Froebel, p. His pupils engaged in free activities now called rough and tumble — wrestling, running games, ball games, and war games. Throughout history children sought out such creative play materials when allowed access to environments and opportunity, just as they have always been drawn to creeks, hills, forests, animals, and nature for free, spontaneous play.
John Dewey , was also instrumental in forming the roles of play and playgrounds in American schools for young children.
Like Froebel, the influence of Rousseau and other early philosophers was seen in his work. Yet, when the spirit and philosophy of the two prominent men were carefully examined, the differences were reduced. The various materials for proponents of both sides eventually included indoor and outdoor play and learning environments - bean bags, wooden soldiers, tools, blocks, footballs, hammers and nails, lumber, workbench, spoons, brooms, balls, sand boxes, wagons, tricycles, etc.
The influences of Froebel, Dewey, and their predecessors continue with modifications to the present time, primarily in child development programs for preschool children. Schools and municipal park playgrounds for post - kindergarten children continued to follow influences linked to physical development.
During the first decade of the 19th century, Gutsmuth, following the influence of Rousseau, introduced outdoor play and exercise training in Schenpfenthal, Germany. The early play movement in Germany was influenced by physical fitness, health and nationalistic motives e. The play movement in England was linked to the spontaneous expression of the life styles of the people, holding the development of habits and character in view and considering the effects of the "mean streets" on children.
In the United States, the late 19th century emphasis was on social factors, especially protecting children from temptations and socially and physically dangerous streets of large cities.
Curtis, A German inspired outdoor gymnasium was started without supervisor or instructor in at the Latin School in Salem Massachusetts. But at least two events suggest probable German influence: first, the chronological proximity of the initial development of the German and American sites Schnepfenthal and Salem and second, the establishment of a plot of ground at the Round Hill School in Northampton, Massachusetts in for play and gymnastics using German type apparatus and supervised by Charles Beck, a former student of Jahn in Germany Mero, As a child in Boston, Hale , p.
The yard behind the Latin school on Tremont Street, then called Washington Gardens, was designated a playground and equipped with parallel bars, a vaulting horse, and other indoor type gymnastic equipment. Space limitations remain a problem today in most schools. During this period the plight of children in the slums of large cities was strikingly evident. An American visitor to Berlin, Dr. These were called the first organized and supervised playgrounds in America and credited with creating the first serious play movement for young children in this country Playground and Recreation Association of America, By , playgrounds were increasingly diversified and growing at a rapid rate.
Boston initiatives to provide playgrounds for boys and girls of all ages, collaboration of public and philanthropic agencies, and integration of sand gardens, outdoor gymnasia, built equipment, and organized sports attracted at least nine other cities to consult with Boston leaders about playground development. Her playground was located on three-quarters of an acre, contained sand piles, swings, building blocks, a giant stride or may pole for younger children, benches, and handball and baseball courts reduced in size for older children.
A policeman and an experienced student or teacher supervised the playground. Rainwater, , p. Model playgrounds around the beginning of the 20th century were similar in many ways to playgrounds planned and implemented in city park playgrounds decades later.
The functions to be served were to ascertain what supervision was needed, and what apparatus and methods were most effective Lee, Supervision of equipment and spaces were available for both boys and girls, playground equipment was similar to that now available, spaces were planned for organized games and sports, and they were funded by both public and private sources.
As equipment manufacturers entered the scene, the sand pile and exercise apparatus were complemented with new types of swinging, climbing, and sliding apparatus. Spaces for games such as leap frog, follow the leader, and red rover and organized spaces for football and baseball were added. Schools, then and now, were often severely limited in availability of space, reducing opportunities for meeting the diverse play needs of children.
When sufficient space was available nature facilities were sometimes available. In the University of Chicago settlement playground, manual training, nature excursions, and flower and vegetable gardens were added. The Civic league in Boston started gardens, with paths, stretching around two sides of the playground for yards.
