Intergenerational Playground Larking

In his article "Finns open playgrounds to adults," David Sillito (I hope that's pronounced "silly toe") recently informed the BBC and the world that the "University of Lapland has been researching how to make activity more playful and pleasurable and is convinced that elderly people would benefit from joining in with the children in the local park."

Turns out that Lappset, a Finnish playground equipment company, makes much of their playground equipment large enough for adults. And this provided the perfect opportunity for the Rovaniemi Polytechnic research project. Sillito explains that a "team at Rovaniemi Polytechnic [Finland] [or is that "Funland"?] studied one group of 40 people, aged between 65 and 81, and found there were significant improvements in balance, speed and co-ordination after just three months of larking about on the climbing frames and play equipment." He concludes:

"The team at Lappset feel that making the playground a cross-generational meeting place will help the generations understand one another better and create a better social feel to neighbourhoods.

"The more we can be encouraged to interact with neighbours on a wobbly walkway, the more we will learn to appreciate and trust one another."

This is wonderful news for all us play and playground, community and intergenerational advocates. To discover once again how readily the play community forms, and how comfortably it includes all of its members, young and old, labeled and not - well it is a such an accessible, so to speak, truth. Build large enough playground equipment and we'll come, all of us, and we'll play together, and we'll exercise, all of us, and we'll share delight, entirely.

By the way, three different people in my community of friends and informers mentioned this article to me. This has never happened before. I think we're trying to tell you something.