Adventure playgrounds, again and again

If I told you that this image was of some horrible slum in some impoverished country, you'd probably sigh with compassion for the unfortunates dwelling therein. But if I told you that this was a playground you were looking at, built by kids, and sanctioned by adults, you'd probably respond with something akin to outrage and bulldozers. Which explains, in case further explanation were needed, why the Adventure Playground movement has become so unpopular in this country.

Even if you assembled your local community visionaries and read them this remarkably well-reasoned explanation of all the various benefits to children who play in and create such environments, you would be hard pressed, hard pressed in deed. Even were you to explain to them how, in England, there are not only Adventure Playgrounds, but an entire cadre of trained, educated, professional, gifted playworkers to administer these adventure playgrounds, you would be subject to both disbelief and disparagement. Even if you had read them my previous post about the signficance of the adventure playground - junkyard sports connection, even if you were able to provide them with the informed historical perspective of Howard Chudacoff's insightful explorations into the American history of Children at Play, who says: "...we need to think more carefully about how play, in Tom Sawyer's meaning of something one is not obliged to do, should be the private domain of childhood" - you would be subliminally both booed and hissed at.

And yet, you'd continue fighting the good fight, wouldn't you? Because you know how constructive unstructured play can be. Because you believe in fun.



via Metafilter


from Bernie DeKoven, funsmith