A Place for Play: A Companion Volume to the Michigan Television Film: Where Do the Children Play?
Goodenough, Elizabeth (ed.) (2008).
National Institute for Play; ISBN 9780615202822.
The book A Place for Play is an anthology of interviews and short essays with experts from Where Do the Children Play?, a 60-minute documentary from Michigan Television. [See accompanying video and study guide review.] Edited by Elizabeth Goodenough, A Place for Play expands upon the documentary by highlighting the voices of childhood development experts, environmental psychologists, educators and professionals in the broad, important field of “restoring childhood.” These vignettes discuss the importance of children’s play, summarize research findings that explain the cognitive, physical and emotional benefits of play, and explore several child-centered design initiatives that help restore children’s connection to nature and imaginative play. The overall goal of this book is to encourage children, adults, and educators to bring back creative, imaginative and self-directed play, as well as to foster the restoration of intimate playscapes for today’s children growing up in urban and suburban neighborhoods.
A Place for Play begins with a foreword by Richard Louv, whose popular book The Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, spawned a national movement to “Leave No Child Inside.” Louv captivates the reader with a question that many of parents, educators, and scholars may have asked before: Why are so many of today’s children so “bored”? Louv speculates that the shift away from “free-range” play to an indoor playscape dominated by screens and electronic babysitters has caused children to lose their sense of exploration, imagination and creativity. Goodenough extends Louv’s argument in her introduction, highlighting the 2007 UNICEF report card on the well-being of children among 21 wealthy nations, which sadly shows the United States and United Kingdom at the bottom of the list. Goodenough reminds us that such reports and other negative trends among today’s children and youth underscore the grave consequences of our loss of free time, contact with nature and spaces for self-discovery and play. This sets the stage for the rest of the book, which not only discusses the erosion of childhood, but efforts and initiatives dedicated to restoring children’s sense of freedom, creativity, and access to playscapes.
A Place for Play is presented in five parts, weaving experts’ stories about and opinions of the importance of play and playscapes for children’s healthy development. Part I of the book, Play Takes Place, defines play as a “set of behaviors that is freely chosen, personally directed, and intrinsically motivated” (11). Here, the writers illuminate the hidden history of places and the importance of children’s self-directed creation of playscapes, ultimately questioning how we can bring children back into play. The writers argue the need for restoring play in preschools and kindergartens, and authors like Jack Zipe and Margery Franklin discuss how the celebration of children’s creativity through drama, stories and language can help children “become narrators of their own lives.” Part II, Researching Fun summarizes important research from scholars dedicated to understanding the child-environment relationship, underscoring the important link between children’s overall health and unstructured play in nature. First, Sandra Hofferth reminds us that today’s children are spending more time indoors than previous generations, with a marked increase in sedentary activities. Nancy Wells then reports on the restorative and cognitive benefits of exposure to nature—preparing the reader for Robin Moore and Nilda Cosco’s discussion of how exposure to nature through gardening enhances children’s concentration as well as impacting children’s physical and psychological development. Other well-known scholars in this section (Robin Moore, Louise Chawla and Stuart Brown) summarize studies that show the importance of childhood involvement in community organizations and argue that researchers need to listen to and “involve” young people in order to best understand what they value in their communities and how they use their environment.
In addition to Part II’s emphasis on the mental and physical health benefits of children’s exposure to nature play, Part III, Rooting for Imagination, draws attention to the role of active outdoor play with few adult constraints in fostering social skills, conflict resolution, physical fitness and improved concentration. For example, Elizabeth Jones and Eric Nelson share the successes of “The Outdoor Classroom Project,” which educates teachers, administrators and parents on the value of outdoor learning environments. Compared to sedentary activities, such as playing computer games and watching TV, interactions within natural settings stimulate all of the senses, fueling children’s imagination, creativity and concentration. Moreover, this section’s wonderful photos of children building forts, a visual extension of Mark Powell’s piece on “Fort Culture,” reveal the power of play at recess, especially in nature settings.
Part IV, Playgrounds Matter, is a reflection on children’s playscapes and playgrounds—from the history of their design to current trends in designing adventure and naturalized playgrounds. Writers in Part IV challenge us to rethink risk for our children’s sake, arguing that the playground should not be sterilized and unchallenging, but rather “a site for the thrill of doing something a bit dangerous.” David Hawkins further argues for more dynamic school grounds, such as the Edible Schoolyard, which offers young people the opportunity to learn, participate and eat healthfully.
Finally, this powerful book concludes with Part V, Child-Centered Cities, which discusses how urban environments need to protect and celebrate nature and playscapes for children. The writers here offer guidelines for “child-friendly” neighborhoods, towns and cities, sharing the ingredients for places that generate positive and safe social and environmental interaction. Cooper Marcus, for example, offers a design solution for encouraging outdoor play in urban settings, discussing the idea of shared outdoor spaces enclosed by buildings. Such designs, she argues, support creative, self-directed play close to home. Part V concludes with aerial photographs taken by Alex MacLean that illuminate the suburban sprawl, lonely playgrounds and concrete jungles that have suffocated play from our lives. Through these images and this book, we are reminded that play is a part of who we are—and without it we lose a vital sense of self and perhaps our sense of place on earth.
Reviewer Information
Susie Strife just completed her Ph.D. in environmental studies at the University of Colorado Boulder with a focus on environmental sociology. Her dissertation research explored children’s environmental concerns and relationship with nature. Susie currently teaches undergraduate classes on Sustainability at CU and works full time for the Boulder County Commissioners as their Sustainability Education and Outreach Specialist.