Children and Boats

[Amicus]

  of risk taking within a safe environment.

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Is that gobbledy-gook or is my old noddle letting me down again?

[dor]

Doesn't matter how many times you tell them, until they experience it they don't know what you mean.

 

How many times did you tell your child "don't touch that it's hot - you'll burn yourself".

 

It is not until they actually do burn themselves that they learn what the concept means.

 

I used to lead geology field trips, I understand from old friends that it is almost impossible now to take students into an old quarry - let alone schoolkids.

 

Watch "Time Team" - group of archaeologists standing in the middle of a field ----- wearing hard hats!

 

Risk is part of life, what we should do is reduce it ot an acceptable degree.

 

Of course some people think the only acceptable level is zero, but I don't agree.

[David Schweizer]

"Risk Taking within a Safe Environment" is a perfectly understandable statement to anyone who has experience in the field of Outdoor Education. It is by no means a new concept and was outlined in a series of Government booklets, one of which, "Safety in Outdoor Education", was issued to all educational establishments more twenty years ago. What it does is identify safe practice in potentially hazardous situations. So for example it requires that the leaders of an expedition into mountainous country possess the appropriate qualification and experience to lead such an expedition, and that the group is properly equipped and breifed upon the safety requirements. What it seeks to do is minimise the danger of serious injury, what it cannot do is eliminate the danger, or remove the excitement experienced by the young people.

 

As someone who spent many years organizing Outdoor Education Expeditions I can assure you that it is perfectly possible to provide an challenging and exhilerating experience for young people in a potentially dangerous environment, without putting them at any serous risk of injury. If that is all gobbeldy-gook then so be it.

[bottle]

Dor.

 

I agree with you, your example of necessary experience was the one I was going

 

to use but when you see parents and children together and all you hear

 

is "don't do that", children need a reason and calm explanation. I do not blame the

 

children it is the parentsin the wrong, perhaps it is they that need the lessons in

 

child care.

 

bottle

[John Orentas]

When I was attending primary school many years ago, for some reason we were 'overdosed' in geography lessons with the culture of Eskimos as we called them at that time.

 

We where told that Eskimo parents would drop their offspring into the icy arctic water for a few minutes, if the infant survived all was well and the little chap grew up to be another Eskimo, if he didn't, well he probably wouldn't have got to be an adult anyway.

 

Don't dismiss the concept, it would do wonders for school waiting lists.

[NB Willawaw]

Fully agree with what has been said re outdoor education. I sometimes teach canoeing on the canal and it is still possible to have fun and create adventure.

One just has to steer a course through a modern world of risk assessments, etc.

What is also interesting is the way narrowboats react to a flotilla of canoes on the canals and also how some react to community boats full of children. I have quite extensive experience of this and can see the situation from both water and deck level so to speak.

Most narrowboaters are very sensible and slow down, although I have seen a few exceptions, who were going too fast around a blind bend anyway and couldn't stop. I have also encountered a few experienced boaters who have no tolerance for children generally.

I once had a huge argument with a skipper who was waiting for the community boat I was on, to clear the lock so that he could enter.

He raised his voice to a teenage girl who was gingerly working a paddle under supervision and just didn't move fast enough for him. One bad experience like that can put a child off the canals for life.

 

Mark

 

NB Willawaw

 

Hemel Hempstead GU (Northbound)

[Chrissie]

I once had a huge argument with a skipper who was waiting for the community boat I was on, to clear the lock so that he could enter.

He raised his voice to a teenage girl who was gingerly working a paddle under supervision and just didn't move fast enough for him. One bad experience like that can put a child off the canals for life.

 

Mark

 

NB Willawaw

 

Hemel Hempstead GU (Northbound)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Several years ago we watched as middle daughter, then 13 and with a notoriously volcanic temper, deal with an 'elderly gentleman' who re-set all the mooring lines that she had just tied neatly and safely. He even took one of her spring lines across a footpath and tied it at knee height!

 

Fortunately he was rescued before it got physical.

[NB Willawaw]

Luckily its a small but irritating minority !

[Khayamanzi]

I agree that children should be given calm and reasoned explanations and this is exemplary however they should also be taught that instructions and orders from people in authority should be obeyed without question. I have too many children in my school who are too used to saying 'why' at the end of every instruction as a means of cheek. My children are taught that they obey first and ask questions later. Picture the situation: 35 students in a design technology lesson, I spot one is about to cut off his finger with a band saw. I shout stop and give a lengthy and reasoned explanation within which time said child has one less finger!! I will explain my actions to children but ONLY after they have obeyed me unquestioningly first! Within this context, I believe many risks can be considered safe given competent eagle-eyed staff.

[Richard Lacy]

My son was absolutely terrified of water when a toddler , however when he was old enough to get more involved on the boat his confidence rocketed and he was a very proficient steersman by the age of six , now I get the odd postcard on the lines of Dear Dad have been looking for anaconda up the Amazon in a canoe , all thanks to narrowboating though quite what the safety aspect is I have no idea.

[Uncle Noah]

We have been blessed with five children. They have, until relatively - most recent times, only ever lived on a boat. Since they were born into this way of life, it's normal for them to be relaxed when in their normal environment.

 

However, as responsible parents we have always taught and encouraged to them a simple message, "When is water dangerous?". The only answer, of course, is when you forget that it is. The same applies to fire, electricity, gas, etc. Children can get their head around this simple idea but it must be done patiently and with kindness, but firm too.

 

Realising that you can drown in a just a few inches of water, is very serious, so there is no way to beat about the bush but it should be fun, to learn AND teach. As soon as they were allowed to go to the swimming pool, they were 'pushed' in, with love and kindness. Swimming is not the be all and end all. Learning not to panic IF you fall in, and how to stay afloat, IS.

 

Hope this helps.

Edited February 16, 2005 by Uncle Noah

[Yamanx]

Five children!

 

Havent you got a telly?

[jmj]

Our 9 yr old happily steers the boat, works locks and ties up the boat - parent always nearby of course, and she always wears a suitable piece of floatation assistance (avoiding bouyancy aid/lifejacket debate!).

 

I suspect that the insurers would have heart failure if an under 16? 18? was steering unsupervised, but you can't lock them in the boat (with the cooker and knives!) while you have your weeks holiday, so let them get out there and enjoy it, with an appropriate level of supervision - a wild 12 yr old might need closer supervision than a sensible 7 yr old, so there no way you can put a def. age on when they can or can't be let free.

[nichimyo]

I can echo what many people have already said. My lads when they were younger (10-14 years old) came on the narrowboat for holidays and one loved to help steer, which he got quite good at even getting us through narrow bridges on a turn without banging the sides, and the other made a good team with me at working the locks, even the staircase at Chester on our first trip out was no problem for him aged 12 or so.

They got bored where there wasn't any locks.

One of them fell in once before he could swim and clung on to the boat for dear life. I managed to persuade him to put his feet down and he discovered to his embarrassment that he had fallen into about 2 foot of water