Bad and Good Playgrounds

Bad Playgrounds:

1. This is a temporary playground but still pretty horrifying. The black tube would become incredibly hot inside and is very flexible making it difficult to move through and creating a terrifying experience. That goes all without saying that it's held up by bails of hay, very stable.

2. This is an old wind turbine that was recycled into a playground. Great idea but is lacking actually interaction. I've worked as a camp counselor for the past two summers and this playground would have driven the kids I worked with and me insane. First they would have nothing to do on it besides climb to the top and jump off, making my job of keeping them safe ten times more difficult and resulting in bored children. Not to mention that there would have to be at least two people watching the children at all times, even if you were only required to watch one child at a time, you would contenting be forced to follow them around just to see where they are, which is way to much work. 

3. Playgrounds like this are the worst! I hated them when I was a child and I hated them even more as a counselor. The wood chips that cover the ground get in your shoes, the kids fall on them and get covered in it, as well as getting countless tiny cuts. There are so many hiding places for kids and it's impossible to see the entire playground or even a tiny section of the playground all at once. The bars that protect the kids from jumping off the side end up making it impossible to see anything that is happening on the playground from below, which is not good when you want to take 30 kids to a playground so you can sit and just watch them play.

Good Playgrounds:

1. This I love! There is complete visibility  kids have to interact because there is only so much space and they are forced to see each other. It becomes a challenge for them to get across, the kids that know how to do it teach the others, it's instant bonding. I've seen it with the kids I work with, it's great. 

 

2. Kids love to climb on things! Something that is safe for them to climb on and they can work together to do it, is great! Plus they think they are getting away with doing something they aren't supposed to do, like climb on rocks and they bond over it. 

3. This is just really cool. The only problem I have is that you'd have to stay with your child to see them play but most people in New York do that anyway.