Tag Archives: education

The school where kids can build dens

Posted on May 23, 2012 | 20 comments

Last week I visited a school where the students can build dens freely, any time they want, during breaks between lessons. In case you were wondering, Berwick Fields Primary School in City of Casey, Victoria, Australia is not a Steiner School, or a progressive private institution. It is a state school (and a large one, with over 1,000 students on roll).

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Posted in Education, play

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Moving on from the zero risk childhood

Posted on January 11, 2012 | 13 comments

Girl climbing a treeThe ‘cotton wool kid’ – cosseted, watched over, insulated from all possible harm – has become a potent symbol of our fear-filled, risk-averse times. Across the rich nations, children are statistically safer today than at any time in history [pdf link]. But the insidious question ‘what if…?’ crowds out common sense, and clouds our good judgement. Continue reading →

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Posted in Education, Outdoor play, Parenting, Risk

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Out of sight, out of mind?

Posted on December 2, 2011 | 9 comments
Boys climbing a tree

Image from St Joseph’s OSHC, QLD, Australia

I was recently told about an article on tree-climbing, by an Australian after-school service. It rightly makes the case that the benefits of this activity clearly outweigh the risks. The video footage certainly reinforces this, showing the children’s appetite for the experience, and their obvious competence. And yet, even though I think that what St Joseph’s is doing here is terrific, something in the clip jarred with me. It was the very presence of the grown-ups. Such a contrast from my own childhood memories of climbing trees. Continue reading →

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Posted in Child development, Education, Outdoor play, Parenting, play, Risk

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Taking a balanced approach to risk in childhood: Why and how

Posted on September 14, 2011 | 15 comments

Rosa on a tree swingWhere was your favourite place to play as a child? The chances are, it was out of doors, and out of sight of adults. A place where you felt a sense of freedom and possibility. Where you could follow your impulses and your imagination, even if that led you into situations that were scary, challenging, perhaps even downright dangerous.

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Posted in Child development, Education, Outdoor play, Risk

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Everyday childhood freedoms? Parents, not experts, have to decide

Posted on July 29, 2011 | 18 comments

1st day at school (parents went too)

Some time ago a father emailed me asking for advice about the freedoms he should grant to his son. I don’t know him, or his son, and don’t know anything about where he lives. Which, by the way, is Melbourne, Australia. Why he might think I would be better placed than him to decide, I have absolutely no idea – and my reply said as much. Continue reading →

18 Comments

Posted in Child development, Learning, Outdoor play, Parenting, Risk

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How do we help children understand right and wrong from the inside?

Posted on July 28, 2011 | 1 comment

There is no more difficult job than getting children to understand the moral consequences of their actions.  And there is a growing feeling that this job is getting harder.  Not surprisingly, an army of parenting gurus, products and academics is on hand to offer help to parents and educators. Continue reading →

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Posted in Child development, Education, Learning, Morality, Parenting

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