This is the Presumpscot School's playground. Playground equipment sure has progressed since days when I was swinging, upside down on the monkey bars. At the Gullivers Field playground, we had a merry-go-round, swings, monkey bars, 3 baseball diamonds and a teeter totter. That was about it. They were all cold, grey metal and certainly not as welcoming as this colorful set of structures. It was great fun those summers when a summer recreation teacher was hired. She was there about four hours a day and mostly did games and art activities, around a picnic table under the spreading oak in the corner of the field. Although we played baseball most days on one of the fields, the top of the monkey bars was where you could find me before she arrived in the morning. Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, why was this neat, adventurous playground empty? It's inviting to me, even today.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Playground
This is the Presumpscot School's playground. Playground equipment sure has progressed since days when I was swinging, upside down on the monkey bars. At the Gullivers Field playground, we had a merry-go-round, swings, monkey bars, 3 baseball diamonds and a teeter totter. That was about it. They were all cold, grey metal and certainly not as welcoming as this colorful set of structures. It was great fun those summers when a summer recreation teacher was hired. She was there about four hours a day and mostly did games and art activities, around a picnic table under the spreading oak in the corner of the field. Although we played baseball most days on one of the fields, the top of the monkey bars was where you could find me before she arrived in the morning. Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, why was this neat, adventurous playground empty? It's inviting to me, even today.
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un vrai labyrinthe ;))
ReplyDeleteIt sure looks colorful and inviting.
ReplyDeleteBut cant compare it to the fewer choices we had when we were younger.
have a great day.
Costas
That playground looks little used.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that playground equipment is colorful and different and is sold to adults who never play on any of it. Not even a swing. Kids seldom use the stuff here in our park. The city built an amazing spot for kids and for a week or two it was used but nowadays you would be the only soul there any day of the week. It is like selling refrigerators to eskimos. Though with global warming the salesmen might do good.
looks like this one has shade. seems they build these parks but then the playground is shade-less so the sun relentlessly beats down on the kids. as colorful and fun as this one looks, i prefer the old skool stuff from when i was a kid, such as the merry-go-round and teeter totter! i lived right up the street from a park when i was growing up. we spent every summer day there from morning till dark. rode our bikes there and only came home to eat breakfast and lunch! also, before we were big enough to ride our bikes all the way to school (which nobody does anymore) this was our bus stop too. had so much fun at that old park!
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you are talking about! I love playgrounds nowadays. They have everything!
ReplyDeleteYou, my friend, are just a kid at heart! And have been "monkeying" around for years! Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteI love the new style playgrounds. They are fun for the grownups also. The old school style was fun also but I remember me and fellow kids had lots of trips to the school nurse because of sprained ankles and busted lips.
ReplyDeleteWhat a difference from the past. I wonder what the kids of today will see in the future. Great color!
ReplyDeleteThe playgrounds around here are used quite a bit...particularly one in the village that has similar equipment. Unfortunately, many children are spending more time on computer games and don't see the light of day.
ReplyDeleteI used to love the monkey bars, oh boy. Fell off a few times doing tricks and got arms and knees full of gravel and/or scrapes from the asphalt. Some days I think we should put up a set of monkey bars here in the yard. Why not?
ReplyDeleteI've seen many of these colorful playgrounds and actually featured one on my site about a year ago. But, my memories are much like yours. In fact, when you mentioned the merry-go-round, I had a sudden flashback of playing on the old merry-go-round in my old school yard. It was slightly tilted to one side so besides going round, it seemed to go slightly up and down too! I loved playing on that thing.
ReplyDeleteWonderful colors in this playground... a new enhancement in several of our parks, triangle mesh canopies which do provide some shade.
ReplyDeleteDid you climb up on the monkey bars since this park was empty? Got photos?
Bises,
Genie
I think Abe and Tanya have it right. These bright and colorful over-the-top playgrounds are sold to adults and the kids rarely even use and enjoy them. We have many around here. I was just talking with my kids (twenties) about the old-time wooden-and-metal slides, monkey bars, merry-go-rounds, etc., that they used to use. Even though my son chipped a tooth on an old set of rings, he has rapturous memories of them and wishes the old-style playgrounds would return.
ReplyDeleteI really makes you wonder what playgrounds are going to look like in the far future, or even if there will be any at all!!
ReplyDeleteMy playground consisted of an old tire hung from the low branches of the old oak tree!
ReplyDeleteIt looks a bit scary I think. Outta space.
ReplyDeleteYou probably went to the park on your own - now every kid has to have an adult tagging along with them so when everyone is at work or just busy - no park. it's a crazy world today!
ReplyDeleteKids today have so many technological gadgets to keep them busy that perhaps hanging from the monkey bars is not the best way to work their iPod -- just maybe? -- barbara
ReplyDeleteIt is a coincidence speaking of playgrounds, but my wife and I just spent a night in a tree house on an Ohio farm. It was built for kids to play in, so it was kinda small, but it was so much fun climbing in and around it. I never had a tree house when I was little, so this adventure was pure delight!
ReplyDeleteDays gone by, kids to wander and play all over, today with safety concerns parents are wont to supervise their kids as they play... so if they are no parents, there generally are no kids... sad commentary on modern life. I grew up in the 50s and 60s, we wandered thither and yon without a second thought...
ReplyDeleteI read an article the other day saying that modern playground equipment is too safe and doesn't challenge children's imaginations anymore. I remember one park that had a tall, twisty slide that scared the life out of me. But of course, I went down it several times each visit. In any case, I like the bright colors of this one!
ReplyDeleteWhen my son was young, we visited different playgrounds in Albuquerque. I always kept my eye out for a playground with tall swings because they were my favorite. My son could scamper up monkey bars at a young age and I never worried about him on them because he was so sure of himself. Recently I took my grandson to a playground and was disappointed with this type of equipment. Swings, merry-go-rounds, monkey bars and the works were great.
ReplyDeleteOh the playgrounds of days gone by. Today , here in the U.S., lawyers lurk. I will post a Paris playground soon that would have American lawyers salivating. I still think there's nothing like getting the nerve to go down a really hot metal slide.. in Birmingham... in the summer!! Wheeeee
ReplyDeleteV
I love those new parks---but they certainly aren't used as much these days.. Kids are too busy playing video games, texting, etc... Too bad, huh????
ReplyDeleteWe had a big park and we also had swings, monkey bars, see saws, etc... It was a great place to go and play...
Betsy
Wow, our neighborhood playground in Queens had almost exactly the same setup. I still have a small chip in an upper front tooth where the steel handle of the see-saw hit me in the mouth one day. In the crowded spaces of NYC, though, there was no room for baseball fields. We had a softball/baseball field painted in yellow lines on asphalt. (How tough was your neighborhood?)
ReplyDeleteTo me this has a Chinese style to it.
ReplyDeleteColorful and nice.
I just think it is sad that so many places like this, in our city, are empty. No kids unless it is the weekend.
It surely is inviting but it's very far from the charm of a swing hanging on a tree. :-)
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