Kids and trees. They kind of go together. It seems no matter where we go in our travels, the kids find their way into trees. I think it's pretty cool. There are those who would say it isn't safe to let kids climb trees. I disagree. I think we are depriving kids of something very special and magical by NOT letting them climb trees.
We lost a tree in our front yard after a big storm this week. And while it was sad to see such a big tree fall, in the true spirit of youth, the kids quickly discovered how to turn it into the best fort ever.
We have 3 simple rules for tree climbing:
1. You need to be able to climb the tree yourself
2. You need to respect the tree
3. There needs to be a teacher around.
1. You need to be able to climb the tree yourself
2. You need to respect the tree
3. There needs to be a teacher around.
I've been doing this for 28 years and have NEVER had a kid get seriously hurt by a tree. What I have seen is kids learning to do something they could not do before. I've seen them helping each other learn to climb. I've seen them sitting in trees chatting with each other for an hour. I've seen them reading and laughing and eating, all the while nestled into the big crook of a tree branch. I've seen them empower themselves by being able to look down on the world for a while, instead of always looking up.Mr B
My sister and I used to love climbing the trees just outside of our yard. Although they were technically in the neighbors yard they were not fenced in so we climbed them whenever we wanted. I guess the neighbor didn't mind because she never told us to get down.
ReplyDeleteSince we now live on a treeless street I'm glad my son gets to experience such an important part of childhood at daycare.
Jen A