Playground equipment in early 1900s.....Oh My!

[1srelluc]

LOL....The survivors went on to defeat the Boche!

 

[mak2]

In the 1960's we had these real tall steel slides on the playground with a sand box like structure with sand and boards around it, probably 6x6 or something at the landing end. We brought wax paper and I think it was potato sacks to school and made the slides so fast I remember one kid breaking an ankle when he hit the end of the sandbox. Those were the days. Probably about 1968.

 

[strollingbones]

now you have sponge type carpeting under all the equipment

 

[mak2]

now you have sponge type carpeting under all the equipment

Wussies.

 

[deannalw]

When I was a kidlin, we lived next to a park/playground.

There were two slides. One normal, and one demonic that reached up into the clouds somewhere.

If you lived through scaling the 4 mile high ladder, you regretted it because now ya gotta go down and friends- tweren't pretty.

There was no gentle gathering of speed, you went 147 mph right at the top 5 feet. If there was a lot of sun, you could see the bits of burnt flesh here and there and knew the next kid would be lookin at yours.

Midway down your eyes dried up and died, your hair took on a tornado driven look and your facial features began to meld together, be pulled to the back of your head or just fall right the fuck off.

You can see the blurred finish line up ahead and now you're bitter because you know you're gonna die and your cruddy brother is gonna steal all your shit, and you never got a chance to eat that Hershey bar you hid under your socks.

At last the end is near, both literally and figuratively and you get ready with a cry of the banshees of the world and that slide spits your scrawny ass into the air as if you were launched from a cannon. Time loses all meaning and you have time for your own life to flick before you, along with the life of everyone you've ever known.

Sometime later you come to in the bushes a mile away and since they know- all your friends faces are staring down at you. Some with concern, some ask if you're alive and some ask if they can have your bike.


Then you trundle your broken little body back to the slide and do it again. That's my slide story.

 

[strollingbones]

merry go rounds...one of my favorites....flying off into the air

 

[ozro]

When I was in grade school there was a couple metal barrels with the ends cut out on the playground. Fun stuff, rolling each other around in those.

 

[mak2]

When I was a kidlin, we lived next to a park/playground.

There were two slides. One normal, and one demonic that reached up into the clouds somewhere.

If you lived through scaling the 4 mile high ladder, you regretted it because now ya gotta go down and friends- tweren't pretty.

There was no gentle gathering of speed, you went 147 mph right at the top 5 feet. If there was a lot of sun, you could see the bits of burnt flesh here and there and knew the next kid would be lookin at yours.

Midway down your eyes dried up and died, your hair took on a tornado driven look and your facial features began to meld together, be pulled to the back of your head or just fall right the fuck off.

You can see the blurred finish line up ahead and now you're bitter because you know you're gonna die and your cruddy brother is gonna steal all your shit, and you never got a chance to eat that Hershey bar you hid under your socks.

At last the end is near, both literally and figuratively and you get ready with a cry of the banshees of the world and that slide spits your scrawny ass into the air as if you were launched from a cannon. Time loses all meaning and you have time for your own life to flick before you, along with the life of everyone you've ever known.

Sometime later you come to in the bushes a mile away and since they know- all your friends faces are staring down at you. Some with concern, some ask if you're alive and some ask if they can have your bike.


Then you trundle your broken little body back to the slide and do it again. That's my slide story.

That is great. I do remember our big slide would get hot enough to melt crayons on.

 

[norwegen]

We had a hill that we would sled down, even when it was just ice. I went inside from recess early one day with a huge bloody gash above my eye.

 

[JGalt]

We had a hill that we would sled down, even when it was just ice. I went inside from recess early one day with a huge bloody gash above my eye.

Did you see stars like I did on those 1950's swing sets?

The worst was the un-padded structural steel I-beam on the basketball court in the grade-school gym. That one should have gotten me a Purple Heart, but all I got was a staple in my forehead from the doctor after I smacked in to it.

 

[norwegen]

Did you see stars like I did on those 1950's swing sets?

