Thanks to Elizabeth Peterson and Dave Baker for making Adventure Playgrounds (1965) available via the UO Channel.
This 16mm short film demonstrates the concept of the adventure
playground, a place where children construct play spaces out of raw
building materials ("no swings or seesaws, only things created by the
hands of the children from waste materials on the site"). Like many
educational films of the era, Adventure Playground escalates the
success of the program. Suddenly, the children's "building, burrowing
and digging" morphs into a bicycle shop, a literary journal and a
canteen where tea is served. What I love most about the film is the
fact that all the children look like they were garbed by Old Town Clothing.
The derelict bombsite becomes a playground for boys in belted shorts,
sturdy corduroy jackets, summerweight cardigans, cotton poplin shirts
and durable lace up oxfords.
