New park brings new opportunities to play

A new, temporary park called "Free Play on the Parkway" will have a concrete ping pong table, gigantic foam tinker toys and a rarity among Philadelphia playgrounds: a sandbox. The pocket park represents new ideas in both urban development and childhood play. Play has become a dirty word in the last 20 years, according to Temple psychology professor Kathy Hirsh-Pasek. "Now many parents hear their child say those two awful words: I'm Bored," said Hirsh-Pasek. "The reason we hear that is we never give our children a chance to have free play time where they structure their own activities."
May 20, 2011 | WHYY/NewsWorks