What do we want for our children? What do we want for ourselves?
" For most parents, the playground is a place to sit on a bench and fiddle with their phones while occasionally glancing up to check their children are still intact. Nothing can go too wrong, anyway: all the equipment is designed so there are no hard landings, jagged edges or dark hiding spaces."
This morning I met with a play equipment manufacturer and distributor of some of the best play equipment in the world. We agreed that Health and Safety regulations are important to ensure manufacturing quality standards are met. We also agreed that nature cannot, does not and should not conform to any "Standard".
It is important for children to learn to assess risk, to know what they can rely on, and where they need to actively engage with an environment. In a playground, it is about balancing risk and benefit. Where we place playful, quality equipment into a landscaped setting, with appropriate shade trees, places to explore, and perhaps some tasty fruiting plants, all ages and abilities can learn the essential elements for children's development:
Home gardens today are smaller and tidier than they were when we were growing up. Parents today spend less time with their children. The opportunities we had, to just mess about at home with a treehouse, a swing or a bucket of water, or while out on our bikes ranging near home, are largely gone. For essential healthy child development it is increasingly important that public space playgrounds, in parks and schools, fill the gap.
Playground commissioners have an opportunity to gain more from their designers and suppliers. It is no longer enough to pop a climbing tower on the ground and say "job done" (was it ever, actually?) - Perhaps surprisingly, it costs no more to add extra play value to a playground. It does require a different way of thinking. For example, would you rather spend $40,000 on a steel fence or rubber safety matting, with no play value, or use that money to install a natural alternative, that provides the safety you require but with extra play elements and play value?
I suggest that your budget is to be spent on children. This means that regardless of the shiny thing you see in the catalogue, you need to consider how the children may benefit from it. Does the proposed new playground offer play experiences for all ages and abilities? Inclusive play is not just about everything being at ground level, or ramps and accessible play decks. Is there a quiet, semi-enclosed space where children on the autistic spectrum will feel safe? Will the wider community gather in the space? Will the playground bring multiple cultural groups together? Does it account for varied needs? Does it fulfill our innate biophilic need?
The ideal urban play environment includes manufactured equipment in an appropriately landscaped setting. It gives children and young people a reason to get outside. It is engaging and allows for gradual discovery. In short, it is more like a play 'garden' and less like a play 'ground'.
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