ABSTRACT
Tradition has decreed that the playground be designed to provide opportunities for gross-motor activity through the use of standard steel apparatus. It has been assumed that it is possible to design and maintain a playground for its capital cost alone and that a good playground is one requiring very little maintenance. To explore the concept of the 'adventure' playground, comparisons were made between a 'standard' and an 'adventure' playground, using the play of the same group of four children as a basis. The most critical drag on their evolution seems to be the assumption that it is possible to sustain play over the early life of a child without there being any alteration in the play environment. The 'adventure' playground was created by the writer on the rural farm where she lived and played as a child. In building the 'adventure' playground, the natural terrain and structure were included as much as possible.
