Overview

This book is the second of two volumes that coalesces a diverse group of play researchers, educators, advocates, practitioners and enthusiasts’ ‘voices’. The goal put forth is to listen, learn and pave a way forward for increased opportunities for all children to engage in outdoor risky play. Throughout this book, the chapters highlight the importance of listening to multiple voices to learn about diverse viewpoints, challenges and experiences. This book offers alternate ways to deliver education that prioritize play for its magnitude of benefits. By challenging the dominant discourse of both outdoor play and risk, it provides firsthand accounts of how education and play might be enacted. In taking the time to contemplate the myriad of approaches, this book empowers readers to be brave in implementing courageous decisions that embrace children’s right to risky play.

Full Product Details

Author:   Tonia Gray ,  Marion Sturges ,  Jaydene Barnes
Publisher:   Springer Verlag, Singapore
Imprint:   Springer Verlag, Singapore
ISBN:  

9789819552740

ISBN 10:   9819552745
Pages:   395
Publication Date:   01 May 2026
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Listening to voices on childrens risky play unearthing new pathways forward.- Middle t thrill parenting an alternative discourse for the provision of childrens risky play.- Quitting time why resilience in parents and educators is crucial.- The great play venture exploring play based learning through the journey of building a school.- You can see lots of good things in the climbing tree listening to childrens views of their outdoor space.- Outdoor play and the importance of attuning to childrens multimodal communication.- Bush banter educator insights into australian nature play programs.- Outdoor play in early childhood care and education setting.- Infant toddlers embodied risk taking in outdoor play environments in australia and new Zealand.- Risky play as pedagogy for the development of motor skills.- Adventurous play in nature acting now and differently in schools.- Disability and risky outdoor play.- Does risky outdoor play offer increased opportunities for self determination and self advocacy for children with disabilities a review of the literature.- A box of band aids.- Embedded risk in learning and play in an australian school context the nature school.- Play based learning in australian primary classrooms worth the risk.- Sensory risk taking and the importance of sensory safety for connecting within nature.- Risks and benefits in wilding childrens play.- Embracing natures potential physical risk taking in an urban park nature education program.- Cultural diversity and constructions of play the case of refugees.- Developing an ecological approach to communication disorders exploring the benefits of outdoor play for children who stammer.- Casting a spotlight on risky play a hopeful way forward.

Reviews

Author Information

Professor Tonia Gray teaches in the School of Education and a senior researcher in the Centre for Educational Research and the World Leisure Centre for Excellence, Western Sydney University, Australia. She has been an educator for over 40 years, training pre-service teachers for their impending pedagogical career. As a researcher, teacher-educator, and curriculum developer of Outdoor Education and Health/Physical Education, her transdisciplinary research explores human–nature relationships and their impact on health and well-being along with risk-taking in outdoor education. Tonia’s wide-ranging scholarship includes nature-based learning and the intersectional examination of gender leadership. She is a past chair of the Australian Tertiary Outdoor Educators Network (2018-2022) and co-editor of the Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education. In 2014, Tonia received the prestigious Australian Award for University Teaching (AAUT) for excellence in outdoor experiential education; and in 2019 received the Association of Experiential Education’s Distinguished Researcher of the Year.   Dr. Marion Sturges is an experienced educator of 34 years. She has worked extensively across all educational sectors. Currently Marion works with preservice teachers and academics as the Director of Program (primary teaching) at Western Sydney University. Marion has led in numerous research projects working collaboratively with other researchers and educators. The focus of these projects is working with marginalised members of the community, including young children, people with disability, and women to ensure their rights are met and exploring place based pedagogy. She is passionate about the importance of children engaging in the play in the outdoors. Her PhD situated in Australian preschools drew on the Child Friendly City framework in exploring how a ‘place’ can support or inhibit children’s opportunities to participate. When not working, Marion enjoys local bushwalks in her beloved Blue Mountains. Jaydene Barnes is a lecturer in early childhood and primary education at Western Sydney University. She researches in children’s play, teaching pedagogies to facilitate dialogue, connection and meaningful engagement in the early years, culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogies, early literacy development, voice, access to early childhood education for families experiencing disadvantage and pre-service teacher education. Her teaching at Western Sydney University is closely aligned with her research areas in Professional Experience, Literacy (Birth-12 years) and Play focused subjects. In her current role at Western Sydney University Jaydene is an Academic Program Advisor for the Early Childhood/Primary teaching programs. Jaydene’s PhD focuses on play based learning in Australian primary schools.

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