The thing I appreciate most about Susan Solomon’s new book The Science of Play: How to Build Playgrounds That Enhance Children’s Development
Some samples:
“Large American cities, which frequently allocate$2-3 million to upgrade a playground, are currently getting very little return on their investment.”
“We can no longer feign surprise that kids avoid playgrounds. We have curbed their excitement and fearlessness.”
“When we look at today’s stock playground, we see an aesthetically unappealing place with few opportunities for personal exploration or social development.”
“We need innovative solutions, yet playground patrons often forgo architects, landscape architects or other artists because they believe (mistakenly) that their expertise and their designs will be too expensive.”
“An irony is that parents are risking traffic accidents as they drive kids around because they are not comfortable leaving them alone at a playground.”
“[Safety surfacing]…can double the cost of a playground without adding to what children can do.”
“In spite of absolutist rhetoric from advocates, natural playgrounds do not have a lock on exploration, sustainability, or ‘sense of place’…the term ‘nature play’ is being used indiscriminately.”
And yet, “This is a positive moment for play spaces in America.” I agree….with all of the above.
If you care about play and spaces for play you need to read this book! To win a copy, make your own bold statement about play and or playgrounds in the comment section. One will be selected at random NEXT Monday to win a copy of The Science of Play
P.S. The book shows as either temporarily out of stock or long shipping times at Amazon…they have assured Susan that this will soon be remedied. International readers, note the low shipping costs!
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