World Journal (New York) - World Journal (New York) - Weekly Supplement
放手讓孩子玩
其實沒那麼危險
Imagine you are looking after three young children. They discover a pile of discarded bread crates, office chairs and wooden planks, and want to play. How do you react?想像你在照顧三名幼童，他們發現一堆廢棄麵包籃和木板還想要玩，你會怎麼做？
Whatever your decision, you probably wont get it 100 per cent right parents, teachers and others who work with children never can.無論你如何決定，你可能沒辦法100%做對，而家長、教師和幼童相關工作者更是怎麼做怎麼錯。
If they intervene, they are overprotective. If they dont, they are negligent.如果他們干涉就是過度保護，沒干涉就是失職。在上述情況中，多數成人會阻止小孩去玩，或者指導怎麼進行遊戲以及可使用哪些東西。
So, whats the best solution when children want to play with objects we would not normally think of as toys?所以當孩童想玩的東西不是我們平常以為的玩具，最佳辦法是什麼？
We’ve all heard the saying that one persons trash is another persons treasure. The adult who discovers the treasure might see beauty or functionality in the trash that wasnt apparent to the original owner.我們都聽過，一個人的垃圾是另一個人的黃金，發現黃金的大人可能在垃圾中發現美感與功能，但原主卻看不出來。
For children, the trash-to-treasure transfer is a trigger for endless possibilities.對孩子而言，將垃圾轉換成黃金可激發無限可能。
Child development researchers and others who work with children, refer to the trash as “loose parts”.孩童發展研究者和其他孩童相關工作人員稱這堆垃圾為「鬆散材料」。
With so many benefits and so much trash available, it seems an easy, fun and cost-effective way to promote childrens development.有這麼多好處和這麼多唾手可得的垃圾，用此方法提倡幼兒發展似乎很輕鬆好玩又省成本。
The main barrier is that adults often see this kind of play as too risky.最大的阻礙就是大人往往認為這類遊戲太過危險。
Where children imagine building boats and houses, adults imagine catastrophes.