Below is the link to an interesting video about kids and learning. It is from the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) website. See www.ted.com for more.
The introduction to the video on the TED site is as follows: "Gever Tulley, founder of the Tinkering School, talks about our new wave of overprotected kids--and spells out 5 (and really, he's got 6) dangerous things you should let your kids do. Allowing kids the freedom to explore, he says, will make them stronger, smarter and actually safer."
I have often wondered, in light of the lack of safety precautions in our own childhoods, how we all lived to adulthood! When we were kids, there were no car seats, blind-cord cases, outlet protectors or bike helmets. No waist straps on grocery carts, carousels or high chairs. No protectors to keep kids from turning the knobs on the stove. The list goes on and on. We ran about the neighborhood and local creek for hours without anyone knowing exactly where we were. There's no doubt that some of these gadgets and precautions saved lives but, as Tulley points out, perhaps some of our precautions actually keep us from educating our children about certain things. He proposes that experience with certain elements like fire (I know--gasp!)help our children be safer around these things. His line of thinking was enlightening for me. It's helpful for me to recognize that protection from something isn't necessarily the best route to safety. The route to competency is "doing." Watching something for initial instruction can be helpful but most of us don't really "get" it until we've had a chance to try it for ourselves.
A lot of us have come to homeschooling with exactly this kind of thinking, with the understanding that learning done in a "real world" context is the most meaningful. Tulley reminds us that the same is true for things that scare parents.
Watch what Tully has to say and see what you think:
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/202
The TED website is interesting and worth a look. You can view a number of lectures from TED conferences.
