Rethinking the History of Childhood, Jan 14, University of Greenwich (I'll be there)

image from the website of Ray Wills, a veteran playworker in adventure playgrounds

 The University of Greenwich Centre for the Study of Play and Recreation is hosting a conference next Saturday, January 14, on "Rethinking the History of Childhood", including a morning session entitled 'The Rise and Fall of Playgrounds'.

As I happen to be in London at the moment I'll be there; not speaking, just attending, but if you're in the area and would like to say hello and share playground thoughts, please do stop by!  The conference is free, but you must register to attend, or I'll be hanging about after the morning session and stopping by the coinciding exhibition on junk play at the university's Stephen Lawrence Gallery. 

"The exhibition will explore historical and contemporary representations of a movement for children’s play space. This started life in the late 1940s as Junk play and has become better known as Adventure play. The show will include videos and photos from the personal archives of playworkers and play researchers. The story told by contemporary images and constructions will capture the practical ways children use these spaces to understand and deal with the city as an 'imposed environment'."

The idea of the junk playground originated with the Danish landscape architect Carl Theodor Sørensen, but its greatest champion was Lady Allen Hurtwood, whose Planning for Play is of course now available in digital edition through Playscapes.

Hope to see some of you in Greenwich! 

Purchase Planning for Play digital download for $6 USD via Paypal