Playgrounds and child spaces in communities
From: Rob Sandelin (robsanmicrosoft.com)
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 95 11:56:32 PDT
In thinking about the kids of my own community and how they use our 
space I find that there seems to be patterns.  Lately the favorite 
activity of the under 9 set is sidewalk chalk and our street gets 
covered with murals and dragons and such.  This activity occurs because 
one or more parents buy a big bucket of sidewalk chalk and let the kids 
play with it.  When a bucket gets used up, another is purchased.  So 
this is an activity which happens because parents initiate it by 
purchasing the materials and by making appreciative comments about the art.

The road into Sharingwood makes a loop and the inside of this loop is 
called the island and it has mostly native vegetation and several 
paths.  This space is a frequent play space and it really offers little 
except paths through the brush which one can hide from view and ambush 
another.  Mostly games of pirates and hide and seek sort of activities 
happen here.

The playground, with its slide and swingset and rocks and boat and 
climber get used, especially the slide tower and boat underneath.

The basketball hoop gets lots of use by the over 9 kids and adults too.

Bicycling and rollerblading around the loop and up and down the road 
are primary activities and the pool we put in this summer of course is 
a primary activity place. (The pool is one of those three feet deep, 25 
foot diameter sheet metal/plastic liner jobs total cost per parent was $25.)

Of all the time kids spend playing outside, the playground would 
account for only a small percentage of that, and certainly the swing 
set would be the least used kids thing we have.

Rob Sandelin
Sharingwood


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