I greatly enjoyed this article by Maria Brussoni, what she writes about becomes more and more clear in the children who are referred to us these day. More and more children can not sit still due to weak core muscles, have under developed play skills because they interact more with a screen then other children and have a sensory processing issues because they never have the opportunity to have a quiet, peaceful place. As a parent it is scary, I have an internal battle all the time with myself, I want my children to have freedom and space, to develop their problem solving skill, sense of self and learn from the small mistakes they will make along the way. But in the same breath, what if something happens what if someone decides my view of space, is their view of neglectful parenting. Society as a whole needs to take a deep breath, and regain so trust and respect for those around us, we need to raise our children to feel safe and secure in their surrounding. This will obliviously be different for each family in each situation but we all must find a place to start. Maybe the days of children being gone all day have passed us, but we need to find a happy medium as the place we are headed today does not provide the practice children need to be successful in risky play.
Reading Safety First by Dr.Dr. Mariana Brussoni,Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia actually makes me furious. As an educator and childcare owner we follow what are called best practices and Community Care Licensing. After reading this article it is clear to me that the legislation and best practices need to be address. There is clearly enough evidence that we are actually causing more harm than good by not allowing children to have risky play. As childcare providers we need to be advocates for children. This article will help support change in my practices as a childcare educator, owner and mother. Thank you for sharing. In addition, I enjoyed the Outdoor playbook. The links for the references wouldn't open. I am excited to see that there are journals and articles being written to give advise on nature play spaces.
Risk management is a topic that is near and dear to my heart! I agree with Jennifer that Canadian standards need to reflect these studies on risk and outdoor play! While I have always believed that most children innately do not want to hurt themselves, I understand that the adults have to manage the hazards in any given outdoor situation. My go-to resource is an interesting booklet entitled Adventure: The value of risk in children’s play written by J. Almon for the Alliance for Childhood (2013). Almon states that one has to differentiate between reasonable risk and extreme (injury or death causing) risk. Her view is that children discover their own levels of ability by taking risks and that by practising that skill, children master challenging environments and gradually extend their limits physically. This idea aligns perfectly with the article by Brussoni (2017) where she states that “[parents are falsely] equating risk with harm or danger” (p.5). Brussoni argues that reducing a child’s access to risk also decreases the child’s development of problem solving skills which may result in more injury. As the mom of two active boys, physical limits are always being tested and pushed to the limits. Yet through these adventures (and arguably some misadventures) I see tremendous growth in my boys in physical ability, the ability to articulate problem solving skills and the ability to collaborate on challenging physical tasks.
I enjoyed reading this article and navigating the website mentioned in it (www.outsideplay.com) as well as the Outdoor playbook. I have noticed that the students I teach spend very little time being outside in an unstructured way. Many of the stories I have heard my parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts tell over and over again include times that they were playing outside, using their imagination and often participating in risky play. These are the experiences that built skills, confidence and lasting memories (my grandfather is 93 and still remembers being outside at 4 and 5 years old!).
I would share this article and website with parents of my students. The evidence based facts are probably the best way to relay the information to my audience.
I do agree with the first person (Unknown), that it is hard to let go and trust even when we know all of the benefits. I often tell myself to trust in myself and in my daughter when she is playing outdoors.
I really enjoyed today's readings. Since beginning this course, I have realized how lucky I am to have no push back from my parents or administrators when it comes to taking learning outdoors. I have actually only ever received positive feedback about my "Wilderness Wednesday" programs. While reading Mariana Brussoni's article, I appreciated the statistics comparing the risks between unstructured outdoor play and other common everyday activities, such as driving in a car. While browsing through the Outdoor PLAYbook resources, I was shocked to see that a resource teaching parents and children how to play. It is really sad that such a resource is required and it really shows how drastically times have changed- even in the past 10 years.
When reading todays article I came across a point that really resonated with me and my current teaching location. In the article, Dr. Mariana Brussoni (2017) mentions how research from childcare centres and schools shows that strict the standards have made outdoor play areas uninteresting and unchallenging (p.5). This in turn results in children using the equipment in unsafe ways to maintain challenge (Brussoni, 2017, p.5). At my own school, even though we have two decent playgrounds, they are very traditional (for what playgrounds look like today) and I find that our students are bored. More often than not they are climbing on the slides, swinging off the railings and hanging from anything that they can. This is why I make a point in telling my students that they need to learn how to do something on their own. I am not going to help you swing on the money bars but will be there to support you along the way. It is amazing how many of my students could not swing on the monkey bars in September and how brave and adventurous they became by June (capable of skip swinging without any help).
