What Is The Risk in No Risk PDF
What Is The Risk in No Risk PDF
What Is The Risk in No Risk PDF
the children were capable of climbing the play house take appropriate risks for their skill and develop-
and negotiating this experiment, but the area wasn’t ment.
Beginnings
designed as a fall zone so it wasn’t a safe situation to
Workshop
let happen without adult supervision. We came to an Several of the older children in the program were
agreement that for this particular situation we would eager and able to climb the smaller trees in our yard.
support the children’s valuable collaboration and A number of the teachers were very fearful of this
experimentation by making sure an adult was there and others really thought it was something that these
to supervise the climbing and to ensure that the area children deserved to have as a part of their childhood,
below was clear and safe. The children had a great just like they did when they were young. We decided
celebration and new feelings of camaraderie within that to keep the activity safe, the children needed
the group when the experiment was successful. supervision and guidance when they were climbing
the trees. So we agreed that the children had to be We all
Pull Quote
have?
By studying situations in this way, our staff came able to climb the tree on their own, a teacher would
to value the children’s ideas and competence. We be right there to supervise, but no teachers could lift different
listened to each other and worked together to make children up. Also, if children wanted to climb a tree reactions to
sure activities were safe, while still encouraging rich they had to alert one of the ‘tree-climbing’ teachers
learning opportunities for the children. The following (those who were enthusiastic about supervising and challenging
outlines the elements that I’ve discovered help with able to support and keep the activity safe). If none situations and
this process. of those teachers were available, then children had
to wait until they were. The children easily accommo- what we
Know your disposition toward risk dated to these rules and came to respect all of the perceive as
teachers’ points of view.
We all have different reactions to challenging situa- too risky.
tions and what we perceive as too risky. It is important
for early childhood professionals to examine our views
of these situations and make distinctions between
our personal feelings and experiences, our coworkers’
points of view, and children’s strong desire for au-
tonomy and competence. There isn’t one right answer
in these situations. Some of us may be too fearful and
keep children from the opportunities they deserve and
are capable of, while others of us encourage or allow
risky situations that may not be safe for all children. It
takes acknowledging our own disposition and working
together with our colleagues to ensure children are
safe as well as appropriately challenged.
dispositions and skills, I can make sure I keep them risks for the children, such as installing a new outdoor
safe while supporting their instinctive drive to chal- climber.
Beginnings
lenge themselves and gain new competence. There
Workshop
is great reward in watching the children’s unwavering Create an environment for
determination and seeing their elated faces when they safe and appropriate challenges
accomplish something they have worked so hard on.
The environment we provide for children is central to
Inform yourself and practice the work of offering children rich experiences while
risk management keeping them safe. We certainly must be vigilant about
ensuring there are no hazards in order to prevent seri-
There are numerous resources in the early childhood ous accidents. But we can also go too far in ‘childproof-
profession as well as in the larger world to help us ing’ with the result being that children have nothing in- A risk is
learn about risks and how to prevent serious acci- teresting or challenging to do so injuries are more likely something that
dents in our programs. Most of these resources make to occur. This was true in the first program I worked
the distinction between a risk and a hazard. A risk is in with infants and toddlers. On behalf of keeping the is possible
something that is possible to negotiate and may be children safe, the teachers had literally stripped the
to negotiate
appropriate for particular situations and children. A environment of almost everything except the furniture
hazard is something that is inherently dangerous and and a few toys. and may be
needs to be remedied, such as a climbing structure
with sharp edges or loose boards that could seriously I immediately began to add significantly more inter-
appropriate
injure children if they play on it. esting materials in the environment for the children for particular
to use. At first the teachers were worried, but after a
There are also distinctions between risks and hazards few weeks one of them said to me, “We used to have
situations and
that can result in serious injuries and even death, at least one accident report a day and now we rarely children.
and those more common childhood accidents that have any.” Before, the only challenging activities in the
cause bumps and bruises such as skinned knees and environment for the children to do were to climb on the
cuts and scratches from prickly bushes. When these furniture or bump up against each other, so injuries
common accidents occur, children benefit from know- occurred more often. Engaging the children’s minds
ing that there are caring adults and other children to and bodies by enriching the environment helped focus
soothe their feelings and ease their pain with caring their energy and instinctive appetite for exploration and
words and a colorful Band-Aid®. A useful resource interactions which resulted in fewer falls and scuffles.
for studying these distinctions is The Risk Pyramid in
Margie Carter’s and my book Designs for Living and Remember, you are there
Learning (2003).
photoGRAPHS BY THE AUTHOR
A hazard is
something
that is
inherently
dangerous
and needs to
be remedied,
boards that
hurt.” We should never offer children experiences that When children are involved in a situation we think
could
need supervision if we aren’t going to be there to sup- is too risky or dangerous, rather than just stopping
seriously port their safety, as well as their learning processes. them we can offer alternatives that keep them safe
We must take steps and be respected as competent while preserving opportunities for them to develop to
injure c hildren professionals who are responsible for the safety, care, their fullest potential. This work requires that we pay
if they play and education of the children we work with. attention to the children’s perspectives, use our power
thoughtfully, and act responsibly. We can ensure that
on it.
Provide challenging alternatives children have a childhood where they feel exhilaration,
while still being protected and supported by adults and
Keeping children safe is paramount to the work we do their friends. We can support them in learning that de-
every minute when we are with children. We must al- termination pays off, and they can become competent
ways stop or prevent situations that threaten c hildren’s decision makers, able to assess risks, contribute to
well-being. But when we do intervene on behalf of the well-being of others, and reap the rewards of their
children’s safety, we can do it with the understanding efforts.
that life has many challenges and risks, and children
deserve experiences and tools to learn to negotiate Reference
on their own. The saying, “With few risks there are few
rewards” is very true. Learning involves risk. Relation- Curtis, D., & Carter, M. (2003). Designs for living and
ships involve risk. Feeling competent and confident in learning: Transforming early childhood environments.
the world requires meeting a challenge and working to St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.
overcome it.
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