...so he bought the ingredients - we actually still had Boric Acid from the last time - all he had to buy was the Heet...
...then he asked if he could set them on fire...
...so we let him mix it up and pour it over the pumpkins and set it on fire - in the end there was actually very little damage to the pumpkins - just the alcohol burned off - and the pumpkins were too fresh still to catch on fire...
...We try to indulge Scout's little whims like this...and our thinking is that if we let him play with fire a little bit (while supervised) - then these things won't become forbidden fruit to him - something he will try and sneak and do when we're not around...
...and of course, there are dangerous things that we absolutely say no to...What do y'all think?...
I liked playing with matches - making fires outside. There was also a 'smouldering wood' season when all the children had tin cans with 4 holes made round the side near the base. We put string tied to form a long handle. We then made fires in them and put rotten wood, preferably willow, on top and we would swing them round to make them smoke.
ReplyDeleteImagine about fifteen children, between 8 and 11, racing round the streets swinging these hot cans round! Only injuries were a few burnt fingers.
My man also made fires in the woods, using twigs and branches from dead trees. (Woods here always rather damp!)
None of this was supervised!
So, I think it is natural to want to play with fire - I don't think it results in pyromania!
I think this is the best way to learn and experiment with things that fascinate kids - under the watchful eye of parents who can share in the fun!!!
ReplyDeleteScout got a really cool green effect - well done ;0)
I worked in psychiatry for years. You can't turn a kid into a pyromaniac. They are born that way. I think doing science experiments is a wonderful idea. We do them with the girls all the time. I would think it's especially important to do with boys, because they are going to do them ANYWAY, with or without adults! Cool idea! Go Scout!
ReplyDeletei think about these things nowadays, as I prepare to bring someone to this world for whom I'll be responsible. i share your view actually, supervision is better than forbidden fruits...
ReplyDeleteI think supervision works well. That way he doesn't have to sneak and he can ask you. Kids are always curious and if you show them how to be careful and watch them, I don't see the problem. Kids have been helping build fires for centuries!
ReplyDeleteLove the green effect.