I read something the other day...
...in our local newspaper. The Advertiser. here we go... "Children are being encouraged to get their hands dirty at childcare centres renovated with a nature theme. In SA, Mission Australia is renovating three failed childcare centres, which were known for their carpeted walls and artificial turf playgrounds. These were replaced with outdoor discovery gardens, wooden play equipment, tunnels and bridges. Each centre also has its own vegetable patch. Mission Australia hopes this will all help to combat "bio-phobia" - a fear of nature's risks. " All well and good, but let's go back to the bit that bothered me. "carpeted walls and artificial turf playgrounds" Carpeted walls. Carpet. On the walls. CARPET!! How the hell did they keep these clean??? Carpet is well known for attracting dust, harbouring dust mites, aggravating asthma, hayfever and eczema. In a place that has probably more than a dozen small children in morning and aftern...