Life may be an adventure, but at what point are you ready to let your kids adventure on their own? A new (old?) kind of playground is testing the limits of parents’ sense of adventure.
So-called adventure playgrounds have been popular in Europe for about a century and are now taking hold in major cities in the United States. These playgrounds can take many forms but are generally a cross between natural and junkyard playgrounds. Combing things like sensory gardens, climbing poles, old tires, shakily-constructed platforms, ropes and netting, man-made zip lines, rickety slides and even hammers and saws. Often, parents aren’t allowed in.
A sign scrawled in painted, wobbly letters outside the New York City adventure playground called The Yard reads: Your children are fine without advice and suggestions.
Rebecca Faulkner, the head of the non-profit adventure playground, opened the 50,000 square foot playground last summer and says it’s a place where kids can make their own decisions. Parents are left out so that they can be retrained to leave their kids alone.
“This is a space where children can make their own decisions about what is quote unquote ‘risky,’” she said in an interview with the CBS affiliate in New York City.
Most of the parks have “play workers” or adults that offer some supervision but no direction for the kids. But the playgrounds are designed specifically to introduce risk into childrens’ play.
The argument is that in making playgrounds safer, we’ve made them too safe and are stifling creativity, decision making when it comes to risky behavior and, basically, coddling our children to the point they can’t make any decisions on their own.
It’s a children’s’ wonderland,” said Rebecca Faulkner, Ph.D. and executive director of Play:GroundNYC, in an interview with an NBC affiliate. “It’s a junkyard heaven with loose parts and all kinds of materials for kids to play and build and create and also to destroy. Play today for so many children looks really different than that. There are few opportunities for them to play unsupervised without adults telling them how to do it.”
In fact, researchers from the University of Minnesota recently followed more than 400 children over an eight year period and found that the more children were coddled throughout life, the more they struggled in school and with making friends.
“Over protective parents, or what we’re calling helicopter parents, can often interfere with a child’s ability to learn how to self sooth, how to take care of themselves,” said child and adolescent psychologist Jennifer Hartstein in an interview with the Today Show. “And the problem with that is they never actually learn how to regulate emotions for themselves.”
Play supervisors in the park back up the independent play concept as a way of teaching children how to be kids.
“This is a mess,” said Steve Caudle, a play manager at the adventure park in Sacramento, California, to Capital Public Radio in March. “It’s a junkyard where kids can be kids the old-fashioned way. Imagination, creativity, socialization – you get it all here.”
One of the U.S.’s first adventure playgrounds to open was in Berkeley, California in 1979. It’s located next to the Berkeley Marina in San Francisco Bay and has play structures that have been built by the children over the years. It’s been featured in Architectural Digest and Condé Nast Travelers named it one of the 10 best playgrounds in the world.
In 2013, the then coordinator of the Berkley playground Patricia Donald told the Sacramento Bee that the idea for the playground came from post-war Europe.
“Originally, there were 24 Adventure playgrounds (nationwide) in the 1970s,” she said in that interview. “The idea came from post-war Europe, where kids really liked playing around in the rubble, creating their own fun. That’s what we like to do. We tell our staff there’s a fine line they have to walk. We want to keep it safe but don’t want to step on toes and stifle kids’ creativity. If a child takes a saw, we make sure they know how to use it and that a clamp goes with it. Some kids may not have backyards, and they may not have dads. They may not be exposed to things like this. This gives them the opportunity to play, but also get life skills.”
So, how adventurous are you? Are you ready to let your kids adventure out on their own in these new, old-fashioned playgrounds?
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So it is all about turning your kids loose to actually go play without parents hovering. Sure they need supervision of course
My kids would really love this. We love to get out and enjoy places like this that are all about adventure.
Is Maggie Daley Park considered an Adventure Playground? My kids and I love it…except when it’s crowded and it causes me a mini-panic attack.
I have always enjoyed watching my boys play on a playground. We don’t have anything as large as that here but I know they’d have enjoyed it if we did.
