European playgrounds

Hanging out in Nuernberg, DE

It's true-my family does view all of Europe as our own "private" playground, but the real European playgrounds are for the kids! As a prior Waldorf School employee, I've long admired the European playground. They are designed to be used in a multitude of ways, allow some risk (and responsibility on the part of the parents), and don't dictate the ways in which children must use the equipment.

Amazing playspace with a view, Mellau, Austria

Many of the playgrounds include rope-related equipment, that requires the children to use balance and core muscle strength. You see rope-based equipment frequently in German playground, and it really does demonstrate the German idea of "survival of the fittest"!

Swingin'-Nuernberg, DE

You will also find balancing logs and platforms, teepees, basket-style swings and water features. I know that many communities in the U.S. have fabulous playgrounds, but having living a sort of off-the-beaten path, peripatetic lifestyle, it wasn't until we arrived in Germany that we actually found these creative play places for children. Watching our risk-adverse child scale a rope web or jump off of pylons is a delight, and as parents, we appreciate the child-centered design of the playgrounds in Europe. Also, there is little plastic in the equipment, which provides a certain aesthetic quality to their spielplatzes.

A gigantic fairy house in a playground near our village.

The best feature in any European playground? The food and drink! One of my favorite playgrounds in our area includes a huge water pump with a drainage system and an adjacent biergarten. The shot below is from the Gartenshau Kaiserslautern where, in the fall, you can enjoy kurbis (pumpkin) wine and pumpkin soup. Playtime doesn't get any better than this:

Kurbis delight with JillyBoo playing in the background.