UpFront
My Playground was My Backyard
I grew up in a neighborhood built in the early 1950s, that “Pleasantville” period when Americans had, for the most part, put World War II behind them and were well on their way to building dreams.
My parents’ dream—at 339 Edna Avenue in San Antonio, Texas—was a sturdy, three-bedroom, single-level ranch house in the east-side community of Coliseum Park. It was a neighborhood of hardworking men and enterprising women, wives like Mrs. Crenshaw, who ferried kids to school and back in her big station wagon; Mrs. Atkinson and Mrs. King, who taught piano; and my own mother, who started a babysitting service.
Coliseum Park was a neighborhood of young parents raising children all about the same age, of lush manicured lawns and billowing fragrant gardens. But, despite the sentimentality it evokes, it was a modest community that only lived up to part of its name. We had the coliseum; the Joe and Harry Freeman Coliseum, which hosts the city’s annual stock show and rodeo, is about a mile from our house. But we didn’t have a park—or even a playground—nearby, very important amenities for energetic children. Yet, that never mattered to Jimmy, Agerain, and me (the three youngest of the Franklin kids). Our backyard was a special place that offered us a world of adventure and exploration.
Driven by Jimmy’s virtual-reality imagination and gift for improvised scripting, we turned a landscape of privet hedges and Chinaberry, plum, and mimosa trees into a planetary adventure. We landed our spacecraft, surveyed the site with great stealth, picked blackberries growing on the back fence and drank water from our father’s old Army canteen when we needed sustenance, and waged a fierce battle—complete with sound effects—when imaginary alien beings attacked.
On any given day, our backyard became the setting for a dangerous trek through the jungle, reconnaissance of an uncharted island by a shipwrecked crew, or defending a Western fort from a barrage of arrows, handcrafted from materials courtesy of the plentiful privets that gave us privacy in that ever changing world.
This is where we played with our dog; found relief from the blistering Texas heat by way of the sprinkler or water hose; and gently captured, examined, and released butterflies. The backyard is also where I found necessary quiet time to think, swinging as high as I could go or turning flips on the crossbar of the swing set’s legs. On so many summer afternoons, I climbed the Chinaberry tree with book in hand, settled into the cleft of its largest branches, read a while, and watched the clouds change shapes. Above all, that tree was my special place.
In this issue, Rachel Roberts writes about structured versus unstructured play and notes that structured play is winning out on playgrounds. As I got older, I certainly experienced my share of organized play. But, for me, nothing can compare to the free expression I found in impromptu adventures with my brother and little sister in our backyard. I’m convinced that it contributed to the artistic talents we share. In large part, it shaped the person I’ve become.
Cassandra Franklin-Barbajosa
Executive Editor
:: In This Month's Issue ::
Structured play may be casting a shadow over the more creative-and elusive-free play.
By Rachel Roberts
Playgrounds Revived Play's Life Lessons
OTHER FEATURES
Communities are pooling their resources and pitching in to invigorate old playgrounds.
By Jess Clarke
On the playground, children's interactions can prepare them for the rest of their lives.
By Douglas Vaira
Keeping Kids Safe
Specially certified staff members keep playgrounds in compliance - and kids safe.
By Clare Leschin-Hoar
Sun? or No Sun?
Researchers debate the risks of too little sun exposure versus the dangers of too much.
By Francesca Lyman
COLUMNS
Perspectives: Promising Times
The Legislative Forum leaves NRPA hopeful of change for the better.
By Lois G. Finkelman
Advocacy Update: Make Your Case
A mindful approach can ensure funding for your community.
By Ashley Futrell
Research Update: Adopt a Park
When your project needs extra hands, call on the college kids
By Sara E. Poole
DEPARTMENTS
hi.i`m studing architecture.could you please send me some information about designing kindergarten or a park for childeren?
Posted by: zahra | May 06, 2009 at 04:32 AM