[Summit] Summit Digest, Vol 144, Issue 13

[Emlyn Addison]

There's that word again..."dump". I don't believe that a vast majority of
people are knowingly taking defective backyard toys to the playground
(instead of just chucking them in the recycling bin, which takes 1/128th
the effort).

As a parent I completely agree with David that young toddlers who are
developing their faculties for play outdoors get great enjoyment out of the
plastic cars, slides, and forts. I speak from experience, seeing my young
daughter eagerly running to check out the goodies during our visits. We had
some things at home too, but there's a marked excitement when kids are
playing together with them, with space to spare.

You can't fit more than a half dozen kids on the play structure at once
(particularly when the bigger kids are charging around), and "leaves and
sticks" are not in great supply at the Tot Lot, so it doesn't take a rocket
scientist to see why the toys are a draw for little explorers.

Yes, some will eventually break down and need to be removed, and there may
have been more of some things than was needed, but let's not forget what it
was like to be a kid...when even a broken shovel was a favorite play thing.

There is a growing community of young families moving to the East Side; I
think it's great--and necessary. We spent many, many hours over several
years at the Tot Lot; it's a godsend for parents with toddlers. But with
that comes "kid stuff"; a little tolerance can go a long way.

My 2 cents.


On Thu, Mar 30, 2017 at 11:23 AM, Elizabeth Moloney <moloney.beth at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Respectfully disagree David. 1)  Since when did it become ok to dump your
> toys in a public space and since when did we become so worried about
> enhancing playgrounds/nature for kids?  My kid is not experiencing the
> "park" by playing with OPT (other people's toys).  It's enhancing for her
> when she learned how to climb, or swing, or find a leaf or build a house of
> sticks, not play with the same toy they have at home (or use at a friend's
> house) at the expense of actually *using* the playground.    If you want
> to have your own backyard (if you are lucky to have one) this chock full of
> cr*p - most of which is broken- feel free but please don't do it on city
> property.
>
> But then again this is also the same playground (at least Morris was)
> which for the longest time had a table stuck under the "ladder" in some
> over developed sense of "playground safety" so can't say I'm surprised.
>  All it did in reality was teach the exact opposite of how to safely climb
> a ladder.  Saw many kids wobble and fall while trying to stand on the table
> between the rungs way more than they would have if they just were given the
> chance to climb and use their hands and fit and figure it out.
>
> And my kid for one likes to run and when it's all full of junk, you really
> can't.
>
> Applauding the city for finally dealing with this and hope they do it on a
> regular basis!
>
>
>
>
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