Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 13, 1992 TAG: 9203130149
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JUDY SCHWAB
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
At least that's what some 8-year-olds at Harding Avenue Elementary School think.
They should know. They're the ones who would use it.
The Harding Avenue third-graders were interviewed recently about what an ideal playground should be. Before a question could be asked, their arms shot into the air like karate chops; small bodies squirmed with anticipation at being interviewed.
The question was: If you could design your own playground, what would it be like?
Braden White jumped right in: "There'd be a roller coaster, and there'd be an airport and you could take off a jet. You could drive your own car."
Jessica Naff struck a monumental note.
"I would have this Statue of Liberty with more than 350 stairs and a humongous basketball and a snow-maker."
Miss Liberty of the playground could welcome the huddled masses, and the basketball and snowball-deprived, yearning to be free.
Elizabeth Edel also went for statuary, but of a more personal nature.
"A big huge statue of yourself and you could climb on it. I would have the biggest one. It would be sort of like a carnival with a gigantic seesaw and rides would cost a penny a ticket."
Jacob Murphy suggested a playhouse and "a hill with mats to play king-of-the-mountain" and "a basketball court, tennis-ball court and football field."
No statuary for Murphy.
Rebecca Muscatello also wanted a Statue of Liberty, but hers would have an added attraction.
"At the top where the little hat, is I'd put a water slide," she said.
Also, "a big house - so big you could play like you're shrinking, and a big shoe with odor in it - but it would really smell good."
Perhaps like chocolate-chip cookies?
Christine O'Connor also wanted the Statue of Liberty "right in the middle of the playground."
When asked what she would do if she had to actually build it for the playground, O'Connor thought for a nanosecond.
"I would borrow it."
by CNB