The playground facility 01: concept and psychology

The facility, the concept

In general a playground should be on a flat plain, but partly can also be on a slope because certain playground devices like slides also have a better effect then. Add to this it's a great advantage for a playground when there are trees because there is not only shadow but also noise is reduced and children like to play around trees or also ropes can be installed between trees.

The "composition" of a playground
When one considers all possible elements, one can see that a playground is not only a "playground" but is a "composition", is an architectonic master piece with
-- playground devices
-- fields and courts
-- water sources
-- trees and shrubs
-- eventually also with a café or even with a restaurant besides - with a proper sanitary area.

With such a "composition" any afternoon will be a festivity on the playground.

Children from 2 to 5 years old ("toddlers") think only in two dimensions
Toddlers from 2 to 5 years old cannot think in three dimensions yet and need most simple playground devices.

Playground for
children from 2 to 6 years old with climbing
facility, with a ship and slides and spring
riders, Ibbenbueren, North Rhine Westfalia,
Germany

Playground for children from 2 to 6 years old with climbing facility, with a ship with slide, with a second slide, with sand box and with spring riders (coil spring see saws), at Wilhelm Busch Street in Ibbenbueren, NRW, Germany [1]

Why this playground in Ibbenbueren is that great? Because there are two slides with different character.

On a playground for toddlers there are NO swings. The toddlers only slide or see-saw.

The sand box in the background can be dangerous for little children in the case when curious little children are trying to eat the sand.

Children from 5 to 6 years on: Movement as a compensation for much sitting during life
From 5 to 6 years old children have completely developed three-dimensional thinking and are ready to get to know the limits in child life. Children from 5 to 11 years old are full of energy because they have to sit so much in the school and hardly have any gymnastic lesson. That's why they love to be on the playgrounds in their free time when it's possible weather running, doing gymnastics and climbing all the days when there are playground devices for it.

Playgrounds are also a social meeting point. In former times the house constructions were with backyards so plays were made in the backyard. But modern houses are block constructions with shafts and ducts and have no backyards any more but as a compensation many playgrounds were built up, above all in Europe after the Second World War. In states with modern houses without playgrounds this important sportive and social element of the playground is missing. Therefore many children and parents never see each other, the social net remains little, and during Saturdays and Sundays children are only in the street or playing computer games - sitting one more time - in the worst case being more and more fat.

General partition of a playground
Normally a little playground is made for a certain age group.

A big playground or amusement park or adventure playground is parted into sections

-- in sections with playground devices for 2 to 5 or 5 to 11 years old children, or with playground devices for 8 to 16 years old children, and

-- fields and courts for group plays for children and youths (basket ball, soccer, hand ball, hockey, volley ball, beach volleyball etc.).

Playground sections with fields and playground devices, Dreirosen Park ("Three Roses Park") in Basel, Switzerland [2]

Here we can see a systematic partition of the playground:
-- behind the blue courts there is a section with playground devices
-- then we have the blue basket ball courts which can also be used as a soccer field, then follows
-- a big lawn which is defined as a soccer field in one half with two movable goals
-- below is another section with playground devices
-- unfortunately there is hardly any big tree giving natural shadow (-)
-- and the big stairs are blocking the access for any children's vehicle, buggy or bike and wheel chair (-).

Add to this there is a big question why no big slide from the Dreirosen Bridge was constructed to the playground. Or at least coming from a medium level it had been possible to install a wave slide covering the stairs. This opportunity was left out unfortunately.

Any outdoor children's play is supporting
-- intelligence (because fresh air brings more oxygen to the brain), and
-- self confidence of the children is better (by the feeling being in a group and with nature), and
-- is supporting heath in general when all organs get more oxygen.

Now the persons have different sportive preferences. This also is described by the science of blood groups that every blood group has it's different sportive focus. And depending on this sportive preferences the children choose their favorite playground device or love more the fields and courts for group games. Therefore it's important not only to install two different devices but at least four different devices, and besides a little field or court for group games.

Entrance gates to the playground
Any entrance gate of a playground is an experience of more mental safety for the child - because in the normal world the adults have all the power already.

Entrance gate 01 in the bob running park of Ibbenbueren, region of Muenster, North Rhine Westfalia, Germany [3] Text: "Children's playground for our children" ("Kinder-Spielplatz für unsere Kinder")	Entrance gate 02 at the playground Hochstrass / Grüner Weg in Moers, NRW, Germany [4] Text: "Play" ("Spiel")
Entrance gate 03 to Kennedy Park in Lima-Miraflores, Peru [5]	Entrance gate 04 to the playground of Tsachopen in the region of Oxapampa, Peru [6]
Entrance gate 05 of Tadpole Playground in Boston, criminal "USA" [x001]

Psychology on the playground

Discrimination on the playground must be stopped
In the case when certain children are discriminated by other children, are tortured or excluded, then it's the task of the parents to teach their children so there is no discrimination any more. The children are telling their children a lot about playing activities when the parents are passing some time with their children, but discriminated children hardly tell anything. That's why the parents should watch their children on the playground precisely from time to time (for example all 3 months) analyzing the real conditions if there are good or bad leaders, how the roles are distributed, and if there are victims. It's also possible to install a contact person or an administration group for problems on the playground. This person or administration group receives messages in a neutral way mediating between the children and the parents showing the children their limits and positive development possibilities.

