Leisure's Relationship to Values

WHAT WE CHOOSE TO DO in our free time is closely related to our system of values. Our values are influenced significantly by our religious upbringing and our views of right and wrong. Nowhere do we reveal ourselves more completely than in our worship and in our leisure. The link between leisure activities and spiritual life is evident in their mutual attributes: deciding what is right and what is wrong in our behavior. It is perhaps the opportunity for self discipline in leisure which influences our personal code of conduct and our values more than anything else.

The way we use leisure is basically determined by our attitudes. Likewise, our morals and ethics are linked to our attitudes. Psychiatrists say that it is not so much what happens to us, but rather our attitudes toward these happenings that make us who we really are. We cannot have attitudes toward anything without making a judgment - without being discriminatory. In effect, when we discriminate we are silently saying to ourselves, "this is helpful - that is harmful; this is good - that is bad; this is right - that is wrong."

The decisions we make are based on our system of values. And, our values are never more on display than they are in the choices of the things we do to satisfy ourselves. Therefore, leisure not only provides the opportunity to help shape our values, it also offers a setting for us to be able to express our values.

__________
Adapted from thoughts by Charles Brightbill

Leisure's Relationship to Health

FOR MANY OF US, if we are not sick, our physical comfort lulls us into a false sense of security and we take our well-being for granted. If life could be bought, everybody would hoard it. People would give up everything, including their money, for a guarantee of life. It is possible for life span to be lengthened - but not eliminated. Perhaps it is not so much adding years to life - but rather adding life to years - which should draw our attention. Maybe we should focus more on a zestful life, and living life "at the top of the hill." Perhaps we should think more about the quality of life which we are given, and not so much on the number of years, months, weeks, and days we might live.

Many of us think of health only as an absence of illness. But, it is much more than that. It is a state of being which extends way beyond just "feeling good." Good health is being free from disease, infection, and disability. But, it is also being physically, mentally, emotionally, morally, socially, and spiritually fit!

Sound health needs no defense - beyond a reminder that without it, freedom, fame, and funds are hollow. We all realize that our desires for happiness are increased when we are free of aches and pains. Poor health brings on depression and worry, which in turn accelerate the degenerative process. Not only do we enjoy our leisure more when we are healthy, but we are actually healthier when we enjoy our leisure.

The best answer to the problems of poor health is in doing our best to reach a state of total health and fitness, and then to keep it! Here is where leisure can play a role in prevention: keeping people from becoming sick, or injuring themselves, in the first place. Leisure can also play a remedial role by assisting people in getting well after they have become ill. Everyone ought to have the opportunity for decent, satisfying, and creative use of their leisure.

Hospitals use wholesome recreation activities in the treatment of the ill and the handicapped. Penal institutions use recreation in an attempt to rehabilitate prisoners. Psychologists use play therapy with people of all ages. Industries find leisure activities useful in recruiting personnel and in building morale within the company.

The wholesome use of leisure is, by all means, therapeutic. And, it makes a distinct contribution to the health and well-being of individuals - and ultimately, to the nation.

__________
Adapted from thoughts by Charles Brightbill

Enjoy the Lake!

WHEN IT COMES to choosing leisure activities, many people head to the lake! The water, the beautiful surroundings, the boating, sailing, fishing, and swimming all have a special attraction. And, in some places, other recreation activities would perhaps include water skiing, snorkeling, scuba diving, and riding jet skis. Add to all of this the opportunities for picnics on the shore, observing the birds, and watching the sunsets. The lake offers the chance to enjoy the great outdoors for individuals, families, or other groups. It can be a time to be alone for quiet introspection, or it can be a time of togetherness with others.

Our country offers an abundance of opportunities for enjoying free time at a lake. Every state in the Union has numerous lakes just waiting for people to visit and enjoy! One of these is Stockton Lake, pictured above, located on State Highway 32 near the town of Stockton in southwest Missouri.

Leisure's Relationship to Art

WE HUMAN BEINGS ought to make art - with all of its countless forms - a basic component of our leisure living! We should find more and better ways of discovering and appreciating art, of creating and producing art, and of sharing and protecting art and natural beauty.

