Classic Playground Equipment

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Date:

Instructions: Remember the metal slides that burned in summer and the merry-go-rounds that spun you dizzy? Test your playground memories!

1.
What were most playground slides made of in the 1950s and 1960s?
A
Concrete
B
Polished metal (steel)
C
Wood
D
Fiberglass
2.
The playground merry-go-round was also commonly known by what other name?
A
The roundabout
B
The twister
C
The whirligig
D
The spinner
3.
What common playground equipment consisted of a long board balanced on a central fulcrum?
A
Teeter-totter (seesaw)
B
Parallel bars
C
Balance beam
D
Spring rider
4.
What was the ground surface under most playground equipment made of during the 1950s-1970s?
A
Rubber mats
B
Wood chips
C
Sand
D
Hard-packed dirt or asphalt
5.
Monkey bars, the overhead climbing structure, got their name because children resembled what while playing on them?
A
Spiders
B
Acrobats
C
Gymnasts
D
Monkeys swinging through trees
6.
What piece of playground equipment consisted of an animal figure mounted on a large spring?
A
Bouncing bronco
B
Rocking horse
C
Spring rider
D
Saddle swing
7.
The tall, dome-shaped metal climbing structure found in many playgrounds was commonly called what?
A
The spider web
B
The cage
C
The jungle gym
D
The geodesic dome
8.
What problem did metal slides famously cause during hot summer days?
A
They rusted and broke
B
They burned children's legs and hands
C
They were too slippery
D
They attracted bees
9.
The original 'jungle gym' was patented in 1920 by a Chicago lawyer. What was it originally called?
A
The Climbing Frame
B
The Spider's Web
C
The Junglegym
D
The Monkey Cage
10.
What playground feature allowed several children to sit in a row and be pushed back and forth?
A
The glider swing
B
The gondola
C
The bench swing
D
The trolley
11.
What was the tall, spiraling metal tube that children slid down at many playgrounds?
A
The tornado slide
B
The twister
C
The corkscrew
D
The spiral slide
12.
Tire swings were popular on playgrounds and in backyards. What was typically used to hang them?
A
Nylon straps
B
A thick rope from a tree branch
C
Wooden beams
D
Metal chains
13.
What dangerous playground activity involved standing on a swing and pumping to go as high as possible, then jumping off?
A
Bail out
B
Swing diving
C
The flying leap
D
Swing jumping
14.
What type of swing had two children facing each other, each pumping to make it go?
A
Partner swing
B
Face-to-face swing
C
Double swing
D
Glider swing
15.
Many old playgrounds featured a tall metal pole that children would slide down. What was this called?
A
The fireman's pole
B
The sliding pole
C
The monkey pole
D
The drop pole

Answer Key

Question 1

B. Polished metal (steel)

Question 2

A. The roundabout

Question 3

A. Teeter-totