There are two things that have lead to this post – the first of which was an article with the headline that Children are being raised in captivity because of growing “paranoia” about health and safety and the second was Tara picking the theme Adventure for this weeks The Gallery.
In the article, Prof Tanya Byron said that children’s natural development was being stunted after being refused the chance to play outside, banned from throwing snowballs and prevented from walking to school alone. She highlighted that in previous generations, falling over and getting hurting was a rite of passage for many young people, with cuts and bruises being seen as a “badge of honour” but that rising numbers of children were being forced to attend A&E suffering minor injuries because they “don’t know how to fall any more”.
The Littlesheeps love adventure and playing outside so we encourage it as much as possible. Spending time outside creates lots of learning opportunities including:
- development of gross motor skills
- exploration of nature
- understanding of weather and seasons
- learning about boundaries and risk taking
Last of all for The Gallery here is a photo for them enjoying the snow when they went out sledging:
I can’t believe that reposrt, they should see how chgildren play here on the farm, safe doesn’t have to mean no falling or playing outdoors! Loving your sledging fun; if we had snow we would be doing the same! Thanks for linking up to Country Kids.
Coombemill recently posted..Silent Sunday / Project 52
Just seen my finger slips on the keys there, so sorry and hope you get the gist!
Coombemill recently posted..Silent Sunday / Project 52
I read the same article by Tanya Byron and see it as a sad reflection of parents paranoia (or laziness – if you go out and play with your children they will be safer).
One safety tip I’d like to add is to encourage (insist) your child wears a helmet in the snow/ice. Most skiing and cycling head injuries are caused when a person is static and falls sideways hitting their unhelmeted head (I know I’ve done it) and no doubt the same is true for playing in the snow particlarly as the snow turns to ice. Just a thought !!
Caroline recently posted..Solutions for a peaceful bedtime routine with your toddler & pre-schooler