Some playgrounds had libraries and quiet games. The city council of Chicago in equipped five playgrounds, four in the immediate neighborhood of public schools, and recommended that a well-equipped playground be attached to every schoolhouse. Lee, p. By , playgrounds were appearing in small towns, and schools were setting aside periods of play for young children. Even the progressive industrial plants including southern cotton mills and northern industrial plants were setting aside playgrounds for employees and their children Curtis, Thanks in large part to the work of civic and charitable organizations and the Playground Association of America the playground movement was alive but not altogether well across the United States.
Profit from additional features by authenticating your Admin account. Then you will be able to mark statistics as favourites and use personal statistics alerts. Please log in to access our additional functions. Yes, let me download! Exclusive Corporate feature. Corporate Account. Statista Accounts: Access All Statistics. Basic Account. You only have access to basic statistics. Single Account. The ideal entry-level account for individual users.
Corporate solution including all features. Statistics on " Theme park industry in the Netherlands " The most important statistics. The most important statistics. Further related statistics. Cities with the most pickleball courts per 20, residents in the U. Further Content: You might find this interesting as well. Playgrounds were presented as a way to teach children how to play safely and fairly with one another. The first sketched concept of a playground was produced in by Henry Barnard and featured a large, shaded area with teachers looking on as children played with wooden blocks, toy carts, and two rotary swings.
However, it would be another 39 years before the first playground was built in America, and in the meantime, children needed a safe, designated place to play games.
Many children, especially in urban areas, played in the streets or on curbs, and there was constant danger from being hit by passing cars.
It included swings, slides, and even a carousel. Despite its popularity, this early model was regarded as a sort of oddity. The first government-funded playground wasn't installed until , after a few private organizations had made the case for and built playgrounds to provide a safe outlet for children in slums. In , the official Playground Association of America was formed, the purpose of which was to promote the idea of a playground to an American audience. The following year, perhaps due to the attention drawn by the PAA, President Theodore Roosevelt called for the construction of playgrounds as a way to protect children from playing dangerous, unsupervised games in hot city streets.
Of course, after the introduction of playgrounds, a regulatory war began with regard to safety. Climbing structures were banned from New York playgrounds in , as critics believed they were too dangerous for children. Playing on the street was a crime in , as it was believed that playing on the street led to truant behavior. Until government-funded playgrounds gained popularity, play streets became the only safe outlet for children, and cities across the nation began closing streets to allow children to play.
The year saw the rise of adventure playgrounds, a creation of architect C. Adventure playgrounds were playgrounds modeled on the empty lots that children sought out for play. These playgrounds contained tires and other "junk" material, with a few existing play structures, that would allow children to build and create their own unique play area. Well-maintained adventure playgrounds could be unique and enjoyable spaces, but many became a repository for unwanted material.
There remains a movement today to reintroduce adventure playgrounds as a viable concept for schoolyard play. Playgrounds entered mass-production in the s, an example of this being the identical play areas in McDonald's restaurants, and the s saw a barrage of lawsuits against the companies who produced them after children were injured during play.
To prevent further issues, industry regulations began popping up to ensure that all playgrounds followed proper safety guidelines. In the later years of the s, cities started experimenting with "pop-up playgrounds," in which the city closes one or more streets to serve as a forum for games and athletic coaching.
There are even a few playgrounds that cater to adults ages 70 and older. Regardless of the age demographic served, playgrounds today are a source of fun and community, and only time will tell what innovations help shape the playgrounds of tomorrow.
For more information on playgrounds and how they were developed, please feel free to explore the links listed below:. Find more about the author: Kim Hart. Mon-Fri am - pm EST. Help Close How can we help you?
Live Chat Online. AAA State of Play. Playground Structures Explore All. Ages Years Play Structures. Ages Months Play Structures. Recycled Plastic Equipment. Themed Playgrounds.
Value Play Structures. Kids Fitness Structures. Explore All. Balance Beams. Fun Tubes. Merry Go Rounds. Hillside Slides. Outdoor Classroom. Explore All Activity Panels.
Water Play. Playground Climbers.
0コメント