By Rob Chaney
The Missoulian
The goal is as playful as it is precise: Have a cool, different park within a 10-minute walk of every child in Missoula.
The parks are already in place. The cool/different part is up to the community to propose at an open house next week. There’s $1 million available to spend.
The whole idea gets Missoula Parks and Recreation Director Donna Gaukler visibly excited. Beyond making great afternoon play dates for thousands of children, she sees a way to make better lives for the adults those kids will become.
“The research is pretty conclusive – children who engage in self-initiated, outdoor play grow up healthier, with higher IQs, better problem-solving abilities, better conflict-solving abilities without bullying, and they do better in school,” Gaukler said. “And playgrounds tend to be the place where they are the most active on their own. So much of their lives are geared around a mentor or coach or teacher telling them when to run and when to stop. Playgrounds are where they get to do their own playing.”
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