Is outdoor play risky?

I recall like it was yesterday a moment outside at my new preschool. I'd only just started at the preschool after about six years working in community based early childhood centres. I had been appointed to a school in the Mt Druitt area and was very excited at the prospect of working in a preschool within my local area. My leaders at Fairfield Council had warned me not to go, as if it was some sort of defection. "Don't go to the Department, they'll change you. You'll lose your early childhood roots". I assured them that that would never happen to me. They wouldn't be able to change me, I'd change the department! Their laughter still rings in my ears. 

So off I went with great confidence that I had something to offer, that my early childhood roots would nurture me throughout my career. As it turns out, I was right, but they did have a point. It's been a hard journey and I've often met with resistance, doubt, conflict and have regularly found my philosophy undermined. Most times I managed to hold on to what I believed was best for small children based on my training and experience, as this story will testify. 

We had a small tree at the preschool. It wasn't the best climbing tree in the world but it was the only one we had and if the children wanted to climb it I helped them and supported them. One day the Deputy Principal was walking past and saw a child in the tree. He was shocked at what he saw was inappropriate behaviour by the child and sternly told him to get down immediately, that tree climbing was not permitted in the school. I went to the child's defense and explained that climbing the tree was encouraged in the preschool. "We climb trees here" I informed him. I recall his face very clearly as it transformed from complete confidence in his care of duty and supervisory right to complete shock and disbelief.  I saw his jaw drop and his eyes bulge as his face reddened. "Are you serious?" he asked. "Climbing trees is dangerous. Children aren't allowed to climb trees at this school". I explained the advantages of climbing trees. The gross and fine motor development, the opportunities for imaginative play, the chance for kids to connect to the natural environment. I didn't know then about the importance of allowing children to manage their own risks, but perhaps I had an instinct for that too. I certainly knew of the intrinsic joy you can get from tree climbing, as my childhood was full of it. I think this was probably the first time that he'd been confronted with such strange ideas in education. Keep in mind I'm going back over twenty years. The story has a happy ending, and the tree continued to be climbed and enjoyed for many years, with not one serious accident. There were the odd bumps and one child got their foot stuck and needed to be lifted from an upside down position, but bumps and bruises and falls can be advantageous too. It teaches children about managing risk. 

Since embarking on this journey I've often found myself defending managed and calculated risk. I just want to add a blog entry in defense of trees. Yes we need to keep children safe, but let's get it in  perspective. What are the benefits? 

The types of indoor activities that children are engaging in more and more are in actual fact more dangerous that tree climbing. The impacts of long hours on the couch, screen time and passive activity indoors is leading to many more impacts on our children's health. More people die from heart disease, diabetes and cancer than from falling out of trees, not to mention the impacts of childhood obesity. 

You might find the following article of interest: 

Ben Klasky 

President and CEO, IslandWood

 

Your Couch Is Far More Dangerous Than You Think

Posted: 04/17/2014 3:34 pm EDT Updated: 04/17/2014 3:59 pm

Why are we so afraid to let our kids play outside, when we know that such activity is vital for their physical and mental health? Our fears are so extreme that in a few cases, parents have been arrested for allowing their children to play outside unattended. My mother would have been sent to jail on an almost daily basis.

Until recently, it was common for kids to come home from school, grab a snack, and head outside to play in the neighborhood. This was true for me growing up in suburban Minneapolis, and also for my parents who grew up in L.A. and Detroit. Even in the nation's city of cities -- New York -- children once played in the streets after school. There were games like stickball, hopscotch, and a wild version of tag called Ringoleavio. Author Bill Bryson jests about parenting styles from his childhood: "I knew kids who were pushed out the door at 8 in the morning, and not allowed back until 5 unless they were on fire or actively bleeding."

I believe this dramatic change in parenting stems from fears of what I've dubbed the Three A's -- Animals, Abduction, and Accidents. But our fears greatly exaggerate the risk of playing outside, and have the unattended side effect of increasing the chances of our kids developing serious health threats. Consider the facts:

Animal Attacks: As their natural territories shrink, top predators are living closer to our urban centers (not far from my home, cougars have been found in Seattle city parks). But in all of North America, we can expect fewer than three people to die each year due to bears, cougars, coyotes, and wolves -- combined. Some researchers believe that our fear of these animals is innate, dating back to prehistoric times, when humans fell prey to bear-sized hyenas and saber-tooth cats. Today, however, the chances are miniscule of meeting our demise at the paws or teeth of a large carnivore.

Abduction: The U.S. experiences about 115 "stereotypical kidnappings" annually -- involving someone the child doesn't know, and in which the child is held at least overnight, transported a distance, and killed or ransomed. This is truly scary stuff. At the same time, such kidnappings are incredibly rare... only a little more common than getting struck by lightning.

Accidents: Each year, the U.S. can expect to see the following number of "outdoor" deaths:

5,100 car or bike accidents

3,500 swimming and boating drownings

1,000 plant, mushroom, and pesticide poisonings

fewer than 500 other accidents from bee stings, horseback riding, overheating, hunting, lightning, playground falls, skiing/snowboarding, snake bites, and trees falling on people.

Adding up all these statistics, we can predict slightly over 10,000 outdoor deaths this year. This is a small portion of the 2.5 million people who die annually in the U.S. -- over half of them from heart disease, cancer, and diabetes alone. If your chances of dying outside measured four blocks long, your chances of dying from these three illnesses would be longer than running a marathon! And active outdoor time has been repeatedly documented to reduce our chances of getting all three of these deadly diseases. We are exchanging a small amount of risk for more certain health threats caused by a sedentary lifestyle.