These considerations are vital in our personal leisure - and they are equally important in our community enterprises. Our parks, for example, should be places of extreme beauty. These acres of green, many within miles of asphalt and the concrete jungles of our cities, should serve as an oasis for refreshment of the human spirit. Parks should hold high the purpose of preserving the beauties of nature amid man's exploration of it. If we allow our parks to be blemished; if we allow our landscapes to be spoiled by billboards; if we permit our rivers, streams, and lakes to be polluted by industrial waste; if we let our shorelines vanish, our wildlife disappear, and our mountains erode, great regenerating sources of endless natural beauty will be lost to us forever.

Why is it that we do not seek more beauty in the recreative use of our leisure? We won't find it in the rigid conforming world of work - but rather in the free expressive atmosphere of leisure. We can find it in nature, in the plant and animal life around us, in the land, sea, and sky. We will be able to find it in the music we create, or in the music which is created for us. It can be discovered in painting, or in sculpturing. We will even be able to find it in the written and spoken word - the means to that most wonderful of human possibilities: a relationship between people, sharing their thoughts, their lives, and their leisure.

__________
Adapted from thoughts by Charles Brightbill

Leisure's Relationship to Business

LEISURE and business has several interesting connections in the United States - and elsewhere in the world.

Many companies offer leisure activities and programs to employees as a special fringe benefit and part of a total employment package. Exercise, fitness, and wellness programs are sometimes provided by the company during regular work hours with release time given to workers who elect to participate. In some cases, companies offer broad-based recreation programs for employees and their family members during evenings and weekends. Some places of business have constructed gyms, athletic fields, and other recreation areas where these leisure activities can take place. Today, in business enterprises around the world, much more is offered to employees than the annual company picnic! Administrative and management leaders in many companies have learned the value of wholesome leisure activities - both to their employees, and to their own bottom line. By encouraging participation in leisure programs, the business world has discovered that employees are more happy, more productive, absenteeism goes down, and it is just simply good for business!

Hundreds of commercial business enterprises have a direct relationship to leisure and could be considered leisure activity providers. They are in the "recreation business," and they are providing opportunities for recreation and leisure activities - and doing so for a profit! These are places where there is a cost, or a ticket required, in order to get in or take part. They include movie theaters, bowling centers, putt-putt courses, roller skating rinks, ice skating arenas, amusement parks, and many more places for fun and leisure involvement.

Sales of merchandise for leisure activity and recreation involvement is big business! All kinds of equipment and clothing is needed. Hundreds of companies produce thousands of items for consumers: participants, as well as spectators and fans. Included are such things as bats, balls, uniforms, shoes, hats, t-shirts, golf clubs, racquets - even badminton birdies!

The entire tourism industry is businesses linked, of course, to people's travel in their free time. Examples are limitless! However, perhaps we need to remind ourselves that this link between leisure and business - just in our nation - produces billions of dollars.

In summary, there is no doubt whatsoever: business has a relationship to leisure.

Leisure's Relationship to the Family

THE WORLD in which our grandfathers, or great-grandfathers, lived was much different to the world of this generation. For many, many families - at that time living in rural America - the day began on the farm at daybreak when the rooster jumped up on the corner fencepost and crowed! There was much work to be done. Cows needed to be milked; fields needed to be plowed; clothes needed to be washed and hung out to dry; wood needed to be chopped; in short, everyone in the family had chores - including the children. Generally speaking, the work day ended when it became too dark to see how to get the chores done. Duties and obligations dominated the lives of family members at least six days per week. With the possible exception of the afternoon period on Sunday, there was very little real free time for anyone in most families.

