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There are dangers associated with water, particularly for
smaller children, but these can be overcome.
The educational benefit to children from having a pond in their
garden or backyard is enormous. Where else locally can they
learn about the seasons, about life-cycles, about wildlife
communities and adaptation? Sadly though, the educational value
of wildlife ponds can be overshadowed by some fears surrounding
child deaths in garden ponds. In recent years, there have been a
handful of cases of young children drowning in garden ponds. The
resulting media coverage of these events can lead to many
worried parents wanting to fill-in existing ponds.
Froglife believes that filling in ponds should always be a last
resort, since the damage this can do to wildlife communities
locally can be enormous. Wildlife ponds can be made safe if you
have small children.
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Supervision |
Never leave young children unsupervised near
any large container holding water. This includes large plant
pots, tub-ponds, paddling pools and garden ponds. |
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Respect water |
Encourage children at every
opportunity to respect water. This will benefit many children as
they grow and could have wider positive impact. Many more
drownings occur in water bodies other than ponds. |
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Fences |
A barrier between your child and the pond leaves the
rest of the garden as a safe area.
Make sure the fence is
at least 1.1m high. It can be made of strong wood, unclimbable grating or with vertical railings no more than 10cm
apart. Don’t forget to leave a small gap between the ground and
fence to allow animals access. A childproof, lockable gate is
also an option. Some people find willow-fencing more
aesthetically pleasing. |
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Pond grilles |
a rigid mesh or grille across the pond
creates a secure pond cover. The grille needs to be able
to support the weight of a child and should remain above
the surface of the water at all times. Garden centres
stock grates and newer products are easy to install.
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Gently sloping sides |
These are important for wildlife
anyway, but are also helpful should anyone fall in the
pond.
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It’s worth stating that many of these above can be temporary
measures while children are smaller. Once children are older you
can remove many of these features, promoting the pond as a place
for enjoying and learning about the natural world.
'Tub' ponds.
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