The worst was the un-padded structural steel I-beam on the basketball court in the grade-school gym. That one should have gotten me a Purple Heart, but all I got was a staple in my forehead from the doctor after I smacked in to it.

I think I did, actually. A brief moment of blackness with little twinkles.

 

[JGalt]

I think I did, actually. A brief moment of blackness with little twinkles.

Blackness and little twinkles, yup. Those were stars.

 

[deannalw]

We had a hill that we would sled down, even when it was just ice. I went inside from recess early one day with a huge bloody gash above my eye.

One year, me and some of my werewolf friends got together and stole a couple street signs. It had snowed and there was a lovely hill close by that we thought sledding down would be a blast.

We bent the front of the signs up, put two holes for some rope and hoped it wouldn't decapitate any of us in case of wreck.

Also, the hill was almost a straight faced cliff littered with rocks, trees and crappy friends that stuck their feet out at you.

The hill... it ended abruptly onto a semi-busy street so you had to bail like a maniac before you hit the bottom.

Then mom happened to drive by. Me and my brother ended up thrown unceremoniously into the car with brand new lumps all over our heads and she called the other moms.

Sheesh!

I'm surprised any of us made it out of childhood alive.

 

[Lastamender]

Nothing worse than making a kid play with a helmet and knee pads on.

 

[strollingbones]

helmets prevent 80 % of fatal head injuries....

 

[deannalw]

helmets prevent 80 % of fatal head injuries....

That don't mean they don't suck.

 

[BULLDOG]

One year, me and some of my werewolf friends got together and stole a couple street signs. It had snowed and there was a lovely hill close by that we thought sledding down would be a blast.

We bent the front of the signs up, put two holes for some rope and hoped it wouldn't decapitate any of us in case of wreck.

Also, the hill was almost a straight faced cliff littered with rocks, trees and crappy friends that stuck their feet out at you.

The hill... it ended abruptly onto a semi-busy street so you had to bail like a maniac before you hit the bottom.

Then mom happened to drive by. Me and my brother ended up thrown unceremoniously into the car with brand new lumps all over our heads and she called the other moms.

Sheesh!

I'm surprised any of us made it out of childhood alive.

We got big cardboard boxes from the furniture store, and slid down the concrete slope of the underpass under the interstate. A good slide would put you in the middle of the road, so you had to check for cars before you slid. I was just 6 years old, but my brother was 9, so it was safe.

 

[Lastamender]

helmets prevent 80 % of fatal head injuries....

Kids are made to take chances.

 

[Yarddog]

When I was a kidlin, we lived next to a park/playground.

There were two slides. One normal, and one demonic that reached up into the clouds somewhere.

If you lived through scaling the 4 mile high ladder, you regretted it because now ya gotta go down and friends- tweren't pretty.

There was no gentle gathering of speed, you went 147 mph right at the top 5 feet. If there was a lot of sun, you could see the bits of burnt flesh here and there and knew the next kid would be lookin at yours.

Midway down your eyes dried up and died, your hair took on a tornado driven look and your facial features began to meld together, be pulled to the back of your head or just fall right the fuck off.

You can see the blurred finish line up ahead and now you're bitter because you know you're gonna die and your cruddy brother is gonna steal all your shit, and you never got a chance to eat that Hershey bar you hid under your socks.

At last the end is near, both literally and figuratively and you get ready with a cry of the banshees of the world and that slide spits your scrawny ass into the air as if you were launched from a cannon. Time loses all meaning and you have time for your own life to flick before you, along with the life of everyone you've ever known.

Sometime later you come to in the bushes a mile away and since they know- all your friends faces are staring down at you. Some with concern, some ask if you're alive and some ask if they can have your bike.


Then you trundle your broken little body back to the slide and do it again. That's my slide story.

halfway down the slide..... did you have time to reconsider your gender allocation?.....

 

[strollingbones]

grew up in eastern nc where the slide were lava hot all the damn time....but the sand did buffer your falls