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“Work and play are words used to describe the same thing under different conditions.” - Mark Twain
The world today is facing four major challenges:
- Lack of exercise and the resulting obesity
- Seriousness of the lives of children: pressures to do well at school and abandoning play at too early an age
- Inequality in learning: although different children learn in different ways, they should all have the same opportunities for learning
- Families do not spend enough quality time together
According to the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, children today spend almost 50% more time on studying than before. At the same time, their free time has dropped by 12 hours per week, leaving them with 3 hours’ less time for play per week and 50% less time for outdoor activity.
Playgrounds benefit society as a whole:
- Prevention of health-related problem
- Attractiveness, safety and increased house prices in residential areas
- Ability of different kinds of residents to live harmoniously in the same area
Did you know that...
The first playgrounds were built after the Second World War but the real boom only began with the 1970s’ urbanisation. The Nordic Countries spearhead the industry. Finnish towns and cities have a total of 11,000 playgrounds.
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