As a teacher, I absolutely love the purpose of this playground!! Children learn so much through play and making decisions! I love that this playground encourages kids to take risks. Wish I could take my students on a field trip right now 🙂
Great read. Totally understand both sides. I have pondered the same things. I some how always revert back to it’s just not the same world anymore as far as safety goes. Thanks for sharing.
I can totally understand both sides. On one hand, I played like this and I am guilty of letting go more. Especially outside of my comfort zone. Great reminder.
What an interesting concept. I think it is a great idea. It looks a bit riskier, but isn’t everything we do?!
This is such an interesting concept and one I would definitely expose my kids to if I had them. I know a few sets of helicopter parents who make a big fuss over their children tripping over their own feet. Obviously the kid is fine, just startled at the fall, but the parents act like it’s the end of the world. I would love to see them send their kids to one of these playgrounds, lol.
I love old fashion playgrounds. My kids love visiting outdoor spots to have fun like I did as a kid.
This is definitely something my kids would love. Play is so important for them!
It’s fun to have different places for kids to check out and explore, and to use their imaginations and be physically active. These sound like a cool concept!
Wow! What an amazing concept and playground! My kids would love them. But I could see myself being nervous.
This is a great idea. I don’t know how parents are now but from what I’ve heard they do tend to hover over their children. Children need to use their imaginations and be free to express themselves.
I have a 5 year old and I love this idea! I’m always encouraging her to do something brave and I tell her, maybe you’ll fall and get a scrape or a bruise, but you have to try!
I love this! Kids need to be able to explore and try things without parents hovering around worrying. Something different and I think it’s great.
That sounds awesome! My kids will be interested about this!
Such a nice place to visit and I am sure my kids will love to play in this place she really loves adventure but also she still need my supervision and know that it was safe for my kids.
My kids would be all over this playground! They love to just run off and play!
That looks like so much fun. My kids would probably really love it there. We love going to playgrounds like these.
I’ve seen videos of these before. I would love to let my boys go play. They are 3 and 5, and right now I let them in the backyard by themselves. I sit inside with a window cracked in case they need me, but otherwise, I let them at it. They love the freedom they get, and I still feel safe since they are in our fenced yard. The only time I get onto them is if they are screaming too much because we have neighbors that we share the fence with.
wow, that looks awesome. my kids would love it. i’ll have to remember if i’m ever in the area.
I think my kids would love to play here. I know my meeker ones wouldn’t be quite as adventurous and that is ok!
This sounds like great fun for kids, it is probably best for children to learn to make riskier decisions in a controlled environment like this.
My kids would love this. I’m not really a hovering mom to begin with, as long as they can hear me and answer when I call I pretty much let them roam at parks. I think it’s importsnt to let kids just explore without parents constantly telling them they are doing something wrong or might get hurt.
This looks cool. I’m sure my kids would love it and I, of course, would be stressing out the whole time!!
This looks very interesting! I’m sure my child would love this, now I might have a mini panic attack
that looks great for kids, i will share this blog with the newbies at work!
xx
lau
http://www.malibluemymind.com
Adventure playground? Oh man, I have a feeling if there were one of these around where we lived, my HUSBAND would go himself – hahahahaha!
Those are pretty cool playgrounds I must say. I would love if I could take my daughter to a place like this. i like the fact she would like to venture out there by herself.
wow this is something I would have LOVED as a kid!
such a wonderful concept! if i were a kid again i would love this! 🙂
I would definitely love to check this out in real life and see how big it is and what it’s like. I am the type of parent who watches my kids (especially when they’re little) to make sure they don’t get hurt or hurt anyone else.
I hadn’t heard of adventure playgrounds but they seem so awesome! I wish these were around in the U.S. when I was little. 🙂
This is a great idea. Yes I do think we’re coddling kids too much and not letting them play. Truly play! That involves risk.
My kids would love to visit this place, although I admit, I am very protective of my children. I don’t think I would be comfortable not supervising them while out in places like this.