Children's free play is full of risk-taking, a fact that frightens many adults who have become risk-averse. Yet many experts feel that this aversion is excessive and even harmful. They point to children's natural capacity for risk-assessment which needs to be developed rather than suppressed in childhood. This Alliance for Childhood publication looks at the value of risk from many angles, including interviews with directors of adventure playgrounds that encourage adventurous play yet have very low accident rates. The central conclusion: Give children genuine risk and they rise to it. They are then prepared to meet life's challenges.

Risk in Children’s Adventure Literature examines the way in which adults discuss the reading and entertainment habits of children, and with it the assumption that adventure is a timeless and stable constant whose meaning and value is self-evident. A closer enquiry into British and American adventure texts for children over the past 150 years reveals a host of complexities occluded by the term, and the ways in which adults invoke adventure as a means of attempting to get to grips with the nebulous figure of ‘the child’. Writing about adventure also necessitates writing about risk, and this book argues that adults have historically used adventure to conceptualise the relationship between children and risk: the risks children themselves pose to society; the risks that threaten their development; and how they can be trained to manage risk in socially normative and desirable ways. Tracing this tendency back to its development and consolidation in Victorian imperial romance, and forward through various adventure texts and media to the present day, this book probes and investigates the truisms and assumptions that underlie our generalisations about children’s love for adventure, and how they have evolved since the mid-nineteenth century.

Adventures in Risky Play is Rusty Keeler at his finest. Congenial and provocative, Rusty invites readers to new insight and action as they relate to children at play. When adults increase their tolerance for children's risk-taking, play becomes what it is meant to be - an expression of freedom, exploration, creativity and growth. Navigating risk is a crucial life skill, this book calls on parents and educators to allow, support and celebrate risk, in play.Fun is guaranteed as Rusty takes you on a tour of wild places -- schools, community playgrounds, education centers, forests. From engagement with mud, fire and water to developed anarchy zones and adventure playgrounds in the US and around the world - Rusty celebrates play and makes a compelling argument for adults to step back and let go a little (or a lot), so children can come to understand themselves - and world around them - through the sheer joy of play.

With growing numbers of children living in poverty and standardized tests becoming increasingly important, theres never been a better time for a volume of essays on the value of play in mental and emotional development. Mary Ruth Moore and Constance Sabo-Risley honor and build upon the work of Joe L. Frost, the father of play advocacy, in this essential resource for educators, parents, and anyone concerned about the future of our children. The essays examine play in America from historical, psychological, economic, and other perspectives, focusing on why we should worry about children playing less than they did twenty years ago, the benefits of letting children play without constant supervision, how playing can promote a love of nature, and the importance of risk assessment in play. Specific articles include: A Place for Play in the Liberal Arts, by Michael J. Bell; Play Deprivation, by Stuart Brown; Caretakers of Wonder by Vivien Geneser; and Social Media as a 21st Century Playground by Stephanie Grote-Garcia, Tammy Francis Donaldson, Olive Kajoina, and Norman St. Clair. Several other authors also contribute articles to this well-researched book. Pay tribute to one of early childhood educations most important pioneers, and discover the valuable benefits of Play in American Life.

This book is published open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This book addresses how organizations can deal with human fallibility in order to create space for excellence at work. Some mistakes in work settings put lives at risk, while others create openings for innovative breakthroughs. In order to deal constructively with fallibility, an organization needs a communication climate where it is normal to voice opinions, admit mistakes, and ask for help in critical situations. The book builds on interviews with practitioners in healthcare, aviation, IT, public governance, and industry. It connects narratives from these fields with theories from organizational psychology and philosophy, as well as from positive organizational scholarship. In the final chapter, an overall ethics of fallibility at work is outlined. Fallibility at Work contributes to research in multiple academic disciplines, but also reaches out to practitioners who are interested in the connections between error and excellence in organizations.

In light of recent standards-based and testing movements, the issue of play in child development has taken on increased meaning for educational professionals and social scientists. This third edition of Play From Birth to Twelve offers comprehensive coverage of what we now know about play and its guiding principles, dynamics, and importance in early learning. These up-to-date essays, written by some of the most distinguished experts in the field, help educators, psychologists, anthropologists, parents, health service personnel, and students explore a variety of theoretical and practical ideas, such as: all aspects of play, including historical and diverse perspectives as well as new approaches not yet covered in the literature how teachers in various classroom situations set up and guide play to facilitate learning how play is affected by societal violence, media reportage, technological innovations, and other contemporary issues play and imagination within the current scope of educational policies, childrearing methods, educational variations, cultural differences, and intellectual diversity New chapters in the third edition of Play From Birth to Twelve cover current and projected future developments in the field of play, such as executive function, neuroscience, autism, play in museums, "small world" play, global issues, media, and technology. The book also suggests ways to support children’s play across different environments at home, in communities, and within various institutional settings.

What type of cities do we want our children to grow up in? Car-dominated, noisy, polluted and devoid of nature? Or walkable, welcoming, and green? As the climate crisis and urbanisation escalate, cities urgently need to become more inclusive and sustainable. This book reveals how seeing cities through the eyes of children strengthens the case for planning and transportation policies that work for people of all ages, and for the planet. It shows how urban designers and city planners can incorporate child friendly insights and ideas into their masterplans, public spaces and streetscapes. Healthier children mean happier families, stronger communities, greener neighbourhoods, and an economy focused on the long-term. Make cities better for everyone.