Category Archives: The Playground

The Playground: Not Unspeakable

Posted on June 21, 2015 by Christiana McQuain

Since Wednesday’s tragic events at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, I am finding it tremendously challenging to write about “play”.  Nine people who were engaged in worship through Bible study were shot and killed by … Continue reading →

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The Playground: Unthinkable

Posted on June 20, 2015 by Bob Patrick

Sometimes in our worst nightmares we see a playground with children playing happily when some unspeakable horror strikes.  The purity, the innocence, the delight and joy of childhood and all that it means is deeply violated by some unseen character … Continue reading →

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The Playground–Rules Brought and Made

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Bob Patrick

As I think back on my own early playground experiences and as I remember watching our children and others play together, I realize that rules show up on the playground in two ways.  There are the rules we all bring … Continue reading →

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Playground: Gatekeeping

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Bob Patrick

How did you gain entrance to the playgrounds of your childhood?  That may seem a silly question–one just went out a certain door (at school) or down a certain street, through a gate. The point is that for most of … Continue reading →

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The Playground: Missing

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Christiana McQuain

I woke up this morning and headed straight for the playground, in eager anticipation of all that awaited me there.  But I arrived to find something missing.  Someone missing. One by one, we friends began to arrive, and we stood … Continue reading →

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The Playground: Play Spaces

Posted on June 14, 2015 by Bob Patrick

What does “play” mean to you?  Within this culture that we live in, depending on the generation that we grew up in, that word can take on very different meanings and implications for our lives.  In older generations still deeply … Continue reading →

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