Does Your Playground Spark Creativity

I take my son Max to the playground almost every day between 5 and 7 to play and to burn off excess energy - his, of course - so that he'll rest peacefully - and hopefully, early - that night. Our interactions change each visit - sometimes we kick the ball, sometimes we go down the slide, sometimes we climb the ropes. In the end, my son knows pretty much what to expect - and that might be the problem. In this week's Time magazine, Harriet Barovik spotlights David Rockwell, designer of theater sets (Hairspray), restaurants (Nobu) and hotels (W), who "was so frustrated by the fixed nature of the playgrounds his kids frequented that he set out to reinvent them." Reinvent them, he did. Bringing in foam blocks, wheels, cogs and noodles, he put creativity back in the hands of kids, encouraging them to build and create their own playground and put simply, to get messy. Read for yourself....the story not only fascinated me, but challenged me to think more about the things I do each day with my child. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2007398,00.html . You can also learn more at Imagination Playground's web site.