The Creativity Centre

Balancing physical and psychological risks

At Learning Through Landscapes' annual national conference in London recently, Marilyn Fryer spoke about the valuable role the outdoor environment can play in creative teaching and learning.

She also expressed concern that the fear of legal action is driving many schools to stop children playing the kinds of games which were 'the stuff of her childhood' such as sledging, conkers, marbles and three-legged races.

"Of course we want to protect children from harm, and we certainly want to do everything we can to prevent accidents" she said. "Yet paradoxically, there is a real danger that, in excessively protecting children from physical risks, we might be exposing them to psychological risks.

"We need to think carefully as to whether we're inadvertently giving out messages to children that the world is too dangerous a place for them. What's needed is a happy medium in which all reasonable precautions are taken, but where children are also equipped with the skills and confidence they need to cope with their natural environment."

To risk nothing is to risk everything. Do you agree?

	Village vision In a recently commissioned project, the Centre analysed and reported on questionnaires filled in by residents of the West Yorkshire village of Baildon. The survey was part of 'Baildon's Future', an initiative organised by the Baildon Futures Partnership, a group that represents many local interests. The survey set out to explore residents' views about the village and its future, and to look for ways to improve life in the village for its 6000 plus inhabitants. The Partnership also held four café-style neighbourhood forums, as an alternative way of uncovering people's views. Residents successfully identified a wide range of ambitious proposals that, with adequate funding, could lead to improvements in many aspects of village life, including policing, facilities for young people, traffic management, public transport and library facilities, and measures to safeguard and improve the physical and social environment. One thing that's clear is that, despite housing growth in Baildon, which sits on the outskirts of Bradford , the 'village feel' is very much alive and cherished by the locals.
	Visitors from Japan We were delighted to welcome Dr Professor Kenichi Yumino, President of the Japanese Creativity Society and his son Kei, to The Creativity Centre. During their stay, they visited a number of primary and high schools in Leeds, where they experienced creative education in action - in science and other subjects. At the West Yorkshire Playhouse they met one of our talented CCET Trustees, John Mee, and watched as he ran a primary school drama workshop. 'We had great experiences in Leeds. Drama education and its connected creative writing hour impressed us. Because there are no such hours in our curriculum. Now I'm reading the references that were obtained from the schools visit. We wish to express our thankfulness in this letter.' Ken Yumino & Kei Yumino
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Balancing physical and psychological risks

Village vision

Visitors from Japan