tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932919.post582731277624736225..comments2024-03-26T07:07:14.304-07:00Comments on Teacher Tom: Exploring HeightTeacher Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14606781724784785338noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932919.post-4030672102827699752013-11-08T10:39:30.928-08:002013-11-08T10:39:30.928-08:00I have a new teaching position working with 5 and ...I have a new teaching position working with 5 and 6 year olds. I have to enforce rules about climbing which I often think are stupid. There is equipment which children are allowed to climb on where they have fallen and gotten hurt. So far it has been minor injuries such as bumping a lip. No broken bones thank goodness! Some of the things like a tunnel slide that children are not allowed to climb on are actually safer, but I have to enforce rules made by supervisors. Generally I see that children know their own personal limitations and climb on things as they are comfortable and can reach/manage. My own son when he was six was climbing a tree in our backyard he had climbed safely previously, and fell because his shoes didn't have adequate traction after a misty morning. My husband and I were standing right there, but couldn't have prevented the fall. It freaked us out, but after the initial panic (by both child and parents) he was just fine! Another friend's child at age 6 used to climb about 30 feet up a pine tree and though it was a bit nerve wracking for those of us on the ground he loved it, and at 14 is still with us today! Obviously, bad things can happen to climbing children like when Eric Clapton's 4 year old son fell off the balcony of a NY skyscraper. And sometimes those kind of things happen so fast none of us has the reflexes to halt gravity. Supervision is important and necessary. Judgement is also important. Some rules about climbing seem over cautious, but children are individuals and what is no big deal for some is an injury for others. I suppose that is why limits are posed at the least experienced/coordinated children one is monitoring in group situations. Sometimes as a parent, one child has proven he/she can handle a challenge, while another child needs to wait until he/she is ready. And sometimes that's the older child rather than the younger one!<br /> I used to love stilts as a child and teenager, but am not sure I'd use ones that are 4 feet off the ground now in my 50's! I'd probably go for a lower version, but I still feel up to the challenge of using stilts!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932919.post-16968421970362574432013-11-07T11:19:12.953-08:002013-11-07T11:19:12.953-08:00That was me, climbing all through my childhood and...That was me, climbing all through my childhood and adolescence--bannisters, furniture, fences, trees, cliffs. My mother said later that she was frightened for me but didn't want to teach me to be frightened. Quarter-way down a cliff in college, I decided the stone was too crumbly and wouldn't go on with the others to the beach. I wondered if I was becoming a grown-up and losing my youthful sense of invincibility. My friends got down and up fine, but years later I read about a couple of people who died on that cliff. I wasn't being a grown-up (whew!) I was just being a sensible person with some experience to back me up. I've never broken a bone in my life.Nancy Schimmelhttp://www.sisterschoice.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932919.post-10084305148182335542013-11-07T08:59:07.563-08:002013-11-07T08:59:07.563-08:00You said it all. They will complete their experim...You said it all. They will complete their experiment at some point, most likely when your back is turned. I prefer to have a conversation before the attempt and then let consequences happen naturally. Never say "I told you so. I never step in and help, they will achieve their goal when they are ready. Nancy Dustinnoreply@blogger.com