In today's world, what changes we have had! The sun-up to sun-down schedule is gone for most people. Labor saving machines and devices have made our lives much easier and more comfortable. In most cases, hard manual labor is no longer a requirement of most folks. Instead of traveling in a horse-drawn buggy or Model T Ford, we now get from place to place in our shiny and colorful automobiles - complete with automatic transmission, heaters, air conditioning, and perhaps even XM satellite radio! Instead of an old-fashioned ice box, we now have side-by-side refrigerators and freezers - with water and ice dispensers in the doors. We now have automatic washers, dryers, vacuum cleaners, garbage disposals, central air conditioning, and electric lights. We have cameras, calculators, and computers. We now live in an "instant society." We have instant rice, instant coffee, instant tea, instant oatmeal - instant everything. We enjoy fast food or TV dinners in front of wide-screen, color, high-definition television and entertainment centers. Truly, times have changed. This is no longer our forefathers world.

More leisure for the family has turned out to be a paradox: while offering families a chance to be together more often, it has - at the same time - had a tendency to drive families apart as well. Some of the results of the leisure revolution in America have had significant influence on the family and family structure in society. Here are some of the results of increased leisure in our society: more emphasis on individualism; more emphasis on materialism; a widening of the generation gap; and, the development of the "entertain me" mentality.

Hopefully, in the years ahead, increased leisure will have more of a positive impact on the family and family life in our society. If increased leisure leads to a weakening of family life in our nation, it will be to the detriment of us all. Perhaps, we need to remember this admonition: leisure - use it wisely, or perish.

The Relationship of Leisure to Government

A RELATIONSHIP does exist between leisure and the government. Agencies on the national, state, and local level relate to leisure, and give attention to programs and services for citizens.

The most direct involvement with leisure on the federal level is channeled through the Department of the Interior. The National Park Service and the Heritage, Conservation, and Recreation Service (formerly known as the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation) are both housed within this department. There are several other agencies which are a part of the Interior Department which are, at the very least, somewhat related to leisure. These include the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Bureau of Reclamation. Other federal departments and agencies concerned with leisure include the following: the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities, the U. S. Travel Service (which is a part of the Department of Commerce), the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the National Council on Aging.

On the state level, the government of each of our 50 states is concerned about leisure and the provision of programs, services, and space for recreation and leisure activities. Included in these provisions, and perhaps most noticeable, are state parks, departments of tourism, and departments of conservation. In addition, many state universities offer degree programs - on the undergraduate and graduate level - in parks, recreation, and tourism; recreation and park administration; or in recreation and leisure studies.

Government entities on the local level also have a relationship and involvement with leisure. Villages, towns, cities, and counties provide parks, recreation, and numerous leisure activities. Playgrounds, ball fields, swimming pools, aquatic centers, gymnasiums, museums, zoos, walking trails, and a host of other spaces are provided where citizens of the community - and their leisure needs - are served. The establishment of city (or county) parks and recreation departments has, no doubt, had the most direct impact on meeting the leisure needs of individuals in thousands of communities across the nation.

The Relationship of Leisure to the Church

FROM A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, the church - in general - did not have a good attitude toward leisure. In fact, most churches were quite negative concerning free time. In times gone by, the prevailing collective thought of most church members was that "an idle mind was the devil's workshop." In the not too distant past, churches extolled the value of hard work, and at the same time voiced strong disapproval of time off from work - and "merry-making." Most church leaders would preach against undesirable leisure activities and undesirable leisure surroundings, rather than provide for wholesome leisure pursuits.

In more recent years, many churches have taken a different view. They have turned to a biblical perspective with regard to the church's relationship to leisure and leisure activities: "Whether, then, you eat or drink [or play ball, or go on a campout, or attend a party, or sing, or read] or whatsoever you do, do all [every single bit of it] to the glory of God." (I Corinthians 10:31; The Holy Bible, American Standard Version, paraphrase added)

Many churches in today's world have chosen to accept responsibilities in dealing with leisure. Many believe that leisure should be viewed within the framework of total stewardship, and not as a separate matter. They believe that the church should offer guidance to people toward the wise use of leisure. Many church leaders believe that the church should not attempt to occupy every minute of a church member's leisure, but rather the church should make available a "smorgasboard" or "recreteria" of leisure opportunities from which each member may make a wise choice concerning free-time activities.

