Tag Archives: Risk

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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Posted in Nature, Outdoor play, Risk

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Please Kidshealth, give parents (and kids) a break

Posted on June 28, 2012 | 13 comments

girl jumping off swingThe US non-profit agency Kidshealth – which claims that it runs the #1 most visited website for children’s health and development – has eight web pages of guidance for parents on playground safety. Page 6 includes the following advice: “Kids should always sit in the swing, not stand or kneel. They should hold on tightly with both hands while swinging, and when finished swinging, stop the swing completely before getting off.” Continue reading →

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Posted in Learning, Parenting, play, playground, Risk

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More ordinary magic

Posted on May 30, 2012 | 5 comments

Cyril sitting on a benchThis 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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Posted in Child development, Risk

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Lenore ‘Free Range Kids’ Skenazy speaks!

Posted on May 8, 2012 | 8 comments

Lenore Skenazy in BendigoLast week I spent some time with Lenore Skenazy, and took the opportunity to interview her. Lenore is well known to many readers as the author of the blog and book, Free Range Kids. Continue reading →

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Posted in Risk

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Celebrating ordinary magic and everyday adventures

Posted on April 26, 2012 | 11 comments
'Witness Board' by Jane Millar

'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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Posted in Risk

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It’s time to take a thoughtful approach to bullying

Posted on April 11, 2012 | 19 comments

bully movie logoIn a post on her ‘Free Range Kids’ blog last week, Lenore Skenazy questions whether the US is in the midst of a ‘bullying crisis’. She quotes statistics from a piece in the Wall Street Journal that showed dramatic declines in both the fear of attack (down from 12% in 1995 to 4% in 2009) and actual victimisation (where rates have fallen fivefold). Continue reading →

19 Comments

Posted in Education, Risk

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