Help With Boys And Guns!

[catma]

Penny Hollands book is very good and will challenge you -

 

Who said we should have a zero tolerance policy????? She debunks the myth that it is "expected" very comprehensively.

 

She looks at the fact that we are always praising girls for quiet, sit down, doing the right thing behaviour. Boys (generally) want to be active and large. We challenge this behaviour, especially when they want to be a goodie/baddie etc etc. We are actually challenging their growing understanding of gender roles. So if it's wrong to be a "boy" (ie do the things i like doing and I'm not a girl then what do I do???? I can't do the girl things(and i know they are girl things because they get praised for them) because then i would be a girl......

 

She found in settings where they got rid of the zero tolerance had marked changes in the boys attitudes towards other areas of learning. It worked because of a whole setting commitment to change. At first it was madness but then the children worked through the sudden ability to do the forbidden thing and moved into a higher state of engagement and wellbeing which was evident the data(qualitative) they collected.

 

I was never against it, but having read this book I now know WHY I'm not against it!!

Cx

[Guest]

I have got a copy of the document you suggested Jolaaled although I haven’t read it yet.

 

I’ve also ordered a copy of Penny Hollands book which I have read a little off in the past.

 

I am interested in this area as I don’t discourage this type of play but likewise I am not sure how to extend and support it so am hoping it will help with my practice and that of my colleagues.

 

Thank you for replies.

[MrsWeasley]

We had a group of boys today who were using hobby horses & cricket bats as weapons, we asked them a few times to play with them appropriately, but no luck. So one member of staff said to them "Boys please don't use them as weapons... Or I'll have to cuddle you!" and that was it, they got put down and the boys found another game to play.

 

About 15 minutes later, one boy picked up a cricket bat and was waving it around, and another boy shouted at him "NO SHE'LL CUDDLE YOU!"

 

Made my day! ha ha.

 

Mrs Weasley

[Guest]

This is such an interesting topic and one that always seems to get people fired up. I'm a childminder and a parent and before my son was born could never imagine allowing him to play with guns - oh how things have changed!!

In my role as a childminder I strongly believe in children's rights to choose their own play themes (much of my planning is based on child initiated learning) and as a practitioner my role is to engage in that play, extend it, document it, observe it but never ban it or make a child feel that what preoccupies them is bad/wrong/not worthy of being interested in - imagine what that could do to a child's self esteem.When a child plays with a gun or makes a gun or runs around in a forest with a stick shouting "you be the baddie and I'll be the goodie" it is not always because they have been exposed to 'inappropriate television' and never do with a violent or aggressive nature ( I have cared for 2 boys who don't have t.v in their homes who nearly always chose battle games in their freeplay). I think that all children have different ways of exploring right and wrong/good and evil/life and death and playing with guns or being a superhero is just one of the ways. Yes, as a practitioner and parent and a woman, I find it easier to play shop or make cups of tea and cake in the home corner than I do pretending to be dead when I get shot with the octon gun, but when you see the joy on a child's face when you join in with their game the reward is worth it.

One of the best days out I had with a group of 3-4yr old boys I childminded for last year was a trip to our local castle ruins armed with swords and bows and arrows for an afternoon of running around in the fresh air, shooting each other from our various look out posts.

For anyone interested in changing their policies on gun play I would recommend Penny Holland- We Don't Play Guns Here and Sally Featherstones book - Girls and Boys Come Out to Play. I also held a parents evening where we all discussed our thoughts on the matter and I wrote a specific policy on gun and superhero play as part of my play policy.

It is also important to consider that statistically boys do not do as well at the end of key stage 1 as girls, their learning needs are different and I wonder if there is a link between this lower achievement and boys feeling that their play and ideas are not valued.

[Guest]

sorry, just realised I'd missed a page of posts and you've already been chatting about Penny Hollands book

[Guest]

sorry, just realised I'd missed a page of posts and you've already been chatting about Penny Hollands book

[kuzer]

We had a particular cohort who were constantly making guns and playing superhero games - so we decided to 'go with the flow' - watched Power Rangers films - pointing out that the characters were not in fact making contact. Went to the hall and dramatised the actions seen - no contact allowed, adults modelling and joining in. Subsequently allowed play fighting with the rule of no contact - children became experts in no contact play fighting (with sound effects too!). After a while they stopped the superhero play and became much more imaginative in their play, the guns and combat disappeared. The rest of the school staff looked on in horror but we were very pleased with the results.

[Cait]

We allow gun play, for many of the reasons already stated on this thread, we don't like to quash boys' emerging drama play as it is so infrequently seen in some of them. However, we do have a rule about it, everyone who is participating in the play must be happy about it, and no other child is to be upset by being 'pulled' into play that they're not comfortable with.

As long as the children the game remember the rules for 'indoor play' (not too boisterous - no running round in circles like mad things because of younger children playing on the floor) and take this kind of play outdoors then we are relatively happy with it.

[Guest]

We allow gun play, for many of the reasons already stated on this thread, we don't like to quash boys' emerging drama play as it is so infrequently seen in some of them. However, we do have a rule about it, everyone who is participating in the play must be happy about it, and no other child is to be upset by being 'pulled' into play that they're not comfortable with.

As long as the children the game remember the rules for 'indoor play' (not too boisterous - no running round in circles like mad things because of younger children playing on the floor) and take this kind of play outdoors then we are relatively happy with it.

you're right, there has to be boundaries, this can help parents and other staff who feel uncomfortable with the idea too. My children were all taught how to put there palm out to people and say "Stop, I don't like that".

And well done Kuzer for being creative and inventive, my son would have loved that!!

[Guest]

Thanks to everyone who has posted.

Your comments have really been food for thought and given me lots of ideas and thoughts to consider.

I think I'm starting to look forward to this - if thats possible

[Guest]

Does anyone know if Vivian Gussin Paley - Boys & Girls: Superheroes in the dolls corner has been reprinted?

My tutor seems to think it has but I can't find a newer version.

[HappyMaz]

Does anyone know if Vivian Gussin Paley - Boys & Girls: Superheroes in the dolls corner has been reprinted?

I just checked on Amazon and they are only listing the 1984 version.

[Guest]

Hi,

 

Perhaps you would be interested in completing this online questionnaire for my research project into boisterous play? if you leave your email address in the further comments section at the end i will happily send you the results of my project.

 

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?fo...jSm9EU0Fub3c6MA

 

Regards

 

Caroline x