Letting Kids Be Kids
From TVNZ in New Zealand, it took a university experiment to allow kids to act like kids again on the playground, but it's had good effects:
Ripping up the playground rulebook is having incredible effects on children at an Auckland school.Chaos may reign at Swanson Primary School with children climbing trees, riding skateboards and playing bullrush during playtime, but surprisingly the students don't cause bedlam, the principal says.
The school is actually seeing a drop in bullying, serious injuries and vandalism, while concentration levels in class are increasing.
Principal Bruce McLachlan rid the school of playtime rules as part of a successful university experiment.
"We want kids to be safe and to look after them, but we end up wrapping them in cotton wool when in fact they should be able to fall over."
Letting children test themselves on a scooter during playtime could make them more aware of the dangers when getting behind the wheel of a car in high school, he said.
"When you look at our playground it looks chaotic. From an adult's perspective, it looks like kids might get hurt, but they don't."
via @notjessewalker
Well, duh.
Ken R at January 28, 2014 5:12 AM
I saw that. I wsa pleasantly surprised that the school was willing to try it, but the results surprise me not a bit.
Cousin Dave at January 28, 2014 6:30 AM
Kirk & Anne Douglas have funded hundreds of new playgrounds for L.A. schools. My friend recently started working at one of these schools and informed me that at recess the kids are stuck on an asphalt strip while the fabulous new playground is roped off out of reach.
The school claims they can't afford the insurance.
Your post reminds me to send a note to the Douglas Foundation to ask if they are aware of this idiotic situation.
rosalind at January 28, 2014 7:55 AM
I read a sad counter to this and explained why we won't go back to actual recess.
It basically said the problem is not the schools wanting to be the Nanny state, but rather that the administrations are horrifically afraid of lawsuits from parents.
I didn't think the 90's was that long ago, but I was still allowed to run around like an idiot at recess. The only bad thing that happened was one kid broke his wrist because he jumped off something that was too high.
Guess what? His wrist managed to heal without the magical help of lawyers.
andrew at January 28, 2014 8:35 PM
When I was in 5th grade I had a pocket knife, which I carried at school, as did many other boys and some girls, and that was OK. We were not, however, allowed to have eggs, except boiled ones in our lunch sacks to be consumed under close supervision. I suppose if the schools I went to were as paranoid about liability as schools are today, my school clothes would have lasted longer.
Ken R at January 28, 2014 11:02 PM
"It basically said the problem is not the schools wanting to be the Nanny state, but rather that the administrations are horrifically afraid of lawsuits from parents. "
I hear this and I don't buy it. They may say that, but (1) it's not like they have to pay the costs themselves -- the taxpayers foot the bill regardless of the outcome, and (2) school adminstrators clearly have no fear of being sued by parents of chidren who are harmed by zero-tolerance policies.
Cousin Dave at January 29, 2014 11:33 AM
Most schools carry insurance that will actually foot the bill if a kid gets hurt on the playground.
This was the case when I broke a finger on a broken swing set.
I would also imagine that this implemented in elementary schools across the country would also prevent a lot of gun violence also. People that have felt pain are a lot more likely to register empathy.
Cat at January 29, 2014 6:14 PM
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