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Many years ago most children just played in the streets where they lived,
using dustbins as goal posts, house walls to draw cricket wickets on and the
road for hopscotch and skipping. But with increased traffic and a more
wealthy and safety-conscious society, came see-saws, roundabouts, swings,
slides etc. installed in various shapes and forms in designated playground
areas. And so the playground as we know it today was born. At first, each
piece of equipment was an individual item but over the years, the playground
has gradually developed into combinations of equipment built around small
towers with platforms leading to rope bridges, rope ladders and other
“escape” routes. Materials have also changed with far more plastic now being
used, such as for long, curved tunnels to slide through. Safety has also
been improved over the years with softer, flexible matting replacing hard
concrete slabs or gravel. But the kids don’t care as long as they can let
off steam. The only ones that notice the changes are their parents. |
