Photo of Wyckoff playground by Sheila of NJPlaygrounds.com
Adventure is a matter of perception, so exploring different playgrounds in New Jersey can honestly be defined as an adventure. NJPlayGrounds.com recently published a celebrity poll of favorite NJ playgrounds, and local diva Jacqueline Laurita of the Real Housewives of NJ chimed in with her favorite….and no, it was not in Franklin Lakes but neighboring Wyckoff.
Playgrounds are a much more complicated arena than most people might think. There’s an entire industry built around them in terms of layout,design, and the manufacture of equipment. The simple playgrounds of yesteryear are long gone in most neighborhoods, and items such as a merry-go-round have seen their time pass as safety concerns took center stage in playground design.
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Adventure-playgrounds fleetingly took hold in Europe and America. This was a concept that promoted more creative thought with children by establishing what might best be described as a semi-safe junk yard for children to play in. One still exists in Berkely, California, where kids design and build forts, towers, and engage in a variety of low risk activities. But in age of lawsuits and budget cuts, facilities of this type have also seen their time come and go.
The new theory in playground design is now geared towards playscape, and is much safer. This concept is geared towards designing a play space that looks and feels like a natural environment. The terrain is intended to maintain more vegetation, and to shape it more by building in small hills and slopes. Utilizing natural objects or more homemade looking structures is encouraged when building a playscape. It is believed when children play in natural environments, their play is more diverse, they become more imaginative, and their collaborative skills are improved.
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Planet Earth Playscapes, located in upstate NY, has one of the best portfolio’s of playscapes in the region. They offer a wide array of resources that include consultations, speaking engagements, as well as having published a book on playscape design. They offer a variety of services that can include building the playscape, or providing advice on how to build one that is safe and fun.
From city kids to suburban kids, playgrounds are often places where fond memories are built. It’s a kids’ world where both new challenges and new friends are met. Seeing old playgrounds give way to new ones often can be a melancholy affair for both older and younger generations.
In Nutley, NJ, the town recently razed the Creative Children’s Playground which was built by 100 volunteers back in 1992. The wooden fortress like structure was designed by kids, but town administrators first pointed to an increase in rats and then potential arsenic in the wood. Neither argument won over supporters who ranged from parents to preservation groups, but their efforts to preserve the existing playground failed.
While Wyckoff may have won the kudos of Jacqueline Laurita, playgrounds in Oakland and Franklin Lakes still hold their own appeal. Residents from all three towns often travel to the different playgrounds, some even trekking up the hillside to Ringwood.
The school playground, the club playground, the hometown playground all offer their unique experiences creating memories lasting well into old age.
Exploring new playgrounds is its own experience, and it can be an adventure…