I was just enjoying my first cup of tea this morning and watching BBC Breakfast where they were discusssing Cotton Wool Kids and a new book that has caught the imagination of parents in America called “50 Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do)”
So it got me pondering …..
How much risk do you allow your kids to have?
Do you let them get muddy, ride bikes, climb trees, go pond dipping?
“50 Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do)” is the first book from the people who created Tinkering School. With projects, activities, experiences, and skills ranging from “Superglue Your Fingers Together” to “Play with Fire,” along with 48 other great ideas, the book is a great for kids and parents alike to reclaim the fun and joy of childhood.
The book is full of easy to follow instructions, fun facts, and challenging undertakings that will engage and inspire your family and get you talking, having fun and discussing danger, having a go and getting curious.
I love looking at TED ( Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world) and the idea for 50 came about as 5 dangerous things just weren’t enough (although the audience at TED thought it was a good starting point). More importantly, there are many “dangerous” things that are interesting, eye-opening, enlightening or just plain fun!
And while there are aspects of danger in virtually everything we do, the trick is to learn how mastery actually minimises danger. Most of us learn how to walk without toppling over at a very young age, so that walking is no longer dangerous. Next we learn to negotiate stairs. Why stop there? Why not practice and become proficient at walking on the roof or walking on a tightrope? These are just a few of the Fifty Dangerous Things that the book invites you to try! Take a peek and step into a world of danger and discovery.
For me it’s all about getting a balance isn’t it in life – but I do think we have become rather over – protective of our kids so getting them off the settte and away from the screens in all their forms surely has got to be a good thing!
The author , Gever Tulley was fortunate to grow up in a world full of possibilities and adventures. He and his big brother were free to explore their environment and invent their own projects while growing up in the wide-open rural environs of Northern California and interior British Columbia.
Their curiosity was encouraged by their parents, who instilled early on a sensible approach to their experiments. Gever’s famous rule while babysitting: “If you’re going to play with fire, be sure to do it outside.”
In 2005, Gever founded the Tinkering School to teach kids how to build things. He created the school since he believes we all learn by fooling around.
After years of creating playful hands-on projects for kids of all ages, Gever wanted to share with a wider audience the discovery that comes from this directed “fooling around”.
“50 Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do)” is his first book on the subject and it’s worth a look ….. specially when you ponder some of the things I got up to as a child that didn’t do me any harm…. !!!
Here’s an extract from the book curtesy of Mark Frauenfelder of Boing Boing
Watch the video from => TED
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About the author
Sue Atkins is a Parenting Expert who offers practical guidance for bringing up happy, confident, well behaved children. She is also the author of “Raising Happy Children for Dummies” one in the famous black and yellow series published worldwide and the highly acclaimed Parenting Made Easy CDs. She regularly appears on BBC Breakfast and The Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 and her parenting articles are published all over the world.
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