HANDCRAFTED PLAYGROUNDS

By M. Paul Friedberg

Publisher: Vintage Books, a division of Random House
Published: 1975
Binding: Softcover
Languages: English
Condition: Good

HANDCRAFTED PLAYGROUNDS is a detailed sketchbook by M. Paul Friedberg, one of America’s leading designers and landscape architects. Published in 1975 by Vintage Books, this book offers a comprehensive guide to building playgrounds, asserting that the process can be as valuable as the final product. It encourages involving children in both the design and construction phases, ensuring the playground meets their needs.

The book features a wide range of designs, from simple projects like a tire swing, which requires basic knot-tying, to more complex wood structures that necessitate power tools and building skills. Friedberg emphasizes that playground construction need not be expensive, suggesting the use of easily obtainable materials like lumber, old tires, barrels, ladders, concrete blocks, and pipes.

Friedberg categorizes play into three major types—physical, social, and cognitive—and stresses the importance of incorporating elements that promote all three. Physical play equipment challenges motor skills, while social play structures foster interaction and cooperation. Cognitive play areas encourage problem-solving and creativity. The book includes an Activities Matrix linking play elements to these developmental benefits.

The designs also consider the scale of play equipment to children's sizes and suggest linking elements to reinforce various activities. The book is filled with easy-to-read drawings of playgrounds using diverse materials like ladders, poles, logs, nets, drums, tubes, tires, spools, and canvas. Construction pieces include stepping columns, tree houses, slides, swings, seesaws, bridges, sandboxes, planters, benches, and bike racks.

Handcrafted Playgrounds is a practical and inspirational resource for anyone looking to create engaging and educational play environments for children.