Anyone else see this NY Times article on the KaBOOM! homepage? Its an interesting editorial about the current state of playgrounds. Playgrounds today are too concerned with the prevention of cuts and bruises, instead of being places where children, even the tweens, can be creative and express themselves.
Here's my favorite part:
"Playgrounds were originally conceived as places to raise future citizens in a social democracy, but now they seem geared more toward facilitating easy parental supervision."
If I were a parent, I think I could withstand a few skinned knees on my kids if they had a place where they could really break-out and have some fun.
Here's the link right here.
I just found another interesting article on this topic...
Parents shouldn't horse around when it comes to playground safety Asian News International
Washington, Mar 17: Parents really shouldn't take playground safety lightly, for adult supervision and risk awareness are the keys to keeping kids playing and progressing, says a new study. The study was conducted by two occupational therapy professors at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, who said that though it was important for kids to fall, it was also important to have adults to supervise their play. "We have to allow opportunities for kids to fall, within reason, because not only do kids need to learn what to do, but they also need to learn what not to do. But kids may not know the limits of that, so that's why you need to supervise their play," said Roger Ideishi, JD, OT/L, assistant professor of occupational therapy at the institute. ...
Washington, Mar 17: Parents really shouldn't take playground safety lightly, for adult supervision and risk awareness are the keys to keeping kids playing and progressing, says a new study. The study was conducted by two occupational therapy professors at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, who said that though it was important for kids to fall, it was also important to have adults to supervise their play.
"We have to allow opportunities for kids to fall, within reason, because not only do kids need to learn what to do, but they also need to learn what not to do. But kids may not know the limits of that, so that's why you need to supervise their play," said Roger Ideishi, JD, OT/L, assistant professor of occupational therapy at the institute.
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Read the whole article
And another...
School leaders cautious about playground equipment
BY JOAN CARREONMunster (Ind.) Times Correspondent | Monday, March 17, 2008 |
SAUK VILLAGE | At least one Sauk Village Elementary District 168 board member wants the district to buy some playground equipment for its two elementary schools.... But the principals at Wagoner and Strassburg schools, concerned about the potential for injuries, supervision, and liability issues, say they would rather the district buy things like balls and items that can be taken outside and used by students during recess."Playgrounds with equipment are nice for parks where there are a few number of children using it at a time. School playgrounds with little equipment are not functional," Wagoner School Principal Kathleen Hansen wrote in a memo to Superintendent Rudy Williams. "At any recess there are usually 20 to 40 students outside at a time. It becomes a problem to schedule children to play on the equipment. If it is not organized, children may be hurt because too many are on the equipment at the same time."District officials also say youngsters could get hurt on the equipment and on possible fences during nonschool hours. ...
SAUK VILLAGE | At least one Sauk Village Elementary District 168 board member wants the district to buy some playground equipment for its two elementary schools....
But the principals at Wagoner and Strassburg schools, concerned about the potential for injuries, supervision, and liability issues, say they would rather the district buy things like balls and items that can be taken outside and used by students during recess."Playgrounds with equipment are nice for parks where there are a few number of children using it at a time. School playgrounds with little equipment are not functional," Wagoner School Principal Kathleen Hansen wrote in a memo to Superintendent Rudy Williams. "At any recess there are usually 20 to 40 students outside at a time. It becomes a problem to schedule children to play on the equipment. If it is not organized, children may be hurt because too many are on the equipment at the same time."District officials also say youngsters could get hurt on the equipment and on possible fences during nonschool hours.
Those are both really interesting articles. Thanks for posting them. I'm surprised that a district would suggest that a load of kids on equipment most likely built to ASTM and CPSC standards for playgrounds and installed most likely over tried, true, and tested safety surfacing would be unsafe. It would seem to me that kids (who will find "creative" ways to use jump ropes, balls, etc.) playing over unsafe surfacing such as asphalt are more at risk than on a playground structure. I would rather have children on something that is meant to fall on than playing on asphalt. But then again, there are many schools in this country that don't think recess should be left in the school day schedule because the kids can't be controlled. That sounds like an issue with the supervision of that many kids, not with the kids and certainly not with the equipment.