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Appropriate Risk or Actual Hazard?
March 28, 2017
The only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your foot.
-Nadia Comaneci, Olympic Gymnast

"The role of an adult in nature play is to be more of a partner or guide than a teacher or director," writes Ruth Wilson in her new book, Learning is in Bloom: Cultivating Outdoor Explorations. "What children need from adults are an inviting environment and the freedom and encouragement to explore that environment."

"Risk taking is one of the elements that makes play enjoyable and leads to growth in physical, social, emotional and cognitive areas of learning. Children are generally good judges about assessing a situation and determining what risks they can handle and which ones they can't.

"Appropriate risks and actual hazards are two different things. Hazards aren't usually visible to a child. A child may not be aware of a hornet's nest under a deck or the danger of suffocation from a plastic bag. We should be aware of these invisible risks and protect children from them, but it’s a mistake to always do the risk assessment for them."





Learning is in Bloom
Cultivating Outdoor Explorations

Looking for ways to support STEM learning and your future neuroscientists so they can see the beauty of science and math in the natural world? Ruth Wilson’s latest book, Learning is in Bloom: Cultivating Outdoor Explorations, will set you on the path. According to Wilson, "Helping children become more aware of nature's rhythms and connections will foster their sense of wonder and deepen their interest in the natural world."

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Comments (1)

Displaying 1 Comment
Mary Kay Scanlon · March 28, 2017
Holy Trinity Early Education Center
Lenexa, KS, United States


I see the point, but it is really hard to totally buy in to this idea.
Maybe I shouldn't, but as a program director and being ultimately responsible for children's safety I worry about liability.
I think we have to be very, very careful with allowing children to determine how risky something is.



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