Play Policy
Adult Supervision Required
at all Times!!
RULES & STUFF - How to have the best day ever at the Adventure Zone
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Do you have a grown up to share your adventure with you?
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Has a grown up checked that you are ready to play safely, so no scarves, ties, necklaces or loose hanging hair, clothing, jewellery and nothing sharp?
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Have you washed your hands before playing and afterwards? And especially before any snacks?
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Have you left your favourite things with a grown up to look after while you play?
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Are you wearing your shoes to play, and have you cleaned them on the mats before and after play, especially if you have been in the Adventure Garden?
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Are you ready to ask a grown up if you need help with using the adventure zone?
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Do you need a drink? Please don’t drink on the sand. If you accidentally spill anything, please let a grown up know.
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Does your grown-up know to be careful if drinking something hot, and be careful near play areas whilst carrying a drink?
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So, if you don’t feel well or have an accident, then please tell a grown-up straight away, that way we can help make it better.
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If you get sand in your eyes, ears/nose/mouth, please tell an adult immediately who can then help you wash it out in the bathroom or ask at reception for an eye bath.
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Are you accompanied by a grown-up and is your grown-up accompanied by at least one child! We think a ratio of one grown-up to no more than five children is a good idea and gives your grown-up the chance to get involved in the play. Your grown-up is entirely responsible for your supervision and will decide on the best supervision ratios for your group.
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Are you ready to have lots of fun, and make new friends, and be kind to everyone using the adventure zone?
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If you answered yes to the above, then you are ready to have fun
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Benefits of Risky Play
One thing kids never lack is imagination to invent their own games with the simplest of props. Obviously if a child is playing with a jagged edge on a tin container there is a risk of injury, but we would hope parents manage that risk. HSE has always encouraged children to learn through play, whether climbing trees, painting with their hands or throwing stones into a lake, we want children to enjoy life and all the experiences it brings.”
Health & Safety Executive
Benefits of risk play comes naturally to children as part of their physical development involves them engaging in play which they find challenging, risky and sometimes even scary!
Telling a child about possible play ’dangers’ is not the same as experiencing and learning from them. If you tell a young child, for example, “don’t touch, that is hot” they won’t know what that word means unless they actually experience it. You will find then that they won’t touch that item again!
Children taking a risk when playing, is them simply pushing their own boundaries and learning (as well as having fun!). As parents/carers we have all experienced that ‘heart in the mouth’ feeling when you see your child climbing a tree/climbing frame, riding their bike/scooter fast and you want to run to protect them. But if we wrap them in cotton wool they will never be able to climb trees or ride their bikes confidently. If we are over protective we harm our children because they will not get to learn about risk and how to manage it.
Can you remember what it was like to stand at the bottom of the tree, watching your friends climb up and thinking “that looks too high for me”. And then that sense of achievement when you try it and accomplish that mammoth climb! Or sitting at the top of that high wall, and thinking, “I WILL dreep down this” all great memories of our childhood!
Adult restrictions on children’s risky play can create situations where children will look elsewhere, often to seriously dangerous situations, to get the excitement they might otherwise find through play. Attempting to remove all risk from play for children may be damaging, if children are not allowed to take risks when playing they may grow up over-cautious or be unable to judge potentially dangerous situations.
“A degree of risk, properly managed, is not only inevitable, but positively desirable” (Tim Gill, Nothing Ventured)
Interviews with children have shown that they engage in risky play to experience positive emotions such as fun, enjoyment, thrill, pride and self-confidence. Every child will attempt the risk they feel comfortable with, and they don’t always require extensive adult supervision. Every play space can be seen as risky, depending on the age, skill and size of each child. Every day life involves a degree of risk, and as parents we don’t always realise how much our children are learning when they manage these risks.
(HSE) issued a High Level Statement on Play – Children’s Play and Leisure – Promoting a balanced approach. This is a positive statement which supports striking the right balance between protecting children from the most serious risk and allowing them to reap the benefits of play. “Helping young people to experience risk and learn how to handle it is part of preparing them for adult life and the world of work.” Judith Hackitt, Health and Safety Executive Chair
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Taken from Play Scotland website http://www.playscotland.org/wp-content/uploads/Risky-Play-Leaflet_web.pdf
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