As children, we all grew up playing on slides, swinging on the swing sets, and just having fun at the park, but did you ever wonder were the playground itself came from? Did they have them back in WW2? Or in the 1918 Influenza? If not, then where did kids play? Well, read this article to find out!
Playgrounds first originated in Germany during the 1850s as “Sand Gardens”. The main idea of playgrounds was to keep children off the streets, and contained in one place. And while the ideas of playgrounds originally came from Germany, Manchester, England, was actually, the first place to have one. The idea of playgrounds soon became popular, and by 1887, America had built it’s first playground. Located in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California, the playground contained swings, slides, and even a carousel! But, still, despite it’s totally awesome equipment, people were confused by this bazaar structure. And, still, the first government-funded playground in America wasn’t founded until 1903. That means, playgrounds have only been in America for 138 years! That’s like, only having dangerous and hazardous structures for a little more than a century! Gosh, I wonder why people didn’t have these sooner!
However, while these playgrounds may seem unnecessary and prone to accidents, a recent psychological study shows that, these old playground aren’t as bad as you think. “Children need to encounter risks and overcome fears on the playground”, said Ellen Sandseter, a professor of psychology at Queen Maud University in Norway. “I think monkey bars and tall slides are great. As playgrounds become more and more boring, these are some of the few features that still can give children thrilling experiences with heights and high speed”. But, these playgrounds are not exactly safe either. There is no recorded deaths of children, but yet, we can be sure that many have injured themselves while attempting to play.
Playgrounds can now be found at schools, parks, and other places that are open to the public. The safety (and the fun of making Mom have panic attacks) have greatly improved since the 1900s, and are always carefully watched by parents. To the kids, I am too, greatly disappointed that these death-traps don’t exist any more. To the parents, please put some metal pipes up, and ropes for the kids. It’ll take away five years of your life, but the children will adore it.
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