Leaders in many of today's churches believe that if the church is going to be serious about total ministry, it must be willing to meet people where they are - and on their level. Some would suggest, as an example, the story from the Bible of Jesus meeting the woman at the well (see John 4:5-26). The "well" to which people are attracted in today's society is not one of water, but one of leisure and leisure interests. The church may respond to this attraction in any of three ways: it may be oblivious; it may condemn; or it may meet people where they are, and minister to them through the avenue of Christian recreation.

__________
Presented with contributions from Stephen C. Morrow

The Relationship of Leisure to Education

AS EARLY AS 1918, the National Education Association stated the following as one of their objectives: the worthy use of leisure. These educators, and most who have followed in their path, came to the conclusion that the purpose of our schools was to prepare students for living life. They realized that life, including every age and every stage of every individual, was going to include leisure - and that people needed to know how to use it in a "worthy" manner.

Education affects leisure in two ways: (1) through the teaching of leisure-related concepts and skills [leisure education]; and (2) through the provision of leisure activities [extra-curricular or co-curricular activities].

In the past, two developments have significantly enhanced the status of extra-curricular or co-curricular activities in our school systems. First, the national alarm in the late 1950s over the lack of physical fitness among school-age children and youth. This was the time when post World War II dominance was ending, and it was the beginning of the space age. The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports came about because of this development. Second, in the early 1970s came Title IX. This act opened the door for increased female participation in sports activities. The result of Title IX was that schools were required to offer athletic programs in equal number for girls as well as boys.

In more recent years as educational institutions were faced with budget constraints, some programs of intramural and recreational activities, as well as some athletic programs, were dropped. Even physical education classes, which had been required by state law, were scaled back or canceled. However, since the turn of the New Century, America now has a new problem: obesity. Now, in today's world, more and more educators and community leaders are seeing once again the need for strong physical activity opportunities in our schools.

In our nation's past, there has been a relationship of leisure to education. Today, it is as strong as ever!

Choosing Leisure Activities

WHAT IS IT that determines the wholesome and constructive leisure activities which individuals choose? Why do we want to do certain things in our free time? What causes us to act or behave in certain ways when we are totally free to make our own personal choices? Here are some theories.

Perhaps the most accepted theory, in terms of putting it into practice, is the compensatory theory. Here leisure is viewed as compensation - or as paying us back - for the regimentation or boredom we experience in a job. For example, a worker who stocks shelves in a grocery store might choose to participate in an adult softball league.

For some people, leisure choices might parallel or be very similar to work experiences. This would be called the spillover theory. For example, a teacher who must do a lot of required reading in order to be ready to stand before her students in the classroom might choose to read murder mysteries during weekends.

The familiarity theory explains why some people choose to participate in leisure activities on the basis of what feels comfortable. Here leisure is identified with a sense of good feelings - and perhaps even with a sense of security. For example, a banker might choose to return to the same location year after year for vacation because it just feels like a good spot - and he is already familiar with the locale.

Some folks are significantly influenced by others (such as an extended family, friends, or peers), and make leisure choices based on their thoughts and wishes. This would be called the personal community theory. For example, an unmarried attorney might choose to participate in a "singles retreat" with other unmarried members of his church.

Whatever the reason, all of us need to be involved in some form of leisure activities which re-new our minds, bodies, and spirits. And, we need to make the best possible use of our time - especially our free time.

"Be wise in your behavior, and make the best possible use of your time."
(Colossians 4:5 - The Holy Bible, J. B. Phillips translation)

Becoming a Workaholic ?

• Has work become the center of your life?
• Has work interfered with your family responsibilities?
• Do you sometimes work alone - and in secret?
• Do you attempt to work more than most of your colleagues?
• Do you sometimes excuse yourself from other activities in order to work?
• Do you sometimes brag about how much you work?
• Do you envy those who are able to work more than you do?
• Does work help you forget about some of your problems?
• Do you feel more self-confident when you work?
• Has your health suffered because you work too much?
• Does work sometimes make you moody and depressed?
• Do you work more now than when you were younger?
• Do you often put in more time at work than is expected?
• Do you enjoy days at work more than you enjoy days off work?
• Do you get restless when you have not been at work for several days?
• Do you resent people who look forward to days away from work?
• Are you tempted to take work home with you after the work day ends?
• Are you tempted to work while on vacation?
• Would you feel lost if you had to stop working?