Because when a discrimination is continuing over years and there is no correction, then this can be a source for a big revenge during youth times or as a young adult person. Discriminated children of today (2012) are retiring from all public to their computer playing killing games and are copying the computer game life - and this happens always more often, above all in criminal "USA" with it's never ending wars.

Playing times on playgrounds from 10 to 20 o'clock, on fields and courts from 14 to 22 o'clock - depending on the local culture, with or without lunchtime
The use of fields, courts and playgrounds should be limited so the residents also get some relaxing moments every day in life. Time limits are also a mean so the children will not be fanatic and will not forget learning and their spiritual development (as it's dreadfully the fact for example in Peru many times where soccer and soccer yelling often is performed through the whole night). Playgrounds for children are for example well managed with an opening time of 10 to 20 o'clock. Fields and courts for youths and young adults should only open at 2 pm (because they shout in a strong way with their strong voices), should be fenced and should be locked by the caretaker or janitor at 10 pm so the night will be a quiet one.

Sometimes also lunchtime has to be respected. Saturdays and Sundays should be free of lunchtime of course because children who have to sit around in schools much don't want any lunchtime at weekends FOR SURE.

Soccer yelling during the night in residential areas is not acceptable because any yelling is often enforced by the house fronts by echo effects like in criminal corrupt town of Trujillo in Peru where the son of the corrupt major is supporting soccer during night and days without limits with any yelling bothering the population around the soccer grounds so no good sleep is possible any more there with all consequences included concerning the ability to concentrate and the mental performance during daily life, accidents included.

Parents with children on the playground as a protection for children from 2 to 4 years - the child from 5 years on "shows" their parents what it "can" - festivities on the playground
And now comes something important: Children are not playing without thinking, but there is always principle 1: the model - and there is principle 2: showing and copying. Therefore the child is moving better with more safety on a playground when the parents are with the child on the playground from time to time, when the child can "show" their parents what it "can", and this is also one more motivating factor in the times of computer and mobile phone games when children are hardly moving. Basket ball field and little soccer fields are even more important in the times of computer and mobile phone games. Parents mostly do not realize this and let their children "degenerate" on computers and mobile phones. It's simple: Play soccer and basket or other group games with your children so they move automatically - because the child will wait for the next moment when father or mother are playing with the child, and then the child wants to show what it has learnt in the meantime.

Festivities and events on the playground are a genius combination so children realize that social life is not only happening on the computer or by mobile phone. When complete groups are on a playground, then the whole playground gets also a completely other effect. And suddenly moving is a joy again. Plays and playground devices have to be well managed and controlled of course. And when parents are making a group game with their children the parents must not dominate and must not at all quarrel because then the model for the children is off and the children go back to their "peaceful" computers and mobile phones.

Mother with child 01 at a roundabout, stockfoto

Mother with a child 02 on a swing, stockfoto

Psychology: playground for children "until 14 years"
Often a playground is "permitted for children until 14 years". Well, the change from childhood to youth is a fluent one because any child determines for itself when the playground device are not important any more and from which moment on the topic of "Love" is dominating it's life. This topic will have it's location on another "playground" then. It begins with youth reviews, then youths are in the youth club or are in the cinema or in the home cinema or in a sports stadium etc. That means that the playgrounds for youths are also a little bit next to the youth clubs. In countries without youth clubs all this youth development is performed in the street without any conflict assistance, and therefore violence in such countries is much higher than in Europe because the basics of psychology for a violence-free life are not taught during the youth - also in "USA" with their criminal never ending wars.

Psychology: dogs are NOT allowed on a playground
Dogs are NOT allowed on a playground, not because dogs are bad, but
-- playing children can provoke panic reactions with dogs, or
-- playing children can pass limits torturing dogs, or
-- playing children can appear to a dog - from one moment to the other - as wild and little animals so the dog is confusing the children with little wild animals attacking and biting them
-- and when there are two dogs or when there is even a group of dogs, then they can attack a child and bite until it will be dead - because the dogs think that there would be a chase thinking that the child would be a prey.

For evading all these accident risks and for giving the complete safety to children and youths playing in freedom dogs are NOT allowed on playgrounds. And they should have a safe fence or hedge so no dog can enter. But when the door will be remained opened then can develop very dangerous situations...

Playground shield 01 with logos in Bodman near Ueberlingen in South Germany [9]

These logos can also be understood by people who not speak German. And also logos for the playing times and for lunchtime could be used.

Other playground shields have much text and no symbol having a strong effect but are not understood by foreign population.

Playground shield 02 with logos in Saerbeck, North Rhine Westfalia, Germany [10]

There is
-- soccer forbidden [because there are fields for it]
-- dogs forbidden [because they can have panic attacks]
-- trash has to be done into the trash basket [education]
-- lunchtime has to be respected
-- nighttime peace is from 8 pm to 8 am.