I especially enjoyed navigating this website. I had many connections with the section "Diversity of Play, Representing the Pacific Northwest" in particular the Garden City Play Environment. Having taught at Henry Anderson Elementary in Richmond for four years, we regularly went to this park, as it was right beside our school. The play environment there is amazing and flows with all kinds of different ways children can "build connections to the natural world". I remember one of the times we were there for an end of the year celebration and the children were having so much fun playing with the water sluices, and troughs and I heard some of them saying to each other, "this is the best field trip ever!" So many of them never get to go to this park even though they live right beside it. This reinforced to me how important it is to get the children outside as much as possible.
Risky play has always been a topic full of passion for me. From my own personal experience growing up, having the opportunities to discover the limits (or in another perspective - the incredible potential) of your body, in develops strength, coordination, balance and CONFIDENCE in movement and in all areas of social and personal well-being. My martial arts instructor told us when I was young that we learn 'break falls' so when we inevitably fall we will prevent more injury. That training has been priceless throughout my life, preventing a number of unexpected injuries including concussions. As a PE teacher, I've seen more and more children unable to jump and land correctly (and most other fundamental movement skills), which will lead to so many injuries as they grow older. Bubble wrapping children from exploring movement will only increase their risk of injury in adulthood, as well as decrease their confidence and willingness to be physically active.
I love the outdoor playbook and I'm excited to use it more in my practice and to inspire me in the outdoor education I plan on instilling in the fall. Brussoni's article really drives home the conversations we were having today around the IMPORTANCE of risky play. I wonder, with the term "risky play" if that is already turning some parents off. What we are really doing is introducing them to new skills, and opening the boundaries of their play. Yes, this does increase the risk of them getting hurt, but it certainly is not the intention. I wonder if calling it something else would make some parents see that it is a very helpful tool in their child's development that, in some ways, will make them actually safer in the long run.
Hi Jodi- I share your wonder about the term "risky play". Could a more positively-worded term would open up some parents' minds to look into the topic more deeply before making a decision regarding their children? Thanks for bringing it up!
The topic of "risky play" is an interesting one to me. As we have discussed in our morning with Belva Stone from Muddy Bootprints, and now read in Brussoni's article- there has been a shift that has taken place within our society in terms of what we deem "safe" for our children. Most of us have probably experienced this in our own lives as educators and/or parents, or perhaps by reflecting on our own childhood experiences. I thought Belva summed it up well when she said parents are under a lot of pressure and society is scared- this is what we are up against. Articles like Brussoni's are a great step towards educating parents as well as the general public. Hopefully when the facts about risky play are more widely known, this type of play can be accepted.
Brussoni (2017) states that "overly strict standards have rendered outdoor play in areas unchallenging and uninteresting to children, hampering their physical activity and resulting in some children using the equipment in unsafe ways to maintain challenge" (p.5). Similar to what Natalie discussed above, this quote caused me to stop and think of my own teaching context. I pictured the playground areas at my school and how the students interact with the equipment, which led me to think about playground rules. My current school went through some changes this year- one of these was the relaxing of our playground rules. Once the rules changed, students treated our equipment as if it was brand new! They have renewed excitement for our playgrounds areas, and are more excited to use it at recess and/or during DPA. They couldn't believe they are now allowed to sit on top of the monkey bars, and even jump down from the top if they chose. All grades within the school are now allowed to be on all the equipment at the same time (rather than specific grades being assigned a piece of equipment for that day). Students are allowed to pick up sticks and other natural items off of the ground. It was very interesting to observe the students' renewed interest in the playground equipment, but was completely the same! Only the rules around how students were allowed to use the equipment had changed.
My “ stop” moment happened when reading Helen Woolley quote. She termed current outdoor play areas KFC (Kit Fence Carpet) playgrounds. Research in childcare centres and schools has raised concerns that overly strict standards have rendered outdoor play areas unchallenging and uninteresting to children, hampering their physical activity and resulting in some children using the equipment in unsafe ways to maintain challenge. I find in my own classroom my students say they are bored outside and there is nothing to do. The outdoor structures are unengaging and not fun. My school will not allow children to climb trees or go into forested areas to play. Our structures are KFC structures. Students also lack core strength to play on the monkey bars. They also lack strength in their hands to grasp and hold on to an outdoor apparatus due to increased screen time in the home and not enough outdoor play. There are three recurring themes to article. The space should provide children with tactile and outdoor aesthetic that does not take away from the natural environment. Man made plastic outdoor playgrounds does not provide all that children need to make their way through the world. There senses are used more when they have to take risks, negotiated through the outdoor play space and have loose parts to play with. Outdoor play and space for learning is where risk taking and social emotional learning takes place.It is in those moments where we see creativity and problem solving skills being used. I hope to start an outdoor wilderness play program in my future classrooms that will provide students with more risky play opportunities. Tracy Sirianni
Please read the short article, Safety First by Maria Brussoni in Sitelines
I greatly enjoyed this article by Maria Brussoni, what she writes about becomes more and more clear in the children who are referred to us these day. More and more children can not sit still due to weak core muscles, have under developed play skills because they interact more with a screen then other children and have a sensory processing issues because they never have the opportunity to have a quiet, peaceful place. As a parent it is scary, I have an internal battle all the time with myself, I want my children to have freedom and space, to develop their problem solving skill, sense of self and learn from the small mistakes they will make along the way. But in the same breath, what if something happens what if someone decides my view of space, is their view of neglectful parenting. Society as a whole needs to take a deep breath, and regain so trust and respect for those around us, we need to raise our children to feel safe and secure in their surrounding. This will obliviously be different for each family in each situation but we all must find a place to start. Maybe the days of children being gone all day have passed us, but we need to find a happy medium as the place we are headed today does not provide the practice children need to be successful in risky play.
