“We never really grow up, we just get bigger. Fortunately.
We never really get serious, we just spend a good deal of our life pretending we are important. Sad enough.
Otherwise, we all love to play!
Building playgrounds is also fun. A building block game for adults.
Being a father of three is a great source of experience.
Law # 1: any playground is a good playground!
Amendment 1 to Law # 1: any ground is a playground!
Amendment 2 to Law # 1: any non-existing ground is also a playground! With a bit of imagination, of course.
(Hmmm… I guess I’m going to publish a playground-thesis soon.)
So now, anything around can be a playground. I mean, anything, anywhere.
Exactly as it happened with that piece of land. It was an illegal parking lot, with cars parking on the grass, with smears of motor oil, discarded water/beer/coke cans and dried up condoms around. No man’s land.
But – not anymore! It’s a someone’s land now.
We’ve turned it into a pilot playground. And this will be a successful pilot project, that much I can say. While still under construction, the ground was already taken into possession by the kids and their parents. Illegally at that stage.
Pilot feature: the playground has a toilet. No more suffering parents with legs tightly crossed, trying to survive another 20 minutes. No more need to roar at your kid something like “get-going-NOW-we-need-to-do-the-shopping-yet…” Instead, you just use the toilet. When you need it. And take your kid, too. There is a diaper changing pad there. And a hand washing sink with a drinking water tap. To wash the dirty little hands (or whatever needs cleansing) and to quench the thirst.
Pilot feature: the playground has a covered deck for a rainy (hot, windy) day. No need to rush home, whatever the weather. It’s the right place for any season.
Pilot feature: a pancake making station. We all know (don’t we?) that kids run on pancakes, mostly regardless of the age.
Pilot feature: the playground has a film station. With a regular screen canvas and a projector. Bad weather? Let’s watch a fairy tale! Or, should the parents wish to hold a film club session in the evening, go ahead!
This is a genuine pilot playground, with no age limit. From new babies and toddlers to teenagers, adults and grandparents. Separately or together. It’s good for anyone, for anything.
Or, rather, for almost anything.
It’s a no vandalism, no smoke, no rubbish, no cusses, zero alcohol zone. This is no place for that.”
(Tibor Jakabovics)
