If you take a look at your neighborhood playground, what do you see? Do you see a place for learning and exploration, or is it simply 30 minutes that you pray you can “get through” without any cuts, falls, or scrapes? The good folks over at Yahoo! Shine think that playgrounds have become too safe over the past couple decades:
Playgrounds these days are usually brightly colored things, low-slung plastic-coated structures with short, gently sloping slides, set on surfaces covered with shredded rubber or wood chips. No see-saws. No hand-pulled twirling whirling rides. No super-high jungle gyms to climb. Swings (if there are any) often have safety bars and seat belts attached.
But that wasn’t the case just a generation ago…Blame a litigious society. Or, maybe, helicopter parents. But the increased focus on safety may have had unintended consequences: a generation of kids who aren’t able to accurately assess risk or cope with fear.
Read the full article here and let us know what you think.
Have you noticed the increase in safety measures at your local playground? Is it a good thing or is a basic part of childhood getting banged up on the playground?