遊具におけるこども集団の形成の研究 (2) : 行動観察調査から遊具の構造の考察

The play-equipment necessary for children's life activities in their playing space has long been composed of three typical play-equipments of the swing, the slide and the jungle gym which are generally situated at the children's park. Recently, however, new kinds of the play-equipment have been created and introduced so rapidly and remarkably even as to replace the former three play-equipmets. Such a situation must reflect the fact that more complicated functions than those of the swing, the slide and the jungle gym are requested to the play-equipment at present.<BR>Twenty years ago in Japan there were plenty of natural environment which provided children with various playing spots and playthings such as hills, brooks, the green and insects. Children could find and create their own life by themselves in such natural environment. In twenty years since then, however, such natural open spaces have been gradually almost lost, and the children's park has come to he more and more important as the only one last open space in which children can play safely. Thus along with the environmental change in the children's playing space, the role of the play-equipment itself also has changed in quality. The old playequipments such as the swing, the slide and the jungle gym should no longer remain to play the main role in the children's playing park.<BR>In such a situation, we had to found the scentific method of planning and designing new play-equipments which may fit to the children's life of our age. The motive of this study existed in a fundamental question?“what play-equipments we should create for children?” And, in reality, what is the excellent play-equipment?<BR>Up to the present, the play-equipment has qeen evaluated in the point if it can develop children's excercising ability and physical strength such as sphincterial muscles, grasping power, quickness in action, etc. This tenbency was partially resulted from the fact that the playequipment has been regarded as a kihd of spoting goods. Against such a conventional thought, this study proposes quite a new point of view that the play-equipment should be evaluated in the point how it can influence children to form group-activity through plaing.<BR>What is most essential for the children's playing environment at present? And, I consider the play-equipment posesses the potentiality of working to induce children to form group activity. So I attempted to analyse and evaluate the play-equipment in the point how it plays the role of forming a community of playing, to be more explicit, how it brings forth a game to children.<BR>The play-equipment is classified to three groups.<BR>I. Old typical play-equipments as usually situated at the park<BR>II.Typical wooden play-equipments of goreign countries.<BR>III. New play-equipments<BR>By giving five examples in each group, I observed fifteen ply-equipments in the points of children, s playing behavior and how a play-equipment develops children's playing. The locations of these examples varied from community parks, kindergartens to the roof of department-store. Therefore, it was impossible to compare them under the equal conditions, which left this study at an introductory stage. I think, however, the method of evaluation itself, how the playequipment works to form children's community of playing, must provide full universal validity After the observation, following results were gained.<BR>1. The children's play with the play-equipment occupies 1/4 ratio of the whole children's play.<BR>2. In the play with the play-equipment, three levels of development are found; (1) mechanical level, (2) technical level and (3) social level. At the social level, a game takes place.<BR>3. Games taking place with the play-equipment are divided to four types; (1) imparsonation game (using the play-equipment as the stage) (2) wrestling game (3) competition game (4) chase game Chase games are found most among all.