How did you learn about the Land and decide to film there?

The innovative Imagination Playground sprung up in Manhattan in 2010. It was cool and exciting, and embraced the theory of “loose parts” by filling the play-space with sand, water and big beautiful foam bricks that kids could move around and build with. I worked closely with New York City kids at the time so it caught my attention. In reading about the Imagination Playground I got hooked on a detail referring to its being informed in part by, “European ‘adventure’ playgrounds,” and thought, huh.. well, what are those? You could say I fell down the rabbit hole.

What was filming like? Did anything in the course of production surprise you?

Filming was very spontaneous and exciting. There was fire, mud, snow, rain—so many rich elements. The children played outside in all conditions. The approach was observational, so we filmed with our characters through risky and playful activities that they initiated, making a point to follow the action through to its natural conclusion. It's striking to witness what children are capable of.

The children do what you'd expect them to do: build, destroy, climb, swing, hide etc. The behavior of the adult playworkers on the Land is really the most surprising thing. They don’t wear whistles around their necks or watch from the sidelines, they are integrated in the space. They are skilled and thoughtful about when and how they intervene. They take their work seriously, are passionate professionals—and they have a great time.

Why is risky play so important? Do you have a sense why Europe seems more ready to embrace it than the U.S.?

It’s really more about child-directed play than “risky” play, per se. When a child chooses the content and direction of an activity, it’s likely that eventually something about it will make adults cringe. Committing to support child-directed play means relinquishing control and managing your own feelings of discomfort. At its core this is an act of deep respect for the child and their experience.

There are a variety of factors that make adventure play more difficult in the US and they include litigious concerns and healthcare. Another element is our obsession with assessing results in America and the rejection of any activity that does not have an immediate, quantifiable value—like play, which is valuable for its own sake. Of course, in addition to being valuable for its own sake, play has been demonstrated to improve academic performance, behavior, mental and physical health in children. So ultimately I think it’s about control and power. People who have power over others—in this case, adults over children—are often reluctant to share it.

With that said, the pendulum is swinging. The Land does have kindred spirits in the U.S. including Pop Up Adventure Play and The Anarchy Zone. And I receive emails routinely from people saying "Yes! I’m trying to do this in my community." So there is a hunger for change.