Observing at a Million Dollar Playground

In Waukegan, Illinois there is a playground, not just any playground, but a playground built 2 years ago with funds from the state of Illinois and private donations called Bowen Park that cost in excess of one million dollars. What does a million dollars buy? A lot actually; a 75' climbing spider web, a 50' tower with two tunnel slides, 3 disc swings, a large multi-use climbing structure, a scenic outlook with depictions of birds to look for, a modern merry-go-round, park benches, and a toddler/infant area with sand, climbing structures and equipment safely separated from activity of more active children. But it turns out that the best thing a million dollars buys is physical, active fun for children of all age groups.

The problems with most playgrounds, as I've learned in NYC, is that after a certain age, children are not welcome there. As a society we constantly hear about obesity in teens, how they're fixated on video games, how they don't know how to have active fun anymore. And yet, at most playgrounds I've been to older children are looked upon as pariahs, too dangerous to play around little kids, a menace, a bad influence. They're too often left to just sit on park benches.

At Bowen park there is something for everyone. Teens climb up the giant spider webs, helping little kids to the easier levels and assisting older kids to the top. Teenagers are allowed to be active and are included in the play with younger ones. Because the equipment can accommodate different ages, no kids sit on the benches here. I watched two teenage girls in flip-flops climb to the top of the web and hang out at the top, laughing. Up the slope at the climbing tower two tweens have organized an army of little kids to slide down the tunnels. Calling out numbers and shuffling the little ones down the slide they've discovered a way to commandeer the play. At times it got a little precarious, pushing the little ones into the slide too closely together to safely prevent collisions. A worried friend climbed up to ask the tweens to slow it down a bit. Surprisingly the little ones loved it, the feeling of rushing down the tunnels and the potential for danger fresh in their pounding heartbeats. The actually weren't frightened at all, just excited to have 'big kids' playing with them!