The Importance Of Adventure Playgrounds For Children

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Ways of Modifying Adventure Play to Fit Canadian Culture

1.It may occur to many that adventure playground is a concept that would be harmful and not very useful for children. However, the video that is discussed in this post and after watching the video named “The importance of playing with fire” it can be said that a lot of intricacy is concealed behind the concept of adventure playgrounds (youtube.com 2018). Early childhood or children of young age have a high tendency to learn and adapt to the surrounding around them (Fox & Schirrmacher, 2014). Henceforth, the tools and activities that constitutes the adventure playground are a great way for these young minds to develop creativity and adaptive skills that would benefit them in future.

However, the adventure playgrounds could be modified in such a way so that it could ensure safety of the child as well but at the same time does not hamper the essence of a traditional playground that involves activities and equipment. The adventure playground could include equipment such as hammer or digging shovels that are not made up of heavy metal instead are plastic made. In this way, the children could get the essence of traditional adventure playground as well and at the same time the Canadian culture of ensuring low-risk playgrounds can also be achieved (Lorinc, 2018). In addition to this, equipment such as ropes, tires can also be included and a manual can be provided in the grounds so that children could make their own swing out of it. This would sustain the Canadian culture of providing a safe environment for children to play and simultaneously maintain the concept of adventure playground.

2.The concept of adventure playgrounds may be traditional but the philosophy out of the concept is quite futuristic (Czalczynska-Podolska, 2014). The main philosophy of such playgrounds is to let children use their own imagination and learn the types of risks that can come. Now in my opinion I believe that adventure does involve risk and a feel adrenaline that excites an individual. In my opinion this is what the core essence of adventure feels like. However, this is what I feel about adventure now but at the early childhood days, the very meaning of adventure was foreign to me. Since adventure for me in early childhood days meant, to be able to do whatever I wanted to do. The restrictions set up by parents limited my activities and therefore, breaking or going beyond those restrictions was adventure to me.

Although it can be said that my perception regarding adventure at my early stage of childhood and now are similar. Since at both stage, I believe adventure for me is something which is risky or attempt to do something that is way beyond my limit. In my opinion without taking risks or breaking your own limitations one cannot experience adventure. At this stage of life, I also believe that adventure seeks for fear as well. The things that we are most afraid of is where adventure lies. Henceforth, my perception of adventure changed over the period and the experiences that I gained so far.

3.The video named “The importance of playing with fire” shows children playing in a very unconventional playground which can be termed as adventure playground. The children in the video are seen playing and creating things out of waste products. They create and build things out of something which many people thing are waste products. This is one of the highlighting thing that I observed in the video. Adventure playgrounds includes equipment and a space as such that allows children to use their imagination (Chilton, 2018). In my opinion it is really significant for young minds to be free without any restriction. I also believe out of creative play children can learn and acquire knowledge that could utilise in future. Adventure playgrounds allows that freedom to children where they could learn and grow unlike other contemporary indoor games that limits a child’s imagination. In today’s world we can observe that technology has even taken over children’s mind. They do not find fun in playing outdoor instead are attached to video games, social media. In my opinion these technological equipment limits the power of imagination among children. They are not able to apply any creativity in it and thus are constraint within a box of advanced child’s play. I believe the concept of adventure playgrounds should be encouraged more among children since it allows them develop their imagination and creativity. In addition to this, they learn about various aspects of risks as well that would be beneficial at any point of their life.

References

Chilton, T. (2018). Adventure Playgrounds. Aspects of Playwork: Play and Culture Studies, 14, 157.

Czalczynska-Podolska, M. (2014). The impact of playground spatial features on children’s play and activity forms: An evaluation of contemporary playgrounds’ play and social value. Journal of environmental psychology, 38, 132-142.

Fox, J. E., & Schirrmacher, R. (2014). Art and creative development for young children. Cengage Learning.161-173.

Lorinc, J. (2018). What happens when Toronto takes the ‘play’ out of playground. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/what-happens-when-toronto-takes-the-play-out-of-playground/article35065670/

YouTube. (2018). The Importance of Playing With Fire (Literally). [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esGAJshsGvc [Accessed 14 Nov. 2018].