Thoughts on Playgrounds

[hellocat 308]

Today, I passed by the elementary school I had attended many years ago. The aging school had been long torn down and replaced with a new, modern school, which I feel doesn't look much like an elementary school anymore, but would be better acquainted as a company of sort. The new building also blocks off the excellent sledding hill that accompanied my youth.

 

Regardless, the most shocking part was the state of the playground. The massive wooden playground which I had grown up with and loved, was replaced by a small measly metal setup. Now, I've heard things have changed quite a bit since I was still a young child, for instance kids are not allowed to run on the playground because it is "dangerous" and that tag is a forbidden game due to the injuries that may ensue. These new rules seem highly restrictive and I would imagine hinder a child's growth in creativity and imagination. But again, the new playground just doesn't seem the same as what I grew up with, to be frank, it looks boring. I've also heard that they chopped off the tire swing because the school was worried that it would cause the students to "get dizzy"... Wasn't that the point of a tire swing...?

 

What do all of you think on the matter?

[Chigens and Kay 3,831]

Regardless, the most shocking part was the state of the playground. The massive wooden playground which I had grown up with and loved, was replaced by a small measly metal setup. Now, I've heard things have changed quite a bit since I was still a young child, for instance kids are not allowed to run on the playground because it is "dangerous" and that tag is a forbidden game due to the injuries that may ensue. These new rules seem highly restrictive and I would imagine hinder a child's growth in creativity and imagination. But again, the new playground just doesn't seem the same as what I grew up with, to be frank, it looks boring. I've also heard that they chopped off the tire swing because the school was worried that it would cause the students to "get dizzy"... Wasn't that the point of a tire swing...?

 

What do all of you think on the matter?

 

There used to be this amazing wooden playground I used to go to.

 

They tore it down and replaced it with plastic and like 'safe' things to play on.

 

All that bolded stuff up there is so right.

 

"Safe" playgrounds also inhibit a childs growth. Or so I have read in articles.

[Nah 3,181]

My Mom teaches at the school I attended in 1st and 4th grade. Th playground had a wooden station with tree sheddings on the ground, and the slides where made out of metal, well, termite damage and wood damage prompted the school district to tear it down due to safety reasons, and a few kids where allergic to the tree sheddings, so it was all gone and replaced with an aluminum and plastic station and tire shreadings.

 

 

I miss the old one, which was relaxing strangely.

[XUNUSEDXXX 3,459]

i gotta agree with everyone else here, the older wooden playgrounds definitely outshine the newer, plastic-metal ones. and yea, in my old elementary school now they have the dumbest restrictions about things that ruin the fun of alot of activities.

[Zoop 8,384]

for instance kids are not allowed to run on the playground because it is "dangerous" and that tag is a forbidden game due to the injuries that may ensue.

"Hey guys, we've got massive obesity issues and all that; tons and tons of our kids are way overweight and sit around all day at home playing Pee-Ess-Three games - what should we do?"

 

"I propose banning voluntary activities that make children want to run around and exert themselves.

 

"Bloody brilliant idea!"

[Fox 5,330]

I hate all the saftey things on playgrounds now. I used to do some crazy stuff on the swing; swings were my favourite. :3

[Shiki 5,854]

What happened to the days where 7 year olds were climbing trees and jumping out of them like little monkeys? Where they played army with stick guns and mud/dirt grenades? What happened to the days where if a kid got a scratch, he continued about his business? No bandage, no crying, no harm. What happened to the days where kids could walk around the streets without being in danger? Where they could roam around, meet other, new kids, play baseball with them, make friends with them? What happened to building forts out of things from the woods? Where went the years when the only reason anyone ever came home was to eat lunch and dinner? What happened to playing until the street lights went out?

 

What happened.

[FedoraMemes 582]

The playground just up the road where I live was practically my childhood. They're changing into this whole pirate them thing. It's really annoying, but a lot of the apparatus is falling apart, so I suppose they kinda need it.

