Living dangerously
Apr 9th, 2008 by lapazfarm
I got an email from my “Clickschooling” Yahoo group today which included a link to an interesting video titled “Five Dangerous things you should let your kids do.”
I found it interesting because the speaker echoes a philosophy that I have long held about the way I raise my children. Over-protection is dangerous. Far better to teach your child how to appropriately handle the dangerous things he may come into contact with, like power tools, knives, or fire. It is actually safer than trying to keep your child in a sterile, “safe” environment in hopes of keeping him from harm. Rather than forbidding a child to touch these things, teach him (age appropriately, of course) to use “dangerous” things safely, and you no longer need fear him coming across them (because he inevitably will) and then hurting himself. I contend (though I admit I have not done the research to back it up) that most accidents happen due to lack of knowledge, not because of the possession of too much of it.
And beyond the safety issue is, of course, the great lessons they can learn from all of these things. Just think about all of the things going through Superboy’s mind as he tries to light a fire using only a magnifying glass-he’s learning about light, refraction, focal point, energy, combustion, surface area, the properties of different materials, patience, and more.
And this attitude meshes well with the Montessori philosophy of letting children do real work, with real (albeit child-sized) tools. This attitude teaches your child that he is capable of being careful, of acting appropriately, and being safe-that he is capable, thus building self-confidence.
So…watch the video, and then tell me what YOU think.
ETA: In the comments below, Renae shared a link to this fantastic video about how lame home chemistry sets are nowadays compared to the past, and how that is possibly behind our decline in Chemistry grads. Thanks, Renae!
Yes, I agree totally with this philososphy. Its teaching them coping & consequence skills as well.
We are about to embark on the http://www.yellodyno.com journey where the kids are taught how to empower themselves in a dangerous situation because the stranger danger mentality does not work. Better they learn in a safe supervised environment than in a situation where things may get out of control because they do not understand the consequences having never experienced something before.
My dd is the same age as JBug & likes to see what she has been doing.
Just thought, if JBug would like to see what Miss 6 has been doing, here’s our Homeschool blog address here in Australia. http://homeschoollearningforlife.wordpress.com/
Your philosophy makes sense. It gives them a sense of mastery instead of fear.
I agree totally and thought of you immediately when I received that email!
Dd has friends who are only allowed on our boat if they are wearing life jackets. These 14 yo girls are below deck on a 35 ft sailboat docked, not out at sea in a little dink AND they know how to swim.
Reality Check, please!
Oh, great photo of Superboy, btw!
We’ve long held to this belief – yes we let our kids play with knives.
I also received this in my mailbox and enjoyed it. Some of the things that I let my girls do make some of the moms that I know gasp! I figure, if you don’t TEACH your children the right way, then how will they ever LEARN the right way.
This is why dh got ds, then 6, a “real”, sharp pocketknife and taught him how to manage it and use it. He’s been carving and cutting ever since…and only had one small cut. Just one small example.
“I contend (though I admit I have not done the research to back it up) that most accidents happen due to lack of knowledge, not because of the possession of too much of it.”
I can verify, through personal experience in my profession, that your statement is very true. Like our alma mater’s motto: Knowledge is Power.
It seems we’ve made everything dangerous in our society. I recently watched a video that attributed our fear to the decline of chemists. Here is the link to Dangerous Science. I’m ready to live dangerously.
Renae, brilliant! I love it!
Neat that you blogged this…I will be using the video myself now. My husband and I have been reading “The Last Child in the Woods” and it is just FULL of this same idea!
I have a sister who is so darn afraid of everything in the world now that she is a mother…I will be passing this on to her!
I agree 100%, with both kids getting lessons in whittling, fire building, and shooting. I always found it ironic that my kids, raised using and around guns, bows, and knives, have much more respect for them as tools and weapons than most adults.
I am going to folloiw this link…This is right up their alley!
I love this. I posted it a couple of weeks ago on my blog. I just found your blog. I’ll be subscribing.
Sarah