The playground and proposals for children's education (from infant school to parque infantil, 1823-1935)

Abstract

In the history of the playground since its development in the USA, at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the equipment and pedagogical proposals adopted referred to two educational institutions created in the first half of the 19th century: the Infant School, in England, and Kindergarten, in German. The North American initiative spread in Latin America, as in Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. In this research article, we analyze the ideas about the playground defended by Samuel Wilderspin, responsible for the movement of Infant Schools in England. Then, we present some of the proposals of the Playground Association of America and some information about the spread of the playground in Latin America. The text analyzes how the compositions that led to its implantation were made through articulations focused on social policies that are not restricted to pedagogical and school matters, but also point at physical education, urbanism, and hygiene. These ideas are not limited to physical education proposals, aimed at sports, gymnastics, and leisure practices, since these institutions composed ideas for comprehensive education, involving different dimensions. Differences between countries are identified, which are due to the contexts in which the proposals were appropriated, as in the case of Parque Infantil and other variants of the institution in Brazil and the Plazas de Deportes e Escuelas ao Aire Libre in Uruguay. The confluences and distances in the history of these institutions across Latin America are a fertile field of investigation to be explored.