 

What happened to the days where 7 year olds were climbing trees and jumping out of them like little monkeys? Where they played army with stick guns and mud/dirt grenades? What happened to the days where if a kid got a scratch, he continued about his business? No bandage, no crying, no harm. What happened to the days where kids could walk around the streets without being in danger? Where they could roam around, meet other, new kids, play baseball with them, make friends with them? What happened to building forts out of things from the woods? Where went the years when the only reason anyone ever came home was to eat lunch and dinner? What happened to playing until the street lights went out?

 

What happened.

 

I wish I could've experienced such a wonder.

 

Fuck the system.

Edited August 13, 2012 by DylanKLJ

[sirseansy 87]

My elementary school replaced our playgrounds with the metal plasitc ones when I was in third grade. for a few months, both the old playground and then new one were available to play on. Everyone preferred the old wooden one.

 

In my little valley, there are 7 playgrounds including the three at the elementary school. All of them were once the old fashionedy type. All have since been replaced by the more modern kind. I spent my childhood playing on the two in my town and it's rather depressing to see them change so much.

[Chigens and Kay 3,831]

Oh, and another thing, slightly on-topic:

 

My school system banned recess.

 

I was dumbfounded, why was there even a playground if we couldn't use it??

Even when we could, it was just two sandboxes with rubber tires and a tiny slide, maybe a jungle-gym. Cant remember.

[Motion Spark 7,807]

what you guys don't know is that all of those playgrounds are going to be replaced with home consoles such ps3 and wii's

[hellocat 308]

Oh, and another thing, slightly on-topic:

 

My school system banned recess.

 

I was dumbfounded, why was there even a playground if we couldn't use it??

Even when we could, it was just two sandboxes with rubber tires and a tiny slide, maybe a jungle-gym. Cant remember.

 

...................... WHAT? That is absurd. Recess is the most important part of elementary school. It is where one learns how to think creatively, and how to interact socially in an uncontrolled or loosely controlled environment. Absolutely critical I'd think.

[Chigens and Kay 3,831]

...................... WHAT? That is absurd. Recess is the most important part of elementary school. It is where one learns how to think creatively, and how to interact socially in an uncontrolled or loosely controlled environment. Absolutely critical I'd think.

 

Apparently it was detrimental.

 

All our supintendent wanted was more classtime for students. The longer we stayed, the more we learn.

 

God, he was dumb.

Edited August 13, 2012 by Chigens and Kay

[FALCON PUNCH 243]

where i live there was a wooden playground and then suddenly they just replaced it with some shiny crap

[BookWorm 47]

I've watched all the playgrounds I frequented as a kid be replaced with plastic. It's definitely disheartening, since it's like watching a part of my childhood disappear. On the other hand, that doesn't necessarily make plastic playgrounds a bad thing. Hear me out; before playgrounds, kids would have climbed trees and explored the countryside for fun. Those people would have considered hiking and climbing trees to be superior to playgrounds. It happens every generation; something changes, and everyone expects the next generation to become spoiled by it, or something. I can only imagine something will replace plastic someday, and the young generation now will look back on the "good ol' days" when the playgrounds were plastic. Sure, plastic playgrounds have their share of flaws, but so do wood playgrounds. Personally, I prefer wood playgrounds because of their sentimental value. On an objective level, however, there's nothing wrong about making future generations' playgrounds out of a new material.

 

As for the ridiculous levels of safety, these are most likely because of those annoying parents who sue whenever their child gets hurt anywhere. They're concerned for their child's safety, yes, but it's just bad parenting to blame the playground for their injuries. It's not the playground's fault your kid got hurt because they were doing something stupid. In any case, they get to ruin the fun for everyone... or do they? Fact is; children will always find ways around the safety limitations. Think about the "do not blow on game cartridge" warning on the old cartridge games. Who really paid attention to that? Really, who? Whether they find a way to exploit it or outright ignore it, they'll always find a way. My generation has a tough time seeing this, though. We grew up with safety rules as well, but that never ruined our fun. We found ways around it. It's when we encounter a new system that we become confused. This is because our old tactics don't work anymore. The new system requires a new way of thinking. Maybe it's too late for my friends, but the kids of today will find ways to use today's playgrounds in ways that we can't or refuse to see.

