Kids Get Physical on Play Sets

Every society throughout history has had its own versions of parks, playgrounds, town halls, and community centers. A park in an early American colony was called a common area, or, simply, a common. Usually in the middle of town, it had a meeting hall, and grounds where people would gather before and after meetings. Since it was not intended primarily as a place for children to play, the common did not have swings, slides, or any kind of play set. Nonetheless, kids were always there, playing tag, hide-and-seek, hopscotch, and marbles, as well as flying kites, which were usually homemade.
As the population grew, so did the need for designated play areas for children. The first official sandlot opened in 1886 in Boston, but, by the mid-1890’s, idle youths were beginning to congregate on street corners, getting into mischief, and even turning to crime. This led to the Playground Movement, wherein an alliance of social reformers, settlement house workers, child psychologists, and teachers, pressured local governments to provide supervised places for kids to play, for the benefit their physical, educational, mental, and moral development. The first playgrounds were often dirt lots on land that had been donated by philanthropists.
Joseph Lee, known as “The Father of the Playground Movement,” was a writer, who spear-headed the development of playgrounds, advocating the great need for places that would nurture kids’ natural tendencies toward wholesome playing, which, he believed, had a great impact on personal growth. He wrote, “It is the supreme seriousness of play that gives it its educational importance. Play seen from the inside, as the child sees it, is the most serious thing in life. Play builds the child. It is part of nature’s law of growth. Play is thus the essential part of education.”
Mr. Lee was right. Playing does contribute greatly to every aspect of a child’s physical and psychological development. Unfortunately, in today’s high-tech world, the number of playgrounds is shrinking, while kids’ waistlines are expanding. Although it has gotten to the point where it’s being called a national crisis, turning it around could be child’s play.
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At GazeboCreations.com, you’ll find 29 styles of play sets, which feature from one to three clubhouses, and several other options. You can choose from their fun play set packages, or customize one in three easy steps. To contact a customer service professional or consultant, call 1-888-293-2339, or e-mail cs@gazebocreations.com.

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