IF YOU ANSWERED YES to several of the questions above, you may be on your way to becoming a "workaholic." Most adults must work in order to provide income for the necessities (and some of the luxuries) of life. However, some individuals take work to the extreme: they become married to their job! It is great to be happy in your work - your vocation, your career. Work is good; meaningful labor is a blessing. But, work needs to be balanced with time away from work. Evenings which are free, days off, weekends, vacations - all of these are needed also. Time with family; time with friends; time for church or community responsibilities; time for fun, exercise, and recreation activities; and time for yourself - to do whatever you please - all of these are important things to consider.

Don't become a "workaholic." Learn to balance your life! Work and leisure are both important ingredients to living life the way it was meant to be lived.

__________

-- Adapted from thoughts by Gordon Dahl

A Theology of Play

AMERICANS are having difficulty learning, as a society, how to play. Although work hours are shorter than a century ago, Americans fail to understand the value of play. Hard work, with sufficient time off for vacations and recreation, seems to be the formula for meaningful life. But, increased leisure seems to pose a threat. We have a continuing inability to escape our compulsion to work.

Christians have discovered the need for play. In a world full of ulcers and high blood pressure, play has become important. However, Americans still seem unsuited to authentic play. Either we work at work, or we work at play.

In creation God played meaningfully with His own possibilities. And, then He rested - or played - as a part of the creation process. Israel used the Sabbath as a day of "play" to qualify their working world and to realize that life is a gift - as well as a task. The Sabbath was viewed as having ethical implications: all creation was in travail and needed recreation.

We are called to our work, but we also are called to refrain from work - to play. Play, too, is a gift from God! Play is not viewed as an independent activity, but rather under the tyranny of our work mentality. The Bible teaches people to take pleasure in all they do.

We should enjoy work, and give ourselves wholly to all we do. We should work, and then we should play - and do so playfully! Work dominant models have destroyed our personhood. Man must seek to re-discover the sacred in the common things of life. We must live now - as if we are playing.

__________
Excerpts taken from lectures by Robert K. Johnson

L. P. Jacks, Recreation Communicator

IN THE LATE 1920s, the important place of recreation and rapidly increasing leisure of the American people was widely heralded in books, magazines, and the daily press. Under the sponsorship of the National Recreation Association, Dr. L. P. Jacks, a noted English educator, visited cities in America during the years of 1931 and 1932. Jacks traveled from coast to coast. His lecture tour was for the purpose of interpreting the significance of recreation and focusing national attention and interest on the problems of leisure.

Dr. Jacks became the first "traveling voice" to be sounded across the country with a message concerning leisure and recreation. The significance of his lecture tour was that people could relate to a spokesman whom they could see and hear in person. He was considered an expert who had something important to share with civic leaders as well as everyday citizens. Also significant was the fact that the national association sponsored the tour, gave financial support, backing, and therefore, the full blessings of the organization.

Joseph Lee, Recreation Pioneer

COMMONLY REFERRED TO as the "father of the American playground," Joseph Lee has also been called a pioneer in organized recreation in America. In addition, Lee has been thought of as the philosopher of the movement for creative recreation. Lee was elected president of the Playground Association of America in 1910 and continued in that capacity until his death in 1937. He served with practical wisdom, social insight, loyalty, and generosity. The PAA, which he served with much distinction, later became known as the National Recreation Association.

A man who served for 27 years in the presidency of a national organization - especially at such a strategic time period in our nation's history - had to be of high caliber. It has been said that the Playground Association of America (later known as the National Recreation Association) has done more than any other organization to make America conscious of the importance of organized recreation. Lee's influence was deeply entrenched in those early years in the work of the organization, and is no doubt, still strongly felt - even today.

