I’m all for playground safety. I love the soft materials that are often placed under jungle gyms these days. The rock walls and tube slides are great fun. However, when I take my daughter to the park, I sometimes wish she could experience some of the playground equipment I was able to play on. Here’s some of the apparatus I miss the most.
Tire Swing
Growing up I lived across the street from a park. One of my favorite things was the tire swing. Flash forward twenty years and the tire swing is gone. Although I’ve seen catalogs with this apparatus, I don’t have any big trees in my yard to hang them from. Considering that my daughter loves to spin, I’ll eventually find a way to way to get her on a tire swing.
Merry-Go-Round
My daughter knows merry-go-rounds as something with music and horses. However, many parks used to have the ones propelled by children. While I admit they’re a little dangerous, it’s fun to cling onto the bars and hold on while you spin.
Seesaw
I love how seesaws allow kids to lift each other in the air. Nowadays, I’ve seen these cute plastic seesaws for the backyard. However, they just don’t compare to the older versions.
High Bars
At recess, my friends and I used to do cherry drops and all sorts of tricks on the high bar. I remember a friend of mine breaking her arm, but usually it was good old fun. While some of the parks near me have bars, they are seldom seen at school playgrounds.
Dome Climber
The last time I saw a dome climber was at a kindergarten in San Diego ten years ago. As a student teacher, I remember one of my students sitting on top of the dome having a grand time.
While I realize that some communities may still have this type of playground equipment, I haven’t seen any in years. Perhaps it’s because most of the parks near me are new or else have been completely changed. I bet we could make or buy many of the items. However it would be nice to have a few at the local parks. I’m sure my daughter doesn’t care. There are still some thrilling twisting tube slides and plenty of high structures to climb on. I suppose I’m just feeling a little nostalgic.
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