Our neighborhoods have additional threats to children's safety, including gang violence, poor air quality, and lack of access to green spaces. These are complex issues that can't be solved by simply encouraging parents to send their kids outside. We have tough work to do such as monitoring parks, passing legislation to clean the air, and demanding quality urban planning. However, if we don't begin to address some of our most basic fears of getting kids outside (the 3 A's), we are unlikely to successfully tackle these more difficult obstacles.

Much of our fears stem from 24/7 access to sensationalist headlines. We are barraged by stories of polar bear attacks, kidnappings, and playground deaths. When you combine the abundance of scary news flashes with the psychological phenomena known as the "recency effect" (we remember best what we saw most recently), it is no wonder that we are afraid to let our kids run around outside.

As a father, I want to protect my kids but my answer can't be keeping them indoors away from harm. Instead, I am focusing my energy on helping them be safer outside. I want my children to be crystal clear on what to do when encountering strangers, wildlife, and dangerous plants. I'm teaching them how to avoid street traffic, and how to properly wear helmets and life vests. By encouraging them to play safely outside, I'm protecting them from a host of much bigger risks -- and they're having a lot more fun too.

Follow Ben Klasky on Twitter: www.twitter.com/benklasky

MORE: Missing Persons Play Children Safety Nature Cougar Environment Animal Attacks Parenting Cougars Bears

The actual article can be found from the following link: 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ben-klasky/the-couch-is-far-more-dan_b_5153066.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

Playing in the Forest

Today I played in the forest. Jane picked me up and we drove to Høndruphus Nature Kindergarten, Lindum. Again we went through beautiful scenery and I was pretty excited as we pulled off the beaten track and started heading quite deep into a forested area. The forest is private, but the public are given access and the kindergarten leases the land. They have been given the use of an old cottage and some sheds that are quite ancient, and these have been converted into a kindergarten space with the usual cloak room, fully equipped kitchen, dining tables and a small space for play areas indoors. The shed has been converted into a workshop which has tools, timber and work benches for serious making and construction.

As soon as I arrived I was warmly welcomed by the pedagogues. Being keen to plonk myself amongst the children, one of the staff followed me to the sand pit and began translating for me to the children. I was grateful for this opportunity and it really helped me to feel more like I was a part of the place and not just a stander by. Soon the children were gathered to start their treck into the forest. They sat together and I was introduced and the children learned that I came from Australia which is on the other side of the world and right at the bottom. They sang galoop went the little green frog in my honor, asking if I recognised the tune and I eagerly shared the English version and was applauded for my troubles. I really felt included. 

We followed a path into the forest and it was decided that we would visit a huge tree that had recently been brought down by a mini hurricane. This tree would have stood twenty or thirty meters before it's demise, and when it fell the root ball was still attached, forming a huge mountain for the children to climb and a trench and ridges and many interesting nooks and crannies to play in and discover. The children crawled all over the tree. It was slippery and there were one or two spills and a few scratches but the staff were nearby to comfort and attend to them and I was able to reflect on the need to give children exposure to risk. One child fell a bit of a distance onto his back and his boot was caught and twisted in a root that he'd been riding like a horse. He was immediately attended to and helped up and comforted. The fall hurt, but it was a valuable lesson. Bitten the head, was keen to elaborate. He learnt about the need to be more careful when it's been raining and when it's slippery. He learned that a fall can hurt but that there are people nearby who care and that the hurt will go away and he will be ok. He learnt about the value in taking risks because it's going to be fun, and the need to take special care in certain conditions. All this builds for children who are not risk averse and this knowledge helps to keep them safe as they become more and more skilled, try ever more challenging activities and learn how to negotiate risks. Studies have shown that children who are overprotected are actually at more risk of more dangerous accidents. The little bumps and bruises that children attain in early childhood are good for them because they can prevent the major breaks and even death that comes from inexperience, bravado or peer pressured risk taking as teenagers. Interesting stuff. 

Look at that chappy way up high. 

The little boy I'm talking to in this picture was quite interested in the spiders we have in Australia. He asked if there were spiders that can kill you and with my iPhone I showed him an image of a funnel web and told him that sometimes I get them in my house and that I take them outside. Then I showed him an image of a huntsman that is not dangerous and I told him about Berty: the name I give to huntsmans  that find their way into my home and become loved pets. Through a pedagogue translating we had quite a long conversation and he asked many questions. 

When we returned the children changed and ate a packed lunch. There was a group time where Bitten read them a story about a koala who was getting too big to sleep in his mothers pouch so found a sleeping kangaroo and crawled into her pouch. The story had a variety of Australian native animals in it and  as she read, soft toys of Australian animals were taken out of a bag and shown to the children. It was touching to have my homeland honored through story and again I felt a wonderful sense of belonging. 

Bitten explained some of her philosophy to me and all this can be found on their website, which you might like to access. It has an English page. http://www.hoendruphus.dk/Forguests.html

I was greatly inspired by what I saw today. As we went outside before leaving I was shown around the extensive outdoor space that the children have access to. It includes three large goats and the biggest rabbits I've ever seen. Also also chooks. These are cared for by the children and the staff. There are play areas that contain challenge, promote socialization and imagination. There are garden plots, hides, swings and trees to climb. Everywhere I looked children were highly engaged and pedagogues were amongst them in their learning. 

There are plans to extend the play areas and develop more play spaces. This is something Bitten has encouraged all to have a say in so that all voices can be heard and acknowledged. It is also an opportunity for the pedagogues to embrace what they are passionate about, because it is through this that children's learning is optimized.