Playgrounds for the Grown

This seems more like my friend Christopher Noxon was writing about in his book Rejuvenile. Not that it's a bad thing, building oversized playgrounds so adults can relive their childhood. It's a genuine invitation to play. And it's fun.

But, in truth, what I mean when I think about adult playgrounds is something alot more like this:

...an open field where we can all play together: adults, kids, all of us. Like we did at all those amazing New Games events of yore about which I, apparently, can't stop writing and talking about and teaching and advocating.

You know, places where kids can play freely (they call it "free play"), with adults around - not to supervise them, but to be there when needed, as playworkers, doing the adult kinds of things Penny Wilson writes about so beautifully, so passionately.

Fortunately, there are more and more invitations for grown people to play. Some come from artists, like the people who created these:

and these (one of my favorites) which level up a traditional playground element into an invitation to a new kind of experience: sensitive, cooperative, very grown-up kind of play.

21 Balançoires (21 Swings) from Daily tous les jours on Vimeo.