Is It Time To Bring Risk Back Into Our Kids' Playgrounds?
Are playgrounds in the U.S. too sterile and risk-averse to help our kids thrive? Anthropologist Barbara J. King considers play and child development in evolutionary perspective.
I think it's fair to say that many parents focus a lot of energy — and worry! — on protecting their small kids from risky situations.
But it turns out that integrating limited risk into our kids' playtime may be taking a step toward healthier child development.
This past weekend, reporter Ellen Barry published in about a growing movement in Britain to bring risk into the playground experience. Measures include: erecting handmade play equipment like 20-ft. climbing towers; leaving intact gorse bushes that are quite spiky; supervising children in the use of knives,
