Back in July 2008 I described Lady Allen of Hurtwood as one of my heroines. So thanks to Rethinking Childhood for pointing me to this short documentary about her work from around 1970.
The blog warns us that the film's terminology about children is not that we would use today and rightly warns us that "Lady Allen’s accent could cut glass at 20 paces".
But it goes on:
But do not let any of this put you off, or you will miss out on as clear a manifesto for adventurous play as you are ever likely to see.
The documentary pulses with children’s appetite for autonomy, and includes some powerful and moving images of children straining every sinew to achieve the goals they had set themselves in their play. What is more, Lady Allen’s ferocious faith in children’s competences is a thrill to see, and still resonates today.
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But then on came TV. I remember my mother was saying that her legs were still bandaged as a baby because they back then thought only then would the grow straight. And to her astonishment I learned to walk independently a full year ahead of what was "normal" in her generation ...
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