In January, I attended the Nursery World Show and an excellent seminar on risk by Helen Tovey, a principal lecturer in Early Childhood Studies at Roehampton University and author of Playing Outdoors: Spaces and Places, Risks and Challenge (Open University Press).
She shared a quote from Margaret McMillan: 'Children should play bravely and adventurously in a provocative environment.' We were asked what we felt about children climbing higher than our heads or painting from ladders leaning against walls. Helen explained the theory: if children are not exposed to risk, they cannot learn how to manage it. However, many delegates raised the issue that although we might know the theory, how in practice do we accommodate parents' attitudes?
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