Giving the Children Ownership.

A few weeks ago I experienced a moment of PANIC!!! 

Back story: Our latch on out gate is easy to figure out! It is that way for many reasons, the main reason is: that is what was on the gate when I moved into this house. It has always been in my mind as an easy to figure out latch, but I wanted to trust that the children recognized that boundary and respected it. For one whole year they respected that, and they still do. But you know that feeling of 'what if'... it just always nagged at me. I gave into that nagging at the first instance of panic! They underlying story is that the gate was not being respected at other times of the day, times that were no longer in my control, but I was still responsible for. It was becoming quite serious. So the day one curious child let their curiosity get the better of said child, I decided that action needed to be taken. Granted, the incident was by no means a scary as I'm making it out to be, the child just opened the gate, and I spotted the child before said child stepped foot out of the gate. It was a blow to my philosophy, but a concern I could no longer ignore. A lock needed to be placed on the gate. A lock that the children recognized as 'an adult needs to do this', and 'it's not my job' lock. I was devastated to make this decision. It was something that would read to the child as, 'I no longer trust that you can handle this'. Believe me, it was not an easy decision, but it was important. It was an option I could not longer ignore. 

So here's the story of the lock:

I'm one of those people who get an idea in my head, and no matter how ridiculous it seems, I must follow through. More often than not, it turns out favourable. This was NOT one of those moments. I had plenty of suggestions of a lock solution from many adults in my life, but stubborn me... I made the lock the way it was in my head. It was a crude contraption that needed instructions!

Without too much description, the lock was a piece of thick wire attached to a clip that clipped onto a hook high above. 

*This lock was promptly dismissed... as one child immediately found that if you open the gate one way, it's effective, but they other way, it was easy to slipped out under the wire. Also... it was tricky to open for the adults!

Shortly after this attempt, I set to work on creating a new locking system, only to continually run into the same problem... it was too confusing to open and close. It was during a moment of frustration that my ECE brain kicked into high gear!

I printed out a photo of both sides of the gate, one for each child, clipped them to the clip board, and approached the children for help. With the children having ownership over the lock, they will be more inclined to recognize the value and purpose of the lock. That's when the ideas cam pouring in!!! 

• the lock had to be a chain
• the chain could be down low, but on the other side of the gate *so only adults could reach it*
• there had to be SIGNS! Lot's of SIGNS!

All of these ideas were so useful, and the children dialogued the importance of the lock, and ideas that would work and not work. But the most important thing was the children felt we needed to put up signs. 

We have constructed a working and effective lock, and the signs are ready for laminating, and will be put up in the next week or two! I'd say this project was a success! 

The final lock design!!!