Risky play...
I would like to be clear with everyone ahead of time, in my class we take risks. I encourage the children to test their limits and get messy. Please don't send your child to school in good clothes! (Except on picture day - I will try and honour picture day!) It is difficult to take chances (physically or artistically) when you're worried about getting dirty.
We go for walks, we wipe our hands on our pants, we climb trees and balance on mossy logs. I do talk about students being able to know what feels safe for them. I do have limits about what feels safe for me - but they might be a little broader than what students are used to at home. We will run and jump and develop our balance and push our personal limits. I'm a big believer in free-range childhood and if a child can get there without my help (on top of the monkey bars, up a tree, etc) then they are encouraged to go for it!
I found this list of things to say instead of "be careful". I'm not perfect yet, and sometimes I still hear it coming out of my mouth but I'm working on it! The point being that we are going to climb up the slide and on top of things, we are going to play with sticks and throw rocks, we are going to explore our abilities and learn our personal limits.
We go for walks, we wipe our hands on our pants, we climb trees and balance on mossy logs. I do talk about students being able to know what feels safe for them. I do have limits about what feels safe for me - but they might be a little broader than what students are used to at home. We will run and jump and develop our balance and push our personal limits. I'm a big believer in free-range childhood and if a child can get there without my help (on top of the monkey bars, up a tree, etc) then they are encouraged to go for it!
I found this list of things to say instead of "be careful". I'm not perfect yet, and sometimes I still hear it coming out of my mouth but I'm working on it! The point being that we are going to climb up the slide and on top of things, we are going to play with sticks and throw rocks, we are going to explore our abilities and learn our personal limits.