Since I love getting outside with the twins for some good old fashioned physical activity and fresh air, one of my favorite things about the small suburb we live in is the city park.
It’s got beautiful scenery, lots to do, and trees perfect for climbing.
Sadly, we haven’t been here in months.
Why, you ask?
Because a spaceship landed on the playground!
Let me explain. Before this giant hunk of flashing plastic was installed smack dab in the middle of the playground, there was a small play structure here that was perfect for toddlers. If you have ever participated in the care and feeding of a toddler, you know what a blessing it is to have a toddler playground in the area. My little monkeys can navigate the larger play structure (shown in second photo above) now with no problems, but there are still plenty of open areas that are way up high that they can fall out of. This is no laughing matter for a mother of twins who love to run full speed in opposite directions!
When we got word that our local parks department was planning on tearing down the toddler playground, my fellow playgroup moms and I were a bit concerned. But the reasoning behind the improvements was compelling; the existing equipment was outdated and parts were no longer available to make repairs. “Cool!” we thought. “Maybe they’ll replace it with a new toddler playground that has a shade cover like the larger playground…that way the equipment won’t be too hot to use by 9:00 am!”
Boy, were we in for a surprise.
Meet my nemesis. Electronic playground equipment.
When I first heard about the new and exciting addition planned for the park, I groaned inwardly. And outwardly.
You see, like many little ones (especially boys), Will has always been mesmerized by electronic gadgets. If the TV is on, he is glued to it like a zombie, which makes be absolutely cringe. I wish I could say we are a television-free household, but sadly that is not the case. I try to reserve it for limited periods during the day, but sometimes I am so frazzled and exhausted that I give in and turn on a show just so I can have a second to breathe, or clean up the breakfast dishes before Daddy gets home from work at 5:30, or whatever. It makes me feel horrible every time.
This is why I love getting the kids out of the house. No TV to distract them from play opportunities or physical activity. No whining, “TV on, Mama! Peeez?” when there is downtime, and full-on meltdowns when I refuse. Just good, wholesome, universal kid fun.
Until now.
If you think I sound harsh, I really did try to give it the benefit of the doubt. The first time we came in contact with the new equipment was at a Halloween party in the park for families with young children. As we approached the area, I could hear beeping and buzzing mixed in with the din of the party. There are several games you can choose from at each station; the object of most of them is to press or “grab”colored lights as they flash in different locations of the equipment. The games do promote lots of jumping around and fast moving if they are played correctly, and the kids that were playing seemed to be having fun.
So what’s the problem, you ask? Well, for one thing, this isn’t much different than an active video game. Like you play at home in the living room. In front of the TV. One of the stations has a “tetherball” game that you play by hitting lights that symbolize balls. Here’s a thought- why not actually play tetherball? After all, this is a playground.
Also, like any other video game, this type of equipment limits the opportunities for imaginative play and social interaction for the children playing with it. Part of what children are doing when they are playing games like “tag” or “hide and seek” on the playground is learning valuable social lessons. They negotiate rules. They learn how to make friends. They learn how to join groups. Even though kids can play with this equipment in groups, they are still not interacting the same way they would if they did not have the equipment as the dictator of their activity.
But let’s get back to the party. My tots heard the beeping and buzzing that the same time I did, and made a beeline for the source. Since they were too young to take part in the games, they stood mesmerized by the shiny lights and jumping kids, completely ignoring all the other fun opportunities in their surroundings. Eventually, Sydney got tired and wandered off in search of something to climb on, but Will remained glued to the plastic until we gave up and left. This resulted in a tantrum of epic proportions, one of those that makes you worry that someone is going to accuse you of kidnapping your own child. Awesome!
Unfortunately, this scene was echoed the next few times we tried the park, so we gave up. I began driving to neighboring towns to visit parks that were spaceship free and toddler friendly. This worked for a couple of months until I got brave enough to try the park again.
