1. See saw - Not a big deal right? Wrong. Boy was it fun to raise friends up (now mind you, I think these went to much greater heights way back when) and jump off to let them fall (kind of) unexpectedly. Of course, it wasn't as exciting when it happened to me and I could feel my brain hit the top of my skull but it was all about the challenge of being the first one off.
2. Swings - Considering how much I hate roller coasters it seems surprising that I used to love to get as high as possible, feet to the sky, reverse the grip on the chains thus positioning the elbows forward forward and go flying off the swings. I didn't typically land on my feet, and although there were no soft protective surfaces to catch me like we see on playgrounds now, the hard ground and grass wasn't so bad. I was a pretty tough kid.
3. Really tall (and hot and sticky, slow) metal slides - Everything on the playground in the heat of the day seemed built to cause children burns, whether on their hands or their thighs. I remember the slide being more trouble than it was worth. It was never one of my favorites.
4. Big spinner - Okay, now we are talking. I loved this thing, well most of the time. It often depended on who was in control of the speed and where I was seated. The middle was fine, I was not going anywhere even if some rowdy boys were in command. The outside was fine as well because I could jump off if necessary. One just didn't want to go spinning off because time was needed to prepare for a "safe" landing. Usually, I just held on for dear life.
5. Bars - I am actually not quite sure what these were officially called but they were a real favorite of my girlfriends and mine. We would often make plans to meet at the "bars". It was sort of a hang out place for the tweens at my elementary school. There'd be these little ladies sitting and hanging off all over this thing - on top, upside down, just everywhere.
6. Fire pole/slide combo - I have saved the best for last. This is the piece of playground equipment that brings me the warmest and fuzziest memories. First let's just get one thing straight - not one of the kids cared about the slide - it was all about the fire pole!! I'd climb the ladder and get to this platform where surprisingly by today's standards there was what seemed like a GIANT hole in the center. In the center of the hole was the fire pole. Of course, if one wanted to go down the pole they'd have to be intentional and spring carefully from the platform to the pole in order to get their arms and legs wrapped properly around the metal before making descent. It was tricky business because there were always a bunch of kids on the platform and at any given time you could be shoved (accidentally of course) toward that hole and lose your footing and not be prepared to latch on to the pole. It was oh so risky and thrilling!!
*Images courtesy of Flickr.
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