 

As for losing out on imagination and growing up, neither of those things come from cool equipment on a playground. It's all about the mind of the child growing up. As a kid, I had fun because I wanted to have fun, not because the playground was inherently fun. The fact that the playground was, in fact, fun helped, but only marginally. A good playground acts as an aid to the imagination, not as imagination itself. Even if a playground is poorly thrown together, I don't see how that would make anyone less creative.

 

Anyway, I appreciate a good wooden playground like anyone else but I will only mourn their passing out of sentiment. Plastic playgrounds aren't that evil, really, they're just new. If anything, I see resentment of change more than anything when my friends complain about plastic playgrounds being boring. And that's just human nature, so even though it bugs me when I hear it I understand why it happens all the same. Maybe the kids, like me, who grew up in wooden playgrounds will suffer the change, but I wouldn't worry about the future generations. They'll find ways to have fun, just like we did.

 

P.S: whose idea was it to remove recess entirely? I've heard of other schools doing that, but I didn't want to believe it. If anything it's decisions like this, not making playgrounds plastic, that ruin all the fun.

[Acoustic Cloud 2,202]

well i'm not that old, but even when i was younger we had all the fun stuff!

merry go rounds

metal slides

and i remember at my elementary school we had these two 15ft poles that we could race to the top. but of course a 15ft drop isn't healthy for a 3rd grader... so they took it out. probably replaced it with packing peanuts.

[hellocat 308]

I've watched all the playgrounds I frequented as a kid be replaced with plastic. It's definitely disheartening, since it's like watching a part of my childhood disappear. On the other hand, that doesn't necessarily make plastic playgrounds a bad thing. Hear me out; before playgrounds, kids would have climbed trees and explored the countryside for fun. Those people would have considered hiking and climbing trees to be superior to playgrounds. It happens every generation; something changes, and everyone expects the next generation to become spoiled by it, or something. I can only imagine something will replace plastic someday, and the young generation now will look back on the "good ol' days" when the playgrounds were plastic. Sure, plastic playgrounds have their share of flaws, but so do wood playgrounds. Personally, I prefer wood playgrounds because of their sentimental value. On an objective level, however, there's nothing wrong about making future generations' playgrounds out of a new material.

 

As for the ridiculous levels of safety, these are most likely because of those annoying parents who sue whenever their child gets hurt anywhere. They're concerned for their child's safety, yes, but it's just bad parenting to blame the playground for their injuries. It's not the playground's fault your kid got hurt because they were doing something stupid. In any case, they get to ruin the fun for everyone... or do they? Fact is; children will always find ways around the safety limitations. Think about the "do not blow on game cartridge" warning on the old cartridge games. Who really paid attention to that? Really, who? Whether they find a way to exploit it or outright ignore it, they'll always find a way. My generation has a tough time seeing this, though. We grew up with safety rules as well, but that never ruined our fun. We found ways around it. It's when we encounter a new system that we become confused. This is because our old tactics don't work anymore. The new system requires a new way of thinking. Maybe it's too late for my friends, but the kids of today will find ways to use today's playgrounds in ways that we can't or refuse to see.

 

As for losing out on imagination and growing up, neither of those things come from cool equipment on a playground. It's all about the mind of the child growing up. As a kid, I had fun because I wanted to have fun, not because the playground was inherently fun. The fact that the playground was, in fact, fun helped, but only marginally. A good playground acts as an aid to the imagination, not as imagination itself. Even if a playground is poorly thrown together, I don't see how that would make anyone less creative.

 

Anyway, I appreciate a good wooden playground like anyone else but I will only mourn their passing out of sentiment. Plastic playgrounds aren't that evil, really, they're just new. If anything, I see resentment of change more than anything when my friends complain about plastic playgrounds being boring. And that's just human nature, so even though it bugs me when I hear it I understand why it happens all the same. Maybe the kids, like me, who grew up in wooden playgrounds will suffer the change, but I wouldn't worry about the future generations. They'll find ways to have fun, just like we did.

 

P.S: whose idea was it to remove recess entirely? I've heard of other schools doing that, but I didn't want to believe it. If anything it's decisions like this, not making playgrounds plastic, that ruin all the fun.

