ABSTRACT
It is perhaps the fault of the Protestant ethic that people so habitually, as adults, separate the activities of children into play and work. For the child, however, things are not quite so clear; given proper conditions, children, in the name of play, will become thoroughly invested in enterprises that would make many a strong man a work-shirker. However, on a visit to nearly any public playground in midsummer we are likely to encounter a meager population sitting discouragedly on swings or near the edges of the playground, leaning against a fence, or perhaps aimlessly riding a bicycle around in circles. Most playgrounds being built today resemble huge squirrel cages. They challenge and exhaust the child with a variety of intriguing and enjoyable muscle-testing experiences. This is satisfactory if it does not have to fill the play-space needs of the same child or children day after day throughout the year.
