Tag Archives: freedom

Wild swimming, rope swinging heaven

Posted on July 3, 2012 | 14 comments

I hereby invite you to stop whatever it is that you’re doing, and enjoy 2’46” of pure, unadulterated fun. Here is a video of a group of teenage boys making the most of a forest lakeside spot in New South Wales.

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14 Comments

Posted in Nature, Outdoor play, Risk

Tagged adventure, Australia, deep play, exploration, freedom, Risk, video, water, wild swimming

More ordinary magic

Posted on May 30, 2012 | 5 comments

This image is from an exhibition of photographs taken by children who attend C & K Kindergartens. It was on display at C & K’s annual conference in Brisbane last weekend. Here is what first Jake, then his parent, say about the photo.

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5 Comments

Posted in Child development, Risk

Tagged adventure, Ann Masten, Australia, everyday adventure, freedom, resilience, Risk, trust

Last child in the street?

Posted on May 10, 2012 | 17 comments

How can we build the movement to make neighbourhoods, towns and cities more child-friendly? I hereby propose that we steal a page from the playbook of Richard Louv. Continue reading →

17 Comments

Posted in Outdoor play, Urban planning, Urbanism

Tagged campaign, car dependence, child-friendly cities, children's independent mobility, freedom, neighbourhood, outdoor-play, playing out, road closure, streets, transport, urban design

Celebrating ordinary magic and everyday adventures

Posted on April 26, 2012 | 11 comments

'Witness Board', Jane Millar

If we reflect on how we think about risk in our day-to-day lives, many would agree that we tend to focus too much on the negatives – the what ifs, the worst case scenarios, the horror stories – and not enough on the positives. We know that nothing grabs our attention quite like fear. (So does the media, of course.) This bias makes it very hard for us to take a balanced approach to risk. Here’s one reason why.

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11 Comments

Posted in Risk

Tagged adventure, Australia, beach, everyday adventure, freedom, Risk, trust

Two stories about why kids are not outdoors so much these days

Posted on April 19, 2012 | 81 comments

I have written quite a lot about the decline in children’s freedom to play and get around out of doors. The topic is often the subject of media debate. In an effort to raise the quality of this debate, I offer two charts with contrasting explanations for this change. Continue reading →