Luther Gulick, Recreation Enthusiast

THE NAME of Dr. Luther H. Gulick is almost synonymous with recreation in the United States. Dr. Gulick was among the small group which came together in April of 1906 in the city of Washington. The group met for several days to consider the nation's play needs - particularly those of children in large cities. Gulick was instrumental during those days in leading to the establishment of a national body - the Playground Association of America - and was elected as the organization's first president. In 1910, through the efforts of Dr. and Mrs. Gulick, the Campfire Girls organization was begun. This organization in turn brought about the Girl Guides in 1912. The Girl Guides later became the Girl Scouts of America. Each of these organizations played a part in the recreation education of youth.

Without question, Luther Gulick was a man who believed in recreation! His interest in organizing a national organization - even to the extent of calling for the support of the President of the United States - was extremely noteworthy. Further, the interest which Dr. and Mrs. Gulick showed in the recreation education and character building program for girls has been carried to the present day.

Jane Addams, Recreation Advocate

VOLUNTEER AGENCIES played a part in the development of recreation in the U.S. as Neighborhood Guilds introduced the settlement house movement. Jane Addams established Hull House in 1889 as a settlement house to serve Chicago's needs. Miss Addams succeeded in securing enough land around Hull House to start the first model playground in 1892. The new model playground provided apparatus and areas for playing ball and other games in addition to sandboxes. Because the playground was larger and had more varied equipment and facilities, it served older youth than the earlier sand gardens.

The efforts of Jane Addams set the pattern for many additional play areas with apparatus and equipment, sports for older youth, as well as supervised low-organized games. The Jane Addams model comprised a blueprint for like efforts in other cities. Early objectives of settlement houses were to meet the needs of the poor. However, in addition to welfare, the objectives of the Addams model were broadened to include education, health, and recreation. The Jane Addams idea was a forerunner of many programs carried out even to the present day.

Establishment of the NRPA

IN 1965 the National Recreation and Park Association was established. The new organization was created by a merger of the American Recreation Society, the National Recreation Association, the National Conference of State Parks, and the American Institute of Park Executives. The merger was brought about to deal more adequately with the increasingly pressing and more complex problems in the field. The idea was to bring together the various organizations, factions, groups, and sub-groups to join together in a cooperative venture. Further, the hope was to get the minds of the greatest thinkers in the nation in one unified approach in order to meet the needs of the profession.

The benefits of the coming together of a number of different groups, all of which were interested in parks and recreation, seemed obvious. It seemed apparent that by putting "all the eggs in one basket," progress and achievement could be far greater than what could be accomplished with smaller and more isolated units and organizations. The plan was that the new NRPA would provide extended opportunities for professionals in the field to share ideas and opinions, and that there would be a closer working relationship of personnel. Regional conferences and national congresses, it seemed, would be far better because of the merger. And, it appeared that the production of reports, research, and publications of all kinds could be used to far greater advantage.

Establishment of USO's

THERE WERE MANY inevitable adjustments made in recreation programs to meet war-time needs. In 1941, the United Service Organization was formed to furnish recreation programs and operate clubs for men and women in the armed forces. Programs included sports, sports carnivals, dances, dramatics, sailing and fishing parties, holiday festivals, church services and socials, information centers, lounge and checking services, and reduced rates for commercial recreation. For the first time, large numbers of service men and service women had an opportunity to enjoy extensive recreation facilities and diversified recreation programs. And, when these members of the military came home, they were enthusiastic about recreation programs and facilities in their own communities. Many contributed by starting programs and serving as volunteer coaches and leaders.

The recreation movement took great strides forward as a result of the establishment of USO's. Nearly every community in the country felt the effects of home-front recreation activities during World War II. The wide-spread acceptance by communities of the idea of living war memorials prompted the planning and subsequent construction of many memorials in the form of playgrounds, recreation buildings, parks, athletic fields, swimming pools, bandshells, and forests. USO's were also significant due to the increased load on neighborhood recreation facilities and services.

Playground Association Established

BECAUSE OF A LARGE NUMBER OF REQUESTS for advice and information regarding playgrounds and playground development, a small group of people met in Washington, D.C. in April of 1906 and organized the Playground Association of America. The purpose of the new organization was to collect and distribute knowledge about playgrounds; to promote interest in playgrounds throughout the country; to seek to further the establishment of playgrounds and athletic fields in all communities; and to promote directed play in connection with the schools. President Theodore Roosevelt gave his hearty endorsement to the PAA and was elected honorary president.

