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Hello, this is 6 Minute English
from BBC Learning English. I'm Pippa.
And I'm Phil. What was your favourite
game when you were a child, Pippa?
I think my favourite game
was skipping with a skipping rope.
How about you?
Well, I could never skip, so I think
I just preferred playing football.
Ahh! Well, that's a good game to play
in the playground.
Eighty years ago,
it was quite common
for children in Britain's cities
to play in bomb sites,
the ruins of houses which
had been destroyed in World War II.
Today the idea is back in fashion,
with kids playing not in bomb sites
but in junk playgrounds,
also called adventure playgrounds.
In contrast to pre-made playgrounds,
where swings
and slides are fixed in place,
adventure playgrounds provide pieces
of building materials
for kids to build things themselves.
Reporter William Kremer went to see one
such playground in Wrexham, North Wales,
for BBC World Service
programme People Fixing the World:
At first glance, the land is
little more than a junkyard.
There are stacks of used wooden pallets
and big reels for holding wires.
But if you look a little bit closer,
you'll see crooked homemade structures,
hidey-holes and turrets.
Children run barefoot.
They swing on ropes and throw themselves
down a makeshift water slide.
At first glance,
William sees only junk.
The phrase, at first glance, means
looking at something for the first time,
before having
a chance to look more carefully.
Adventure playgrounds are indeed full of
junk – pieces of construction material
like old tyres,
planks of wood and lengths of rope.
But look closely and you'll see
children using the junk to play,
building dens and hidey-holes.
A hidey-hole is a small place
for hiding things
or, in this case,
for children to hide themselves.
In this episode,
we'll be hearing
how adventure playgrounds are giving
kids the freedom and space to play.
As usual, we'll be learning
some useful new words and phrases.
And remember – you can find
all this episode's vocabulary,
along with a transcript, on
our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
But now I have a question
for you, Pippa.
We know that adventure playgrounds
started off after the Second World War,
but in which country?
Was it: a) France, b) Germany,
or c) Denmark?
Hmm... I think maybe France.
I think French children maybe were
very adventurous.
OK. Well, we'll find out the answer
to that question later in the programme.
Adventure playgrounds give kids
the freedom to choose how they play.
According to child development expert
Dr Anna Housley Juster,
this freedom is vital,
as she explains here to BBC World
Service's People Fixing the World:
It's true. We do tend
to minimise play in certain ways,
but actually after the most basic
needs are met for children –
so, food, shelter, water,
safe place to be – play is by far
the most important factor
for healthy child development.
Anna thinks play is as important
as a child's basic needs,
like food and safety,
but unfortunately the importance
of play tends to be minimised.
If something tends to happen, it happens
often and is likely to happen again.
Anna says that after a child's
basic needs are met, play is by far
the most important factor
in a healthy childhood.
She uses the phrase,
by far, to mean by a great amount.
For example, your teacher might say:
You're by far
the best student in class!
The freedom to take controlled risks
in a safe environment is
what Anna calls self-directed play.
Here, she explains more
to Myra Anubi,
presenter of BBC programme
People Fixing the World:
So, what you're saying
is letting kids play...
free play actually,
or play on their own and, kind of,
come up with the ideas – that's
really crucial for their development.
It's one hundred percent crucial
for their development.
In... what I meant when I said
that it's protective
is that kids build resiliency,
confidence, coping strategies,
regulation strategies.
So many of the skills that we know
lead to healthy human development
are developed in play.
Myra mentions the importance
of free play and Anna says
it's one hundred percent crucial –
meaning completely.
You can also say,
One hundred percent,
as an informal response to mean:
Yes, I agree with you completely.
Adventure playgrounds have lots
of small dangers – hard pieces
of wood, sharp metal, nails.
According to Anna, taking small risks
when playing with these
makes kids more resilient and
builds coping strategies – a term for
the psychological ways children develop
to manage challenging situations.
And Phil, I think it's time
for the answer to your quiz question.
Yes, I asked you in which country
adventure playgrounds started.
You said France, but I'm afraid
the correct answer was Denmark.
They were introduced by Danish
architect Carl Theodor Sorensen.
OK. Let's recap the vocabulary
we've learned,
starting with the phrase at first glance –
where you see something quickly,
without a chance to consider it
more carefully.
A hidey-hole is a small place
for hiding things in,
or hiding yourself in.
If people tend to do something,
they do it often and will probably
continue to do it in the future.
The phrase, by far,
means by a great amount.
Saying one hundred percent
means completely and
can be used to emphasise a statement
or show that you totally agree with it.
And finally, coping strategies are
psychological ways
of managing your emotions
in challenging situations.
Once again,
our six minutes are up
but remember – you can find many more
trending topics,
plus a quiz and worksheet
for this episode,
on our website,
bbclearningenglish.com.
Hope to see you there soon,
but for now it's goodbye.
Goodbye!
Vocabulary
Word 1 of 11play in bomb sites
phrase
0:30
"children playing in the ruins of buildings destroyed in war."
More Listening Practice
About this lesson
Discover why play is crucial for healthy child development with this 6 Minute English episode.