Why Brave?

I’m regularly asked by headteachers why I chose the name Brave Roots. The more time I spend working with children, the more important the word brave feels.

In many ways, despite all the problems we hear about every day, there has probably never been a better time or place to grow up. Children have opportunities, protections and possibilities that previous generations could only have imagined.

However I think there’s a danger that, in our determination to protect children from everything that might go wrong, we also stop them experiencing some of the things that help them grow.

And that’s where bravery comes in.

Allowing children to encounter risk

Being brave doesn’t mean being reckless. It doesn’t mean putting children in unnecessary danger or standing back when something is clearly unsafe. It means recognising that risk is part of learning.

Climbing a tree. Using a saw. Lighting a fire. Whittling a stick. Balancing on a log. Working out whether a branch will hold your weight. All of these involve an element of risk, and that is precisely the point.

A child who never gets the opportunity to make those judgements doesn’t suddenly develop the ability to assess risk when they become a teenager or an adult. They need opportunities to practise it.

There are two risks to consider: the immediate risk of allowing a child to try something difficult, and the longer-term risk of never allowing them to try at all. Often the second one is greater. A small, managed risk today can help a child understand their own limits, make better decisions and feel more confident when they face bigger risks in the future.

Adults need to be brave too

One thing I’ve noticed since starting Brave Roots is how much this idea resonates with schools. When I explain the name to headteachers, there is often an immediate understanding of what I mean. Because allowing children to take risks requires bravery from adults as well.

If a child is balancing on a log and looks slightly unsteady, our instinct can be to immediately tell them to get down. If they are struggling with a tool, it can be tempting to take it from them. If they are trying to solve a problem and getting frustrated, stepping in with the answer is often much quicker.

But sometimes the best thing we can do is wait. Observe the situation and be there if needed. But allow the child to work it out.

That doesn’t mean ignoring genuine danger. Forest School is about managed risk, not uncontrolled risk. But it does mean accepting that bumps, mistakes, frustration and uncertainty are not necessarily things children need to be protected from. Sometimes they are exactly the things they need.

Nature gives us the perfect place to practise

This is one of the reasons I believe so strongly in learning outdoors. Nature isn’t perfectly flat, predictable or controllable. The ground is uneven. Sticks snap. Mud is slippery. Fires are hot. Tools need to be handled properly. A den might fall over. The first attempt at something might not work.

Children constantly have to observe, adjust and make decisions. And unlike many artificial challenges we create for children, the consequences often make immediate sense. If you put your foot in the wrong place while climbing, you wobble. If you build a den badly, it falls down. If the wood is damp, the fire won’t light. You change something and try again.

That process develops far more than practical skills. It develops judgement, perseverance, confidence and independence. For me, that’s what the name Brave Roots is really about.

Giving children the space to test themselves, make decisions, take manageable risks and discover what they are capable of.

And giving the adults around them the confidence to let them.