An Expansive Vision for Playgrounds

"For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin-real life, but there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid.  At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.  This perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness.  Happiness is the way.  So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one."   - Souza

AN EXPANSIVE VISION FOR PLAYGROUNDS

In Jim Greenman's article, "Making Outdoor Learning Possible," in the May 2003 issue of Child Care Information Exchange, he reports the vision of a playground by Richard Dattner that reflects Buckminster Fuller's view that playgrounds should be renamed "research environments":

"A playground should be like a small-scale replica of the world, with as many as possible of the sensory experiences to be found in the world included in it.  Experiences for every sense are needed, for instance: rough and smooth objects to look at and feel; light and heavy things to pick up; water and wet materials as well as dry things; cool materials and materials warmed by the sun; soft and hard surfaces; things that make sounds (running water) or that can be struck, plucked, plinked, etc.; smells of all varieties (flowers, bark, mud); shiny, bright objects and dull, dark ones;  things both huge and tiny; high and low places to look at and from; materials of every type, natural, synthetic, thin, thick and so on.  The list is inexhaustible, and the larger the number of items that are included, the richer and more varied the environment for the child."