ReplyDeleteGroup # 1.....Leaf group:Clover
DeleteReading Safety First by Dr.Dr. Mariana Brussoni,Faculty of Medicine,
ReplyDeleteThe University of British Columbia actually makes me furious. As an educator and childcare owner we follow what are called best practices and Community Care Licensing. After reading this article it is clear to me that the legislation and best practices need to be address. There is clearly enough evidence that we are actually causing more harm than good by not allowing children to have risky play. As childcare providers we need to be advocates for children. This article will help support change in my practices as a childcare educator, owner and mother. Thank you for sharing. In addition, I enjoyed the Outdoor playbook. The links for the references wouldn't open. I am excited to see that there are journals and articles being written to give advise on nature play spaces.
Risk management is a topic that is near and dear to my heart! I agree with Jennifer that Canadian standards need to reflect these studies on risk and outdoor play! While I have always believed that most children innately do not want to hurt themselves, I understand that the adults have to manage the hazards in any given outdoor situation. My go-to resource is an interesting booklet entitled Adventure: The value of risk in children’s play written by J. Almon for the Alliance for Childhood (2013). Almon states that one has to differentiate between reasonable risk and extreme (injury or death causing) risk. Her view is that children discover their own levels of ability by taking risks and that by practising that skill, children master challenging environments and gradually extend their limits physically. This idea aligns perfectly with the article by Brussoni (2017) where she states that “[parents are falsely] equating risk with harm or danger” (p.5). Brussoni argues that reducing a child’s access to risk also decreases the child’s development of problem solving skills which may result in more injury. As the mom of two active boys, physical limits are always being tested and pushed to the limits. Yet through these adventures (and arguably some misadventures) I see tremendous growth in my boys in physical ability, the ability to articulate problem solving skills and the ability to collaborate on challenging physical tasks.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this article and navigating the website mentioned in it (www.outsideplay.com) as well as the Outdoor playbook. I have noticed that the students I teach spend very little time being outside in an unstructured way. Many of the stories I have heard my parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts tell over and over again include times that they were playing outside, using their imagination and often participating in risky play. These are the experiences that built skills, confidence and lasting memories (my grandfather is 93 and still remembers being outside at 4 and 5 years old!).
ReplyDeleteI would share this article and website with parents of my students. The evidence based facts are probably the best way to relay the information to my audience.
I do agree with the first person (Unknown), that it is hard to let go and trust even when we know all of the benefits. I often tell myself to trust in myself and in my daughter when she is playing outdoors.
I really enjoyed today's readings. Since beginning this course, I have realized how lucky I am to have no push back from my parents or administrators when it comes to taking learning outdoors. I have actually only ever received positive feedback about my "Wilderness Wednesday" programs. While reading Mariana Brussoni's article, I appreciated the statistics comparing the risks between unstructured outdoor play and other common everyday activities, such as driving in a car. While browsing through the Outdoor PLAYbook resources, I was shocked to see that a resource teaching parents and children how to play. It is really sad that such a resource is required and it really shows how drastically times have changed- even in the past 10 years.
ReplyDelete(Nikki)
DeleteWhen reading todays article I came across a point that really resonated with me and my current teaching location. In the article, Dr. Mariana Brussoni (2017) mentions how research from childcare centres and schools shows that strict the standards have made outdoor play areas uninteresting and unchallenging (p.5). This in turn results in children using the equipment in unsafe ways to maintain challenge (Brussoni, 2017, p.5). At my own school, even though we have two decent playgrounds, they are very traditional (for what playgrounds look like today) and I find that our students are bored. More often than not they are climbing on the slides, swinging off the railings and hanging from anything that they can. This is why I make a point in telling my students that they need to learn how to do something on their own. I am not going to help you swing on the money bars but will be there to support you along the way. It is amazing how many of my students could not swing on the monkey bars in September and how brave and adventurous they became by June (capable of skip swinging without any help).
