Case studies were conducted of four children exploring their risk-taking and risky play experiences at a Forest Kindergarten in rural Ontario. The children participating in this study (two girls and two boys) were four and five years of age and were chosen to best represent the variety of experiences encompassed by the children at the school.
Data was collected over a 5-week period and included observations, photographs, semi-structured interviews with the students and the teacher, and photo elicitation with the students. The forest setting where the observations were conducted included trees, hills, cliffs, boulders, open areas, and numerous wetland areas. Data analysis included open coding and identifying categories and overarching themes.
Findings indicated that children at the Forest Kindergarten engaged in various forms of risk-taking and risky play experiences throughout the day. These behaviors mirrored Sandseter's six categories of risky play: play with great heights, play with high speed, play with harmful and dangerous tools, play near dangerous elements, rough-and-tumble play, and play where the children can 'disappear'/get lost.
Each child in this study approached the forest environment in a unique and personalized way, and there were differences in the eagerness and confidence with which they approached risk-taking or risky play experiences. Overall, their favorite risky activities were climbing, sliding, and rolling; and their favorite place to play was the creek.
The authors discuss the difference between hazard and risk-taking and argue that it is important to reduce or eliminate hazards, but not to remove the opportunity for risk-taking as it is essential for healthy development.
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