The new Association started a monthly magazine, the Playground, and field workers were employed who went city to city meeting with committees and public officials. The workers shared experiences and assisted in starting playgrounds and recreation programs. The new organization became a clearing house for information, issued publications, and organized annual play congresses.

It has been said that no single event has had greater significance for the recreation movement in America than the Washington meeting and the establishment of the PAA. It launched the recreation movement on a national scale by bringing together great minds and unifying efforts.

The Playground Association of America focused attention on the need - and helped determine needs; it assisted in the planning of adequate programs, the training of leaders, and provided a source of information. In addition, and of equal importance, the new organization raised the standards of service and leadership.

NYC Schools Opened as Recreation Centers

AS EARLY AS 1898, schools were opened in New York City (with leadership and supervision) for evening recreation as a continuation of the summer playground program. Many school plants included a gymnasium, auditorium, swimming pool, library, and other space suitable for recreation purposes. However, these areas were usually idle during evenings, weekends, and vacation periods. The wisdom of opening these facilities to the public, rather than spending additional money to duplicate them in special recreation buildings, soon became apparent.

When the Big Apple led the way in opening school buildings for recreation, other cities followed the example. The idea received nationwide attention in 1907 when a school extension committee was organized in Rochester. The gradual introduction of features into school buildings which serve both school and community recreation needs was fostered by the National Community Center Association. And, in 1911, the state of Wisconsin passed legislation authorizing school authorities to levy a tax for recreation purposes.

Opening of Boston Sand Garden

IN 1885 an outdoor play center for children was established in the city of Boston. A large sand pile was placed in the yard of a children's mission through the efforts of the state Emergency and Hygiene Association. Each day an average of fifteen children came to play. They dug in the sand, sang songs, and marched about under the guidance of a woman who lived in the neighborhood. The area around the sand pile was open three days per week for six weeks during the months of July and August.

The Boston Sand Garden served as a forerunner of all playgrounds in America. By 1887, nine other sand gardens had opened in Boston. In addition, the first Boston Sand Garden had a direct influence upon the establishment of sand gardens (playgrounds) in other cities.

The experiment in Boston proved to be a forecast of the course the recreation movement would follow across the country. As a result of the Boston experiment, several developments occurred which have been characteristic of the growth of the recreation movement. Among these are the following: recreation has moved from private to public management, financial support, and areas; from untrained to trained leaders; and from providing play opportunities only for young children to providing for people of all ages.

Significant People in Development of Recreation

A LARGE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS have made valuable contributions toward the development of recreation in the United States. A long list with the names of people who have influenced the recreation movement could be generated. However, perhaps only a few persons might be considered the most significant in terms of laying the foundation for what recreation has become in America. Four individuals are mentioned below. Each of them will be discussed in future articles.

• 1892 - Jane Addams
• 1906/1910 - Luther Gulick
• 1910 - 1937 - Joseph Lee
• 1931 - 1932 - L. P. Jacks

Some have suggested that it would be appropriate to establish a Recreation Hall of Fame, and to name these four as charter members!

Significant Events in Development of Recreation

THERE ARE MANY meaningful events which took place in the history and development of recreation in the United States. Several of these established the foundation for the recreation movement, and set the course for what recreation has become. Today, recreation is viewed as wholesome and constructive leisure activities, programs, and services for the masses. Recreation is considered a profession - a field of professional service in need of qualified leaders who can rightfully be called recreation professionals.

Here are some of the most significant events in the development of recreation.

• 1885 - Establishment of the Boston Sand Garden
• 1898 - New York City schools opened as evening recreation centers
• 1906 - Establishment of the Playground Association of America
• 1941 - Establishment of U.S.O.'s
• 1965 - Establishment of the National Recreation and Park Association

Others might choose different events, or include fewer or additional events, as most significant. However, some or all of the events listed above would be included on most lists. Each of the events mentioned above will be discussed in future articles.