5 ms·

Her Lesson Plan Was Junk

5 points by selff 5y ago

dlsa 5y ago
A sharp blade is a lesson in itself. Apologies to Pratchett who probably said it better. Like a lot of other things.
eesmith 5y ago
See also https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/may/10/perfect-childrens-playground-the-land-plas-madoc-wales https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/may/10/perfect... on a similar yard in Wales. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHKrH51ygok https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHKrH51ygok . This is more derived from the Lady Marjory Allen pedagogy (mentioned in the The Atlantic article as a distinct heritage from the kibbutz approach). She got the idea from the Dutch skrammellegepladsen - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emdrup_Junk_Playground https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emdrup_Junk_Playground . I recall watching a video from the mid-20th century about one of them, but can't find it. For a recent US/NYC example, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZxjZfpK8Qo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZxjZfpK8Qo . For a more outdoors/forest approach in Denmark - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkiij9dJfcw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkiij9dJfcw . > "Who lets kids play with oleanders?" I do? I have no idea what an oleander is (beyond "plant"), so don't know why they are a problem. :)
- jfengel 5y ago
  Oleander a garden shrub, and pretty much anybody who would put it in a garden also knows that it's toxic. If you don't know it you'll learn, especially if you don't wear gloves, because you'll get very itchy. Bad things happen if you burn it or put it in your compost. It's very bad to eat, though kids are unlikely to: put it in your mouth and you'll regret it instantly. They are more likely to touch it, because it's very pretty, and that can cause some serious skin problems. If you rub your eyes, it can be really bad. If you plant oleanders, you wouldn't let kids play with it. But it is a hardy shrub, so you could easily move into a house with them and not know what they are. So the statement is still a little weird.
  - eesmith 5y ago
    So the comment is rather like saying that no one lets their kids play in poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac? 'Cause my upbringing was more like "this is poison ivy, three leaves bad, if you go in it you'll get itchy. Don't do it." Which seems entirely reasonable to me. So I also don't see what the point was with this oleander example. Shrug. I do get the point of playing with "junk".
ac42 5y ago
"Nerium contains several toxic compounds, and it has historically been considered a poisonous plant." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerium https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerium

5 points by selff 5y ago

dlsa 5y ago

A sharp blade is a lesson in itself. Apologies to Pratchett who probably said it better. Like a lot of other things.

See also https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/may/10/perfect-childrens-playground-the-land-plas-madoc-wales https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/may/10/perfect... on a similar yard in Wales. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHKrH51ygok https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHKrH51ygok . This is more derived from the Lady Marjory Allen pedagogy (mentioned in the The Atlantic article as a distinct heritage from the kibbutz approach). She got the idea from the Dutch skrammellegepladsen - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emdrup_Junk_Playground https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emdrup_Junk_Playground . I recall watching a video from the mid-20th century about one of them, but can't find it. For a recent US/NYC example, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZxjZfpK8Qo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZxjZfpK8Qo . For a more outdoors/forest approach in Denmark - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkiij9dJfcw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkiij9dJfcw . > "Who lets kids play with oleanders?" I do? I have no idea what an oleander is (beyond "plant"), so don't know why they are a problem. :)

jfengel 5y ago
Oleander a garden shrub, and pretty much anybody who would put it in a garden also knows that it's toxic. If you don't know it you'll learn, especially if you don't wear gloves, because you'll get very itchy. Bad things happen if you burn it or put it in your compost. It's very bad to eat, though kids are unlikely to: put it in your mouth and you'll regret it instantly. They are more likely to touch it, because it's very pretty, and that can cause some serious skin problems. If you rub your eyes, it can be really bad. If you plant oleanders, you wouldn't let kids play with it. But it is a hardy shrub, so you could easily move into a house with them and not know what they are. So the statement is still a little weird.
- eesmith 5y ago
  So the comment is rather like saying that no one lets their kids play in poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac? 'Cause my upbringing was more like "this is poison ivy, three leaves bad, if you go in it you'll get itchy. Don't do it." Which seems entirely reasonable to me. So I also don't see what the point was with this oleander example. Shrug. I do get the point of playing with "junk".

ac42 5y ago

"Nerium contains several toxic compounds, and it has historically been considered a poisonous plant." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerium https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerium