People need to remember that we are in a society where children grow up much faster within this generations, but according to Gill, (2010), “For instance, we help children to learn how to manage the risk of drowning not by keeping them away from the sea, rivers or lakes, but by teaching them how to swim, and how to manage the water environment”, this just teaches those who find it hard to step back and let children discover, that we as adults do teach them how to overcome a challenge that they may face, as it’s our instinctive role as a practitioner. The main challenge that can arise from Risky Play is the pre-conceptual ideas that people may have about the environment around them. There has been an increase in negative ideas about the world and the people associated with it, so should we avoid progressing our children’s development due to stories in the newspapers and news channels on the television? Voce (2008), wrote an article in The Guardian, titled “Risky play prepares kids for life”. He stated “Modern worries and anxieties – and, it should be said, an outdoor world which really is less child-friendly than ever before – has led to a risk-averse culture that finds expression in overbearing health and safety policies which fail to weigh the benefits of a given activity against the risks involved” (Voce, 2008). The understanding of a practitioners role when it comes to Risky Play is that we as a society that is always changing, needs to educate children in how to overcome challenges that they will face when developing in the world around them. Forest School challenges children in a more moderate and safer environment which is monitored by practitioners, but not invaded by them.
How do you think society is challenging the way practitioners and careers let our children become more involved and independent in the environment around us? Tomorrow is leading us onto thinking about Acquiring and demonstrate the acquisition of effective skills that would support the development of Forest School provision.
- Gill, T. (2010) Nothing Ventured: Balancing Risks and Benefits in the Outdoors. United Kingdom: English Outdoor Council in association with Outdoor Education Advisers Panel.
- Voce, A. (2008) Risky play prepares kids for life. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2008/aug/06/children.play (Accessed: 2 October 2015).