Thank goodness, this time the spell seemed to be broken.
We climbed, slid, explored, and swung with only passing interest in the electronic equipment. In fact, we didn’t see anyone play with the equipment the entire time we were there. Instead we saw groups of kids shooting hoops, climbing trees, and playing tag. Maybe there is hope for our kiddos after all- at least they know what a playground is for!
Wow, that made me angry even just reading about that, let alone having it installed in our local park. How on earth did that get approved?
And yes, toddler-specific equipment is so valuable and not widely available, sadly.
When do we begin the march on the spaceship?!
Don’t ask me! I don’t have much time for town politics. I just write opinionated articles after the fact 😉 Let’s march away!
We just recently returned to the park as well, after exploring other area parks. My 4 year old tried the electronic games, then decided it wasn’t as much fun as the other stuff. We never saw anyone else playing with it. Spending over $100,000 on that electronic equipment was a colossal waste of resources.
Agreed!
Wow, I didn’t know such a thing as electronic playground equipment even existed! I echo the thoughts of Claire above. My blood started to boil just reading about it!!
Yep. I wish you lived closer. We could have play dates in the mud with rocks and sticks 😉
I really don’t think the town did any research on this. Although I’m not entirely anti-electronic playground, this location is completely wrong for it and it really detracts from the park’s atmosphere. Fortunately there are nice park options in neighboring cities. (For an example of a place where an electronic playground fits in, look up Taylor’s Dream Boundless Playground in Indiana).
Wow, Jenny, I just looked up Taylor’s Dream, and it is really amazing! The equipment that they spotlighted in that article looks like it promotes open-ended play a bit more and is also designed to be accessible to children in wheelchairs, which is really important. I did actually wonder about the inclusivity of the electronic pieces in TC, because a lot of the buttons are too high for a child in a wheelchair to be able to reach.
I also agree that someone didn’t do too much research on this issue. I mean, why should research be done before spending exorbitant amounts of public funding? 😉
Did you know that crazy thing cost 63,000??? Which supposedly is “cheap” for that kind of equipment? I have been against it from the beginning. I am so sad that TC decided to do this. I just can’t imagine how anyone…..especially any mothers……could possibly think this was a good idea. The toddlers and under 6 crowd are the ones who are there during the day, not the school age kids who can actually read. We don’t go near as much as we used to. And we are like you…..we go to other towns to use their “good” and toddler friendly playgrounds. Great post. Can I share it on the Town of TC page??? haha
Sarah, share wherever you want 😉 I just hope I don’t end up with flaming dog poo on my front porch, hah!
But seriously, your point about the ages of children who use the park most is spot-on. The demographics of this town have changed dramatically in the past year or two. Time to start catering to the needs of the young families in the area!
That’s awful!!! I feel the same way as you about tv and electronic time through the day (there are many moments of frazzled twin-mama here too where I turn to “Elmo” for help … :/) so I would be so angry to have that thing show up at our local playground! How is it powered?! How long do they expect that to last before it turns into a dead plastic monument of money down the drain? Crazy!!
That’s a great question, Amanda! I wondered about that myself. It’s a little eery to think of that equipment beeping away thousands of years from now with only cockroaches to keep it company!
I didn’t even know such stuff existed! Good point about the imaginary play and social interaction though, I’m pretty certain my boys would be mesmerised by it at first then loose interest, at least I hope they would. Thanks for sharing at the Outdoor Play Party
I agree with Hannah, I had no idea this sort of “play” equipment existed! I don’t know what I would do if this landed in our local park. How disappointing that someone out there thought that this would be good for kids. Thanks for linking to the Outdoor Play Party.
It is a shame they didn’t add something to climb on.
Very interesting thoughts on the electronic play equipment. We would like to share your post on our Play and Playground News Center found at http://www.playgroundprofessionals.com. Would you give us permission to repost it for our readers to see? It will link back to your website.
Rita, can you email me at [email protected]? Thanks!