OS with kids - please advice

[Pannwitz, Michael M]

Dear Gerard,
my experience with after school day-care children (8 through 12 years
old, see event Nr. 40 in my "Veranstaltungen" list with a complete
documentation that you can see if you click on "Praxisbericht"),
with elementarty school children (6 through 12, see event Nr.
25...there is also a marvellous video on that event) and then with
older kids (aged 13 through 19) in various kinds of schools in Berlin
(see events nr. 44, 49, 52 with 150 kids from 50 different schools
from throughout Germany, 63, 74, 78 with 200 teenagers from all over
Germany, 83, 85, 86, 90, 91,92) a number of them with pictures,
invitation flyer, report on the follow up meeting...
So there is a bit of experience and here are my observations:
1. Kids of all ages do wonderfully in open space. For them it seems
much more natural and as if they "remember" open space more readily
than older kids and adults.
2. Conditions in the open space with children need not be different
than in other os: voluntary participation (not adults, parents or
teachers "bringing" them along), healthy food (plain water, real
juice, fresh fruit, finger food vegetables, yoghurt dips, salad,
soup....no junk food, sweets, softdrinks, crackers...a simple fruit
cake in the afternoon and for the adults, of course, coffee...),
plenty of break out rooms ....
3. All the "special" needs that we perceive the group will handle in
a selforganizing way or the planning committee will make arrangements
for
4. Adults tend to vastly underestimate the abilities, skills,
tenaciousness, creativity etc. of children and tend to install some
sort of control....experience shows that that closes the space down
for sure.

I always find open space without children to be in some way
deficient.

See you at the osonos in Denmark
mmp

On Tue, 6 May 2003 10:14:35 +0200, Gerard Muller wrote:

>
>My question is about the children. This school has children from 6-16
>years old. The preparation group I am working with feels the older
>classes could participate. I expect also the younger ones would just do
>fine - except that probably they will not be given a choice to
>participate or not - parents who want to join the meeting will just take
>them along so as to not have to pay for someone to look after them.





Michael M Pannwitz
boscop
Draisweg 1
12209 Berlin, Germany
FON +49 - 30-772 8000     FAX +49 - 30-773 92 464
www.michaelmpannwitz.de

An der E-Gruppe "openspacedeutsch" für deutschsprechende open space-PraktikerInnen interessiert? Enfach eine mail an mich.

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