There's no reason in this world why you should know Gever Tulley, except that he might just change your life. He wrote a book, 50 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Children Do, about the importance of "tinkering" for your child.
Mr. Tulley created The Tinkering School where children learn, truly learn, by doing and by doing things that might just be considered a little dangerous or at the very least, unconventional. On the school's website, their mission reads:
"At Tinkering School, we believe that kids are more capable than they know, and to prove it, we give them real tools to solve real problems. By learning through doing, we strive to make mistakes and learn from them, collaborate and make friends, and try harder than usual.
With wood, with metal, with cardboard, and sometimes with paint, Tinkerers work with one another as well as our unique Staff of Collaborators to team-design and team-create amazing projects that are often bigger than ourselves."
Tulley has written about "dangerism", an interesting concept that focuses on the dangers of being afraid and of labeling typical activities and things as dangerous. He purports that dangerism has suppressed childhood. The news has been peppered, of late, with parents being reported for child abuse/neglect because their children played in the street, walked to school alone and other such silliness. "Free-range parenting" has very nearly been deemed illegal.
"At Tinkering School, we believe that kids are more capable than they know, and to prove it, we give them real tools to solve real problems. By learning through doing, we strive to make mistakes and learn from them, collaborate and make friends, and try harder than usual.
With wood, with metal, with cardboard, and sometimes with paint, Tinkerers work with one another as well as our unique Staff of Collaborators to team-design and team-create amazing projects that are often bigger than ourselves."
Tulley has written about "dangerism", an interesting concept that focuses on the dangers of being afraid and of labeling typical activities and things as dangerous. He purports that dangerism has suppressed childhood. The news has been peppered, of late, with parents being reported for child abuse/neglect because their children played in the street, walked to school alone and other such silliness. "Free-range parenting" has very nearly been deemed illegal.
When, exactly, did we become such scaredy cats? Like most dynamics, these changes happen slowly over time.
People now sue fast food chains when they burn themselves on a cup of hot coffee. Better not drink coffee, it's dangerous! Common sense appears to have gone out the window as the landscape is filled with warning signs that insult us with their obvious "cautions".
These days, the constant stream of news brings the dangers and indeed, horrors of human behavior, right into our homes which creates intense fear. Even "entertainment" evokes fear. Think Criminal Minds and the CSI series which focus on the worse that humanity has to offer.
The rise of dangerism is complex and comes from many factors.
People now sue fast food chains when they burn themselves on a cup of hot coffee. Better not drink coffee, it's dangerous! Common sense appears to have gone out the window as the landscape is filled with warning signs that insult us with their obvious "cautions".
These days, the constant stream of news brings the dangers and indeed, horrors of human behavior, right into our homes which creates intense fear. Even "entertainment" evokes fear. Think Criminal Minds and the CSI series which focus on the worse that humanity has to offer.
The rise of dangerism is complex and comes from many factors.
Dangers have been present in our lives since time began. As children, we learn from our parents and the "natural world"/environment about those things that deserve fear and those that do not. We "should" be taught to evaluate and problem solve, but many children are so overly protected that they fear too many things. What's worse is that kids today may lack the competencies that would allow them to feel confident and keep them safe in the world.
Has this lack of exposure to appropriate dangers given rise to the many "survival" shows? Just food for thought...
Observe "what's" going on in your family. How competent are the kids? You? Do you know what to do in an emergency? Do you have survival skills? Maybe it's time to think about "learning how to tinker"...
TTFN, Claudia
Has this lack of exposure to appropriate dangers given rise to the many "survival" shows? Just food for thought...
Observe "what's" going on in your family. How competent are the kids? You? Do you know what to do in an emergency? Do you have survival skills? Maybe it's time to think about "learning how to tinker"...
TTFN, Claudia
