHere are some finely crafted lines on the role of adults in children’s education, from the German poet H H Dreiske:

One should teach children to dance
on a tightrope without a safety net,
to sleep at night alone under the sky,
to row a boat out on the open sea.

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Posted in Education

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What would you do with this space?

Posted on July 17, 2012 | 34 Comments

Disused overgrown tennis courtSome disused, overgrown tennis courts near where we live are going to be converted into a community play garden, and I would love to hear your ideas about what could be done there. I am keen for the garden to be a great place for local children and families: where they can have the kind of playful, hands-on, exploratory experiences of nature that I highlighted in my Sowing the Seeds report.

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Posted in Nature, Outdoor play, play, Play spaces

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Child reads own school report that says she cannot read

Posted on July 16, 2012 | 14 Comments

Poster with words "you cannot read this sentence"Last Friday I spoke with a parent from a local primary school about her 6-year-old daughter’s school report. The report stated that her daughter “has not met the expected standard for the Year 1 phonics screening check.” The parent told me how puzzled they both were by this, because her daughter could confidently read lots of written material by herself – including this very statement from her report.

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Posted in Child development, Education, Learning

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Why do our childhood play memories matter?

Posted on July 13, 2012 | 7 Comments
Robin Moore Adventure Playground photo

Photo: Robin Moore

Playworker and blogger Morgan Leichter-Saxby recently posted a thoughtful three part series of pieces on the topic of play memories. She argued that, while the process of inviting adults to recall their childhood memories of play can be powerful, it needs to be done with care, and may not always be appropriate. I see her point, but feel the technique has a value that is hard to downplay.

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Posted in play

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A message to all those promoting outdoor learning

Posted on July 9, 2012 | 13 Comments

Wyre forest school fire steelThis weekend saw the launch of the Forest School Association, a new national body for those working in UK Forest School settings. I have agreed to be the patron of this new body. Sadly I was not able to be at the event in person. At the Association’s invitation, I passed on a message of support, which I thought may be of wider interest:

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Posted in Education, Learning, Nature

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