What's a Kids Risk Detective?

Good question. First, let me tell you that we need to talk about both the word "detective" and the word "risk." (You already know what kids are!)

You may know this, but detectives are people who try to solve mysteries by looking for clues and putting information together. They're basically really curious people who ask a lot of questions, probably like you.

Risk, on the other hand, is a word that you may or may not have heard, and if you have heard it you may think it's something bad. Risk simply means that there's a chance that something might happen. It might be something really good, like if you raise your hand in class to answer a question, you get it right, and your teacher is proud of you (and you're proud of yourself too!) Or, it could be something bad, like getting hurt in a car accident. Grown-ups sometimes make the idea of risk confusing to kids. For example, generally up through elementary school the teachers will encourage you to "risk it," or in the words of Ms. Frizzle on the Magic School Bus to "take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!" Then, somewhere around middle school things change and it may seem like risk turned into a four-letter bad-word and grown-ups encourage avoiding risk.

Kids Risk Detectives put together clues about what might happen to one or more kids because seeing the opportunities and possibilities means a better chance of making a good choice. The truth is, you're already a Kids Risk Detective, although you might need to sharpen your skills. Think about and do all the things that you can to make your life and the lives of others better.

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