Playgrounds aren't for wusses

4/6/2013

U.S. playgrounds are for sissies. Seriously. Yesterday I went to two of the best playgrounds I've ever been to. One was part of the Nehru Planetarium, the other near-by. Both were science and inquiry based. Most of the equipment in both of them would probably be illegal in the US.

I'm putting a clip below of an electricity-producing play piece (unfortunately, the belt had broken on the dynamo, so no flashing lights and blowing fan). Before you watch, I want to say "I had no idea anything was going to happen," and "she's OK" Shutting off the video like I did meant that I got there in time to stop the wheel before she made a second round though it made for less-spectacular video. She landed with a really loud thump on her head, but after a few tears was up and running on the hamster wheel again.

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4 Comments

Eddie

4/9/2013 02:16:36 am

Mela-

Hope you're having a good time. I hate to bug you about work you're not even at right now, but are you teaching SCI124 for both Spring and Fall? I wasn't sure if you access your email.

Thanks!

Eddie

Mela

4/20/2013 07:43:51 pm

Fall for sure, can't say yet about Spring.

Eddie

4/9/2013 02:40:20 am

By the way, it looked like it was gonna hurt bad!

Mela

4/20/2013 07:44:43 pm

Yeah. Her head made a big noise when it hit. Her hands rotated up with the spinning wheel so by the time she hit they didn't do her any good. Ouch.

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Mela (Pam, Pamela) will be on sabbatical from her assistant professor position at Hawaii Community College from August 2012-2013. Most of this time will be spent studying agrorforestry systems in South India.