Welcome to the second edition of The Busker’s Guide to Risk – and for those of you who are used to these little books by now, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that starting off with a few jokes is not at all out of keeping… so here goes…
Have you heard the one about the children who were banned from making daisy chains in case they ate them?
Or the school that stopped doing egg and spoon races in case a child dropped an egg and then turned out to be allergic to it?
Or what about the children who weren’t allowed to play with cardboard boxes because they were a fire risk? (The boxes, that is, not the children… although any day now…!)
Laugh out loud? Well, I would- if any of those were actually jokes- you know, like those urban myths that get passed around and exaggerated with every re-telling… But here’s the punchline- they’re not. All of those seemingly ludicrous things have really happened- to children whom you and I know, up down the UK, in a neighbourhood near you- all in the name of health and safety.
The Busker’s Guide to Risk is part of the Busker’s Guide series for adults who work where children play. Each Busker’s Guide provides succinct and down to earth introductions to key areas of theory and practice. Written in a light-hearted style and illustrated with witty cartoons, Busker’s Guides are accessible to practitioners working in a wide range of settings.