 

Interesting you say that. It is a good point that the kids will usually find ways to have fun, but the lack of heights in the new playgrounds is pretty disappointing. The vertical elevation give kids a need to conquer their fears, and gain a sense of accomplishment. Besides, I think you really do need to break a few bones growing up in order to learn.

 

I remember when I was young I spent a lot of time in the woods with my friends. There was this rope swing that was a ton of fun, and one of them broke his arm on it, but as soon as his arm was fixed, he was back to swinging on the rope. I think it is the sense of speed, heights, and exhilaration that is lacking with today's playgrounds that can actually take away from the emotions that kids experience on them.

[~Sugar Sprinkles~ 637]

To me that sounds a little dumb. Nowadays it seems like rules for kids are getting more strict every year! Like..at my Elementary school, kindergarders cannot play with the other students now. I remember being able to play with my friends a grade higher than me..Tag is like the funnest game growing up and tire swings were always fun. i think the US or whatever else countries provide this needs to chill! Let kids have their fun

[I used to be a stranger 7,989]

Regardless of what state or form a playground takes, if it's large enough to accommodate my average weight 6'4" frame, I'll still play on it if I have the time.

 

I still have swing-races with my older brothers (both of whom are larger than I am).

Like all of us, I'm a child stuck in some old person's body.

[NostalgicPony 310]

Well there were some playgrounds I've been to when I was younger that had neat plastic play structures, even some three stories high.

 

But I do like the wooden ones better, I guess it's because it felt more like playing around on the trees and nature. But people use plastic instead of wood now because its cheaper and some nanny's wanted more safety regulations on playgrounds so a lot of the wood ones became obsolete. Also the metal merry-go-rounds were my favorite.

Edited August 14, 2012 by NostalgicPony

[p51 15]

Children are supposed to get hurt! No pain no gain! I mean, we fall a lot when we learn to walk, right?!

 

That aside, it seems a playground designers dream world is padded and everyone is required to wear padded suits and a padded helmet so we don't get hurt.

[Street Comedy 327]

What happened to the days where 7 year olds were climbing trees and jumping out of them like little monkeys? Where they played army with stick guns and mud/dirt grenades? What happened to the days where if a kid got a scratch, he continued about his business? No bandage, no crying, no harm. What happened to the days where kids could walk around the streets without being in danger? Where they could roam around, meet other, new kids, play baseball with them, make friends with them? What happened to building forts out of things from the woods? Where went the years when the only reason anyone ever came home was to eat lunch and dinner? What happened to playing until the street lights went out?

 

What happened.

 

A fun thing I did in 1st grade was we reinacted movies such as Finding Nemo and Shrek that were popular in my early school days.

 

Everyone was so nice to each other and we played our right parts instead of bailing or stealing other parts.

 

What happened to dueling each other in Pokemon on the playground? My Blaziken and Groudon I named Spike and coolman respectivley were my homies! I wrecked my friend's pathetic over leveled starters with ease, then someone pulls out their Rayquaza then arguing and chaos ensued.

 

Those were the days, two years ago in fifth grade, my last year of Recess, sucked. 10 minutes, jerks hogging the swings. It was horrible, I want my old playground and old classmates back.

[p51 15]

I want a recess, MagicalHorseThing

 

My school doesn't have a playground or field, since it's built on in an old art college (thanks to that its now an art school. yay for mandatory Latin!), so the closest I have is Phys Ed in the cafeteria. Woo for high school...

Edited August 14, 2012 by p51

[TOMahwk 351]

Schools don't want that lawsuit that comes from that parent who freaks out that their kid got hurt having fun. Hell, my old school we used to build snow forts and have snowball fights until one parent complained that their kid got a bruise from being hit by a snowball.

 

 

For the record he wasn't hit by a snowball. I may or may not have punched him....

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

I agree with everyone on this. Schools have gone insane with safety, it gets annoying. There was a wooden ship on my schools playground. On this they had a Cross, a fireman pole, and two slides. They removed the slides due to a few mishaps. They got rid of the fireman pole because it was deemed too dangerous. They also got rid of the cross (obvious reasons). We also had a balance beam connected to monkey bars. They took out the balance beam because it was "too dangerous". I remember having a great time on those things. I'm glad theirs a playground kids can go too that is old fashioned around an hour from my house.