Groundbreaking NYC Playground
New York City is developing a very special playground, so special that kids wont know how to play on it. [The New York Times reports that in a public-private partnership, a new playground near the South Street Seaport will have trained play workers on hand]. Now that may sound like an oxymoron, and, believe me, it is. But these folks have the very important job of helping children to understand the new play gear: water, ramps, sand andbest of allspecially designed objects meant to entice the imagination (since the good ol monkey bars cant really compete with Xbox). A structure will house lose toys (that is, those the kids dont steal). City officials are hoping this fancy shmancy scheme will be reproduced elsewhere. The project was inspired by theories on child-development that put forth the idea that kids need to engage in social and fantasy play, rather than just build physical skills. Hello, what about the whole jungle gym as pirate ship fantasy? Was that just me? Perhaps kids imaginations have just gotten weaker. David Rockwell, known for adult play spaces like the restaurants Nobu and Café Gray and the Mohegan Sun casino and resort, created the design free of charge and he will also finance the play workers (he raised $2 million privately). The playground does sound pretty cool and were sure plenty of adults will enjoy using it.
The plan has won the support of city and state elected officials and community leaders, but awaits approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The article explains that the United States has fallen behind other nations where playgrounds are a government priority, with organizations dedicated to research, training and oversight of play workers and the development of play programs. Consider this free education to train kids to better become contributing members of our new technology-based economy.
Photo courtesy of [Chris is blown on Flickr]