Sunday, November 20, 2011

Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do

Are kids too cushioned and mollycoddled these days?
Are children allowed the time and freedom just to be kids?

As seen on the HuffingtonPost, here are some dangerous things that kids should be allowed to do these days! Click the link above to read the full article.




Climb a treeAs a kid, I loved to climb trees. Since we live in the city, the tree climbing opportunities are somewhat limited since tree climbing is forbidden by the Parks Department. We do our best to ignore that particular rule, while being sure to climb in a way that is safe for us and for the trees. To my kid, a tree is a mountain, a vertical adventure.






Deconstruct an applianceOur VCR broke and my dad got rid of our tapes so we took the VCR apart. It was easy with the drill, but sometimes the screws were too small and I used a screwdriver. It was glued so we couldn't open the bottom, my dad had to break it apart. Then we saw lots of pieces that looked like gears.




Dam up a creekWhile not dangerous per se (unless you're planning on upping the ante by sandbagging a raging river), it is, to me, one of the great joys of childhood. Something about dams and creeks is primal and universal. Unleashes the inner workerman or workerwoman in every kid.




Play with fireBuilding a fire: bring matches, you need a fire source. Two: dried pine needles are good, green ones crackle and pop. A basic building design for a fire is to make a frame of a teepee out of sticks and then stuff it with dried pine needles. For safety around the fire use your common sense if you have any. Common sense, like don't touch or jump in the fire. You should put the fire in a circle of rock or fire pit so the embers can't really go far.




Throw a spearImportant things we learned about spear throwing:
- Find the balance point of the spear prior to throwing
- Similar to Olympic javelin throwers' technique, running is a key element in successfully throwing a spear
- Practice, practice, practice is fundamental

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