They'd then run around the pole, leaping and swinging through the air. Terms Of Use, , a nonprofit promoting childhood independence and resilience, and founder of the. And theres a lot of research to indicate that the current plastic playgrounds are actually stifling childhood creativity because theyre so canned (you can drive across the country and note that most of the playgrounds are the same five or so models made by the same few companies). The first thing that caught our eye in the photos up there is this thing: parallel poles pretending to be a slide. Due to the danger presented by Giant Strides, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission putthem on the equipment not recommended list [PDF]. Would be more interesting if the names of equipment were mentioned. 38 by Czechoslovakia during the . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Ironically, "safety" culture is stunting kids' risk assessing abilities, in their estimation. Abenteuerlicher Bauspielplatz Kolle 37. And we even drank water from the garden hose. That doesnt make it a good parenting strategy. 4. Video. Towering over a woodland playground on the northernmost outskirts of Berlin, the Triitopia climbing frame is the kind to cause worry in any anxious parent. There were no lawsuits are calls to tear down the equipment. They survived and so did the boomers after. Their results, published in 2018, found that while the occurrence of injuries was quite rare, a 'statistically significant majority of them' took part in a playground where the equipment was fixed and seen as 'safer' vs an adventure playground with more dangerous and wobbly equipment. Keen to get away from the neighbours? When it comes to human history, survival of the fittest meant more than just our prehistoric evolution. ALSO SEE: Remember the fun of an old-fashioned treehouse? Professor Rolf Schwarz of Karlsruhe University of Education, argues that 'protected' playgrounds forestall kids from studying how to handle danger within the early levels of their growth. I used to play on a swing set that had two swings that spun around a center pole. (An antique Spalding catalog called it a Teeter Ladder.), DONT MISS: See what antique school supplies & educational materials were like in the olden days. Some may not call that progress but anyone who does probably cant say so without some degree of bias. 1) The first on our list of dangerous playgrounds was the one on Harriet Island, St. Paul, Minnesota. Over 100,000 German translations of English words and phrases. Almost every town or city park had swings, teeter totters, a jungle gym, monkey bars, horizontal bars (for the girls to do knee spins on), one or two or more steel slippery slides (what we called them) (and yes, they did get hot!). Lenore Skenazyis president of Let Grow, a nonprofit promoting childhood independence and resilience, and founder of the Free-Range Kids movement. The whole thing was maybe six feet at the tallest point. But its cool to hear about these sort of things every now and then because Im really curious of what it was like to use those playgrounds. Still like a good swing in my 70s. Just wanted to say your comment sounds very cool. Most areas had that wonderful tree bark surface which cushioned the fall but made for really hot & dry conditions. Barrel of fun? A few years ago, when her daughter was in elementary school, she says, "The school replaced the standard playground equipment with four long, thick trees with their branches removed, all interconnected with wide ropes and wobbly bridges made of rubber. Apart from sliding down the cellar door, a slide made of a plank is about as low-tech (and as low-speed) as you could get. It was great fun and we learned to hang on. The object should not be affected by this motion at all." Dantonio, who was featured on last month's Syfy Channel documentary, " Aliens on the Moon: The Truth Exposed ," told The Huffington Post in an email that the triangular object in this Germany video should appear to move smoothly through the sky. New German playgrounds are built to be dangerous, forcing children to negotiate perilous obstacles while risking injury if they fall according to a professor of motor development. An eye bolt is put through the arm about three inches from the end, from which the ropes are dropped to within three feet of the ground. Below, take a look back at the fun and games that children got up to during the 20th century in the unsafe playground days long before plastic slides, rubber mats and safety rails (not to mention government guidelines and personal injury lawsuits) were commonplace. But, at least the injuries on playgrounds today are minor. One influential 2004 study found that children who had improved their motor skills in playgrounds at an early age were less likely to suffer accidents as they got older. Well done, and very interesting to read. Statistically, this is a great ratio, especially. 'When you are feeling insecure, you are also extra careful. and standard pull-up bars. I remember merry go rounds that would go so fast that when the big kid pushed it around you would vomit like a sprinkler as it went around the spray now hiting the big kid My mom said to him you should have known better , she also would kick off big kids off the swing calling them a swing bullys at home In playing Superman I would jump off the garage roof when my knee hit me in the nose i learned to keep my knees apart also I did a back flip off the pool I hit the my head on the coping I saw a kid jump from trampoline to trampoline missing the jump short only to jump between the springs ouch you publish stories of dare devil kids and how they survived You can have mine to share let me know I played chicken at the roller rink skating backwards with someone then collide with him because I wasnt chicken he drove his roller skates over my face My wife was crying I said why are you crying I won !!! "Playgrounds are islands of free movement in a dangerous motorised environment," says Prof Rolf Schwarz of Karlsruhe University of Education, who advises councils and playground designers.. Written and "reimagined" by Call the Midwife writer Harriet Warner, the eight-part series will be inspired by the 18th century French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses, about ex-lovers Merteuil and Valmont in the court of Louis XVI - also the