Risk benefit assessment in my own backyard (Part 1)

Girl toasting marshmallow over a fireThis Thursday, I am running the first of two sessions in my back garden, for my local Woodcraft Folk group. The children will get the chance to use a fire steel to light a fire. I thought it would be interesting to carry out a risk benefit assessment (RBA) to help with my session planning. Continue reading

When did you last play hide-and-seek? (Part 1)

Hide and seek indoorsLast Saturday we were staying with some long-time friends whose child is the same age as ours. After dinner, in an effort to engage our respective teenage daughters, we agreed that they could choose what game we played. The girls chose hide-and- seek.  Continue reading

Adults think children are becoming feral. Could they be right?

Almost half of adults think that children are becoming feral, according to a survey published yesterday by leading children’s charity Barnardos. The charity blames perceptions of children – yet could there be some truth in the observation? Continue reading

A parent lets her kid go to the skatepark – and I’m proud

Skaters in a skate park

Photo by Phil Doyle

This afternoon I spoke at an event called ‘Taking Play Seriously’ in Melbourne, with a mixed audience of professionals, volunteers and parents. It followed my talk last week here at the Playgroup Australia conference. In the Q & A afterwards, one attendee – a local government employee and mother of three – told the audience how she had heard me speak last Thursday. Then two days later, her 10-year-old son had asked her if he could go to the local skatepark on his own.

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A child dies on a playground – is the next day too soon for me to comment?

A few weeks ago, I got a call. Channel 4 News was planning to run a story on the death of a child in a school playground accident, and did I want to comment?

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Can you help with my Oz trip?

kangarooI’m en route to Australia, where I’ll be giving talks to childcare agencies and children’s rights bodies, working with public health officials, and networking with child-friendly city projects. And I’m looking to you, my readers, for  your ideas about how to make the trip more worthwhile. Continue reading