Childrens services

Spent the day on Saturday last in Yorkshire. Part of it at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. There were 5 children in our party but woefully little to do there apart from look. The place is amazing, but with what appeared to be only visual treats on offer, the children soon got bored. EVERYTHING was off limits and not to be touched, climbed on or experienced beyond visually...

I had taken along some prototype planes to do when the children got bored, but as we flew them outside, away from the sculptures, we were instructed not to do so anywhere in the (enormous) grounds or buildings as games were not allowed in any part...

To me this typifies much of our reaction to children and creativity. they must observe it, parrot it, possibly even take part in it, but on the terms of the providers. Given the clearly multi multi million pound cost of the park and buildings, some little could and should have been set aside for a games area, or a playground, or an activity. The park announces on its website that it is fully booked for school parties this year, There were lots of children on Saturday... and nothing for them to do and little reason to stay or come again.

The YSP is not alone in this. Often children's activities are relegated behind everything else that an organisation does. And when they do put on activities, they rarely attract those who need convincing. For, to use the popular vernacular, It was a 'chav' free zone.... and maybe it was the poorer for that!