ReplyDeleteI especially enjoyed navigating this website. I had many connections with the section "Diversity of Play, Representing the Pacific Northwest" in particular the Garden City Play Environment. Having taught at Henry Anderson Elementary in Richmond for four years, we regularly went to this park, as it was right beside our school. The play environment there is amazing and flows with all kinds of different ways children can "build connections to the natural world". I remember one of the times we were there for an end of the year celebration and the children were having so much fun playing with the water sluices, and troughs and I heard some of them saying to each other, "this is the best field trip ever!" So many of them never get to go to this park even though they live right beside it. This reinforced to me how important it is to get the children outside as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteThe above entry is Adrienne.
DeleteRisky play has always been a topic full of passion for me. From my own personal experience growing up, having the opportunities to discover the limits (or in another perspective - the incredible potential) of your body, in develops strength, coordination, balance and CONFIDENCE in movement and in all areas of social and personal well-being. My martial arts instructor told us when I was young that we learn 'break falls' so when we inevitably fall we will prevent more injury. That training has been priceless throughout my life, preventing a number of unexpected injuries including concussions. As a PE teacher, I've seen more and more children unable to jump and land correctly (and most other fundamental movement skills), which will lead to so many injuries as they grow older. Bubble wrapping children from exploring movement will only increase their risk of injury in adulthood, as well as decrease their confidence and willingness to be physically active.
ReplyDeleteI love the outdoor playbook and I'm excited to use it more in my practice and to inspire me in the outdoor education I plan on instilling in the fall. Brussoni's article really drives home the conversations we were having today around the IMPORTANCE of risky play. I wonder, with the term "risky play" if that is already turning some parents off. What we are really doing is introducing them to new skills, and opening the boundaries of their play. Yes, this does increase the risk of them getting hurt, but it certainly is not the intention. I wonder if calling it something else would make some parents see that it is a very helpful tool in their child's development that, in some ways, will make them actually safer in the long run.
ReplyDelete(By Jodi)
DeleteHi Jodi- I share your wonder about the term "risky play". Could a more positively-worded term would open up some parents' minds to look into the topic more deeply before making a decision regarding their children? Thanks for bringing it up!
DeleteThe topic of "risky play" is an interesting one to me. As we have discussed in our morning with Belva Stone from Muddy Bootprints, and now read in Brussoni's article- there has been a shift that has taken place within our society in terms of what we deem "safe" for our children. Most of us have probably experienced this in our own lives as educators and/or parents, or perhaps by reflecting on our own childhood experiences. I thought Belva summed it up well when she said parents are under a lot of pressure and society is scared- this is what we are up against. Articles like Brussoni's are a great step towards educating parents as well as the general public. Hopefully when the facts about risky play are more widely known, this type of play can be accepted.
ReplyDeleteBrussoni (2017) states that "overly strict standards have rendered outdoor play in areas unchallenging and uninteresting to children, hampering their physical activity and resulting in some children using the equipment in unsafe ways to maintain challenge" (p.5). Similar to what Natalie discussed above, this quote caused me to stop and think of my own teaching context. I pictured the playground areas at my school and how the students interact with the equipment, which led me to think about playground rules. My current school went through some changes this year- one of these was the relaxing of our playground rules. Once the rules changed, students treated our equipment as if it was brand new! They have renewed excitement for our playgrounds areas, and are more excited to use it at recess and/or during DPA. They couldn't believe they are now allowed to sit on top of the monkey bars, and even jump down from the top if they chose. All grades within the school are now allowed to be on all the equipment at the same time (rather than specific grades being assigned a piece of equipment for that day). Students are allowed to pick up sticks and other natural items off of the ground. It was very interesting to observe the students' renewed interest in the playground equipment, but was completely the same! Only the rules around how students were allowed to use the equipment had changed.
My “ stop” moment happened when reading Helen Woolley quote. She termed current outdoor play areas KFC (Kit Fence Carpet) playgrounds. Research in childcare centres and schools has raised concerns that overly strict standards have rendered outdoor play areas unchallenging and uninteresting to children, hampering their physical activity and resulting in some children using the equipment in unsafe ways to maintain challenge. I find in my own classroom my students say they are bored outside and there is nothing to do. The outdoor structures are unengaging and not fun. My school will not allow children to climb trees or go into forested areas to play. Our structures are KFC structures. Students also lack core strength to play on the monkey bars. They also lack strength in their hands to grasp and hold on to an outdoor apparatus due to increased screen time in the home and not enough outdoor play.
ReplyDeleteThere are three recurring themes to article. The space should provide children with tactile and outdoor aesthetic that does not take away from the natural environment. Man made plastic outdoor playgrounds does not provide all that children need to make their way through the world. There senses are used more when they have to take risks, negotiated through the outdoor play space and have loose parts to play with. Outdoor play and space for learning is where risk taking and social emotional learning takes place.It is in those moments where we see creativity and problem solving skills being used. I hope to start an outdoor wilderness play program in my future classrooms that will provide students with more risky play opportunities.
Tracy Sirianni