basis for Christopher Hampton's 1985 . The burning slides. Lawsuits like this, along with evolving safety rules and regulations, marked the beginning of the end for most tall metal slide. Pillows so they can lay there and stare into their phone. And whenever they do use them they use them in their own risky ways like climbing on the roofs above the slide tops. I do think, however, that there is a reason playground safety has evolved over time (although, of course, injuries still happen today). Material on this site is provided for education, criticism, commentary, cultural reporting, entertainment, historical reference, and news reporting/analysis. We had always called it the ding dongs but I see it is actually called a Giant Stride. It was there until maybe the early 1980s, along with metal baby swings that must have weighed 20lbs each! The Jungle Gym was still the most common name for the metal apparatus found in parks and school recess areas in the 1960s, all metal. Or back out of it?). They often say with a smile, I dont know how we survived. The heights. The comments below have not been moderated. Professor Rolf Schwarz of Karlsruhe University of Education, argues that 'safe' playgrounds prevent kids from learning how to handle risk in the early stages of their development. The following video from Germany is disturbingly brutal. Images of the log swing in action show children overloading the beam up to 14 kids deep, while others reveal that some youngsters rode the oscillating piling of doom surfboard-style. I found this article because I am doing research for my memoirs encompassing 1934 through 2020. Take average children, brimful of the primal instinct to develop through play, provide for them proper playgrounds fitted with modern playground equipment; and tomorrow, they will step forth vigorous, healthy, clear-thinking men and women to make the world a better place to live in.. The Drink 4. Germany has the best playgrounds. The maximum fall height in the Triitopia structures spiderweb is 1.8 metres. Insurance companies in the UK have taken a different approach by refusing to insure playgrounds deemed too 'high-risk' to avoid the cost of paying out on accidents, while researchers have said British kids are generally not allowed to play independently until age 11 (pictured: Gunnersbury Park, London). Nancy Price, founder/owner/editor/writer/creator ClickAmericana.com. Spielpltze gefallen kleinen Kindern. We also had the rings and tall swing sets (which were fun) from which most boys would compete to see who could launch and fly the farthest. As an American, I nervously anticipated the outrage that would surely follow. If scaling the Triitopia looks risky, that is the point: built in 2018, the climbing tower in Berlin-Frohnaus Ludwig Lesser Park is emblematic of a trend that has accelerated in Germany over the last five years. And we even drank water from the garden hose. Swings are responsible for the most injuries on home playgrounds, while climbing apparatus is the most dangerous equipment on public playgrounds. The slide itself spiraled around the structure and the sliding surface of it looked like 1/2 inch metal tubes welded together. Also, FYI, many of the crowded photos of kids sitting astride slides and atop monkey bars are actually group photos. Note: ClickAmericana.com features authentic historical information, and is not intended to represent current best practices on any topic, particularly with regard to health and safety. TV Smith - Dangerous Playground TV SMITH's new EP "Dangerous Playground," comprises four new songs specially written for the play "Der Kalte Kuss von warmem Bier" (the cold kiss of warm beer) by German playwright Dirk Laucke, which will premiere in the Stadttheater . When you are looking out for broken glass and metal, do a quick sweep for other animals that could potentially harm your child. Way up. They survived and so did the boomers after. a medical journal wrote of some of the danger: Vintage playhouses & forts: Old-fashioned fun for kids, Antique toys: See what kids played with a long time ago and that people collect now, See what antique school supplies & educational materials were like in the olden days, Rolling hoops used to be the coolest toys around, Wonder horses! Im 73 years old and recognize some of these, although many are from my grandparents time. This way of making a giant stride keeps the children far apart, the ropes seldom get tangled and it gives the children a much better swing., A similar version, with a long tree trunk as the center. This article was great! That's music to an actuaries' earsand also to some parents'. The model pictured [below] is capable of handling 100 children at a time the only thing being necessary is space to set it up.. Lenore Skenazy Its even worse if the wood is cheap and not cured properly. Spin it faster!. The landscape is gorgeous. 'Children need to learn their limitations!'" They would rather find a nice ditch and play with some bricks and wooden lats than slide down the 5 feet plastic slides twice in a row. I grew up with those also,they were great fun. A playground on Harriet Island, St. Paul, Minnesota. Some adventurous youngsters would even step up on top, logrolling stylebut unlike that famous woodsmans sport, the inevitable spill was farther and the landing was neither soft nor splashy. Note: This article may feature affiliate links, and purchases made may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Even with a soft landing in four feet of water, calling this monument to mirth a safety swing might be a bit of a stretch. 11 items. Furthermore, a study by non-profit Studioludo that compared parks in England and the US found adventure parks were both more popular among kids (55 percent more so) and also encouraged higher activity rates among visiting children of 1618 percent when compared with fixed-equipment playgrounds. I read a fascinating article from the Atlantic a few years ago called The Overprotected Kid that there are actually more playground injuries today than pre-1980s because kids had to learn to be more careful when playing on concrete and asphalt. Theres a version of this photo going around the internet, tagged with the suggestion that the kid on the far left is falling but hes not. savannah st patrick's day festival 2022; in the juvenile justice system, where is the emphasis? Our designs have significantly increased in height in recent years.'. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. And the hazards aren't always as obvious as moms might think. The undulating and wavelike motion of this playground attraction gleefully brought seasickness ashore. New German playgrounds are built to be dangerous, forcing children to negotiate perilous obstacles while risking injury if they fall according to a professor of motor development. This article was so fun to read and I love the pictures! Risky play is important for child development. Im on a Village council here in the UK and in the process of updating one of our play areas. We love the kid hanging upside down (shes clearly having fun) but also hope recovery went well after one foot inevitably got stuck in a ring. Since this site is all about Americana, it seems fair enough to reflect the history and perspectives of Americans, does it not? Another, more serious problem then and now is when play equipment is allowed to fall into disrepair. The holy trinity of playgrounds swing, seesaw and slide is in decline, says Steffen Strasser of Playparc, one of about 60 German manufacturers who do not only supply the countrys estimated 120,000 playgrounds but export around the world. November 04, 2021. Since 1989, this Prenzlauer Berg play area has facilitated free play and innovation in amazing ways. Easy nearby parking. Do you go outside? Parents can try to keep up with their young mountaineers as they ascend through the rope spiderweb, but they might get left behind in the tightly woven mesh. That's music to an actuaries' earsand also to some parents. Even back then was anyone being forced to participate? In 1 collection by CyberPlays26. Numerous_Recording87 4 mo. There are about 1,850 public playgrounds in Berlin, a city of nearly four million inhabitants, of which about half a million are under 18. Der Stacheldrahtmann 2. Grandpa always said he was toughbut even if you dont believe that he walked eight miles uphill in the snow to school every day, these vintage playground devices were truly perilous. On this particular one, you entered an oval shaped hole and climed up through the center of the rocket. See 20 forts built upon branches. I dont know how tall it was, but I remember thinking that if I fell off it, I would probably end up breaking something. 3.3.2023 4:50 PM, 2022 Reason Foundation | It stands by its credo: "No parents allowed." However, we had a solution to the problem; us boys would take our shirts off and slide down on our shirts. Girls are more prone to playground-related injuries than boys (55% to 45%, respectively). The barrel was built to be anchored in a slab of concrete, and kids were encouraged to dive over the top of the 140-pound steel cask or attempt to hug its smooth surface and spin themselves silly. Falls are a . Huge old outdoor public swimming pools like these made summertime cool for everyone 100 years ago, Vintage Erector Sets were toys that made toys: See old sets & find out their history, Remember the fun of an old-fashioned treehouse? This article may be worth a skim: The Fallacy of the I Turned Out Fine Argument: You didnt use seatbelts when you were growing up and you lived to tell about it? Interestingly, I find it somewhat ironic that many people I talk with who are avid Darwinists are also staunchly against any type of playground equipment that could possibly injure a child in any way whatsoever. Im 18 as of now, but they look fun! The big problem with wood log play equipment is that it rots within a relatively short period of time making it not only dangerous and unstable, but expensive to repair. 'One of the things that we have noticed is that kids are really good at risk assessing their own behaviour,' she said. The ad for this spinner said,There is plenty of action, bringing into play every muscle in the childs body., DONT MISS: Vintage playhouses & forts: Old-fashioned fun for kids. And there were always those kids who seemed to enjoy getting rope burns when they slid down. And that's a long way to fall. They didnt make it.. However, it is very rare to find this natural possibility within a play area. They're well-made but innovative. ALSO SEE: Wonder horses! Find out more here. Kids were meant to latch onto one of the lines of rope attached to the spinning wheel-like contraption atop the pole. We see what the equipment is, but were still not sure what this one kid is doing or why. From my elementary school, which just closed. Unfortunately, that runs smack into our culture's habit of underestimating kids, overestimating danger, and hiring trial lawyers. Now more kids go play on construction sites, because modern playgrounds offer no stimulation physically or creativity-wise when used correctly. Children aged six and upwards wind their way through four stacked steel-wire buckyballs and scramble up dangling rope ladders until they reach a platform about 10 metres above the forest floor. Why, yes. And while I appreciate your perspective, and hear your argument, I absolutely do not appreciate you telling me shame on you. I have done nothing remotely shameful, and honestly dont understand why youre so angry at a stranger about an article topic that may have some degree of personal meaning to you, but is not actually about you or your choices, past or present. Super fun! I remember being thrown off of a merry-go-round many times, and learning how to fall properly to avoid injury. I run a memory program for aging seniors and they LOVE to talk about the playgrounds from the old days. Adventure Playgrounds are a perfect case in point. (Photos from the Seattle Municipal Archives Collection). The Ocean Wave was an old favorite by the time General Playground offered this version for $195 in 1940. We also had a long metal slide (which got really fast when kids used the wax paper used to wrap sandwiches on it!) Test yourself with this Cockney Rhyming Slang quiz. Todays playgrounds by comparison seem sterile- safe, but boring as heck. Professor. The most dangerous thing about metal play equipment is that it got scorching hot in the summer especially the slides. They combined their last names to. 'What the spongy surface playgrounds don't do is teach kids that there is a consequence to falling, and they won't learn anything from it,' said Faulkner.
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