Spunky Homeschool

Tag! You're Banned!

Jun. 27, 2006 at 11:37 PM

Homeschooling

Dodge ball was hit with a ban years ago. It looks like tag, soccer, and touch football may be next..

Groups such as the National School Boards Association don't keep statistics on school games. But several experts, including Donna Thompson of the National Program for Playground Safety, verify the trend. Dodge ball has been out at some schools for years, but banning games such as tag and soccer is a newer development.

"It's happening more," Thompson says. Educators worry about "kids running into one another" and getting hurt, she says.

What can a child do on the playground that doesn't have the potential for getting hurt? For that matter, everything in school has the potential for harm - from food poisoning in the cafeteria to riding the bus without a seat belt. Why stop at tag? For the good of the children, let's just ban public school.

Related Tags: , , ,

4 Comments and Trackbacks

posted by Joanise on Jun. 27, 2006 at 3:51 PM

Your quote made me think... How do we take this comments from school: as a joke or as something serious? I say that because the comment looks ridiculous at first, but if you look deeper there is a sad situation.
Public schools are banning everyday more situations that were normal when we were children (not so long ago!). Tag, hide and seek, jump rope and other games are not possible at recess today; then they complain on hyperactive children! If we don't provide them space to direct their energy, they will "act" hyperactive... duh!
We see (at least in PR) less and less children playing in the neighborhoods today; they are too busy playing video games and watching movies. Many at summer camp, but because too many parents complain that they cannot be with their children (don't have the time). As I write this, I have my 3 children watching the soccer game between Spain and France and we are learning about the game (we are newbie fans). We are trying to maximize our learning with the tv.
Thank you for this quote! I must get down the soapbox now...

posted by on Jun. 28, 2006 at 9:50 AM

If all risks are eliminated from a childs life how in the world will they ever learn to grow up and be bold and take chances. All of my lessons in PS may not have been the best, but I did learn several things- especially on the playground. 1) If you get slightly hurt it is ok to just brush it off and keep playing 2) Competition is not a bad thing- I have learned several lessons in my life just from competition (another post) 3) Teachers who invest in your life are the ones you will remember FOREVER. And I am talking about the teacher who comes out into the middle of the playground and gets their hands dirty while being "hands on" Wow- you would have thought I just swtiched over to talking about homeschool teachers!
I propose that perhaps dodgeball, tag and soccer aren't the problem, perhaps it is schools and teachers who care and less about the individual child and more about statistics, numbers and paychecks. Now stepping off soapbox and tucking it under my arm so that I can move on to the next blog.

Edited by lonestaracademy on Jun. 28, 2006 at 6:51 AM

posted by Melkhi on Jun. 28, 2006 at 8:43 PM

in our homeschool gym class, a safety-conscious parent taught an alternative version of "Red Rover" which bore no similarity to the original game. The next week, a child requested Red Rover. Our pastor who served as one of the coaches didn't get the memo as to the dangers of the original game and led the kids in a spirited game involving the human chains and the line-breaking. It was much more fun and I smiled as I reminisced about playing the game when I was in grade school.

Have you noticed that playgrounds usually no longer have merry-go-rounds or see-saws? My kids have only ever played on one set of see-saws in a small town in CO. Too bad.

posted by spunkyhomeschool on Jun. 28, 2006 at 10:12 PM

I never thought about that but your right. I played Red Rover growing up. I forgot all about it until you mentioned it. I was always the weakest link. But I still played every chance I had. It was fun.

Post a comment!