Occupy Tiny Tots protest draws world’s attention to ‘kids with better toys’ | NewsBiscuit

Occupy Tiny Tots protest draws world’s attention to ‘kids with better toys’ | NewsBiscuit

I have had the article above for a few weeks and was semi - loathe to post it, given that it may not appeal to everyone's sense of humour and satirical irony is not that widely understood...in my neighbourhood at least. However, the thing that has forced me to post it is two striking parallels.

I have been following the progress of the "Occupy movements" in the US and other countries and pondered what the world would be like if the concepts of sharing, turn taking and delayed gratification had been  presented, accepted and practised by the 1%. 

The second parallel relates to the difference between KFC playgrounds and naturalistic playspaces. KFC playgrounds can only be used in a set manner. Based on my observations of children playing in them there is no room for variation, innovation or imagination, and if you are unaware of or choose not to practice the aforementioned concepts, there's definitely going to be tears before nap-time. Exclusivity and duration of use of equipment is usually defined by who can shove the hardest or scream the loudest. Naturalistic playspaces are not the antithesis of KFC playgrounds, but they do provide a whole plethora of learning and interacting opportunities on a number of developmental levels. And they're not finite like a KFC playground. The opportunities for how they are used are only limited by the components and the users imaginations.