Priest's Gyhll Expedition Part 2. Climbing and falling.

4th April. So here we see Willow having her turn sitting in the tree they named the "horsey tree" . In the previous post we saw Rowan sitting in it. He enjoyed it but wanted someone to stay near. Rosie, older, more confident sat with "no hands". Willow, possibly attempting some kind of side-sadle horse play, started to fall. The risk of falling is all part of the joy of climbing. As a parent I want to protect my children and also allow them the chance to climb. Risk is part of life. It cannot be eliminated or avoided if we are to live fully. Also, life is precious so joy of climbing must be balanced with safety. More often than not I have found that with supportive discussion children are generally able to come to their own conclusions about what may or may not be a good idea when climbing. Weighing things up together and discussion of variable factors of note such as branch size and strength, I hope will give them the tools for assessing situations themselves when they are older and I am not there! In the background see Jon and Rowan at a fallen tree across the stream. The next pictures show all the children climbing across the fallen trees over the stream. They loved crossing the stream on these unintentional bridges! Rosie could walk across independently. Willow was happier sitting and got across independently that way. Initially Rowan was determined he could walk accross himself unaided like Rosie. Given the chance to try he then decided standing with help or sitting with supervision worked for him. Experience and physical ability will usually grow over time. Confidence can vary day by day and even during the same outing and is influenced by many factors. I love seeing the children climbing trees and banks in woodlands. As an environment woodlands offer the potential for each child to go at their own pace, exploring and developing their skills, confidence and risk assessment skills! The playgrounds are closed at the moment to reduce risk of contagion from the virus. However, nature's playgrounds remain open and must do our health the world of good!