Guns guns guns!

[Saltire]

My 2 boy mindees are a bit gun/weapon/sword/shotting obsessives.

Every picture we do is of a gun or weapon.
Sticks ar epicked up and used as guns
or Swords
Yesterday we did flags and they drew guns on them

OFSTED are coming on Monday for the inspection and I cannot see them being too amused

why?

You're fine. Supporting boys interests is an inclusion issue. Impress Ofsted by your knowledge of the research and by adding a paragraph about your (supportive!) policy toward war, weapon, baddie and superhero play to your inclusion policy (which of course you have written and which includes your positive behaviour strategies).

Penny Holland has written an excellent book 'We Don't Play Guns Here.' She debunks assumptions that weapon play etc is damaging to boys and promotes male violence:

www.londonmet.ac.uk/news/latest-news/should-boys-be-allowed-to-play-with-toy-guns.cfm

Guidance from the DCSF (NB page 17):

www.foundationyears.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Confident_Capable_Boys.pdf

Guardian article re: Holland's book:

www.guardian.co.uk/education/2003/jul/12/schools.uk

And there's a lot more.

Be vv impressive by using one gun art project (flags is good one I think) and linking it to as many bits of the EYFS goals as possible. Emphasise boundaries and PSHE stuff, letting children help create rules, like making sure everyone has agreed to play, what to do if someone really gets hurt or upset, how that is different from 'play' etc.

Aside, from the inspection, you can use the gun thing as a way into so many 'subjects.'

This is a great book for children who are interested in weapons:

www.amazon.co.uk/Arms-Armour-Eyewitness-DK/dp/1405346604/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337262123&sr=8-2

Guns are a fabulous way into history, science, engineering. For example, gunpowder invented in ancient China by alchemists. Find out more about that. Visit a museum with a great weapon collection. Learn about geography through comparing ancient weapons. There is SO much you can do with this interest. Oh - maths! How many guns? What happens if I cut this playdough in half with my sword? Etc etc etc.

Good luck!

boys'

This will help you link to EYFS:

www.childrenscentres.org.uk/media/file/ey/EYFS%20downloads%20from%202008/GPG%207.02%20Boys%20Achievement%20(WEB).pdf

OK I'll stop after this. Might be nice to let the boys know about female gunslingers of history. Annie Oakley etc. And let Ofsted know you have done this. And make sure there are heat-packing female minifigures in your small world stuff.

They aren't in the EYFS group. I guess I was just a bit worried given that so many onher ethink its worng to encourage boys to play with guns etc.

No matter what the age group, the inspector will want to see that you are a reflective practitioner who is aware of research around play and development particularly where it relates to the interests of specific mindees.

The people who disagree with gun play are badly informed.

I agree with Dearth and wouldn't worry about it. There is nothing wrong with letting children play with toy guns, if anything it's good stimulation and is teaching them the consequences of weapons on a minor level. As long as kids are being educated along the way it's fine and gently taught of the consequences of guns. When my brothers played with guns with their friends, cowboys were seen as goodies and indians the baddies. I don't think kids think that way now thankfully.

Some would ban toy guns and I understand their reasoning for this. Some would ban kitchen and cooking toys for girls, and again there is an argument for this. But both would be wrong. Kids are kids and should be encouraged to play and engage as much as possible. Life's hard enough without having to pass our own insecurities and worries onto them. There is absolutely no reasoning that a child who plays with a gun would grow up to want to shoot somebody.

For some children guns are part of their life. We lived on a RAF camp when DS was a toddler. It was normal to see men carrying guns. They were even on armed guard on the gate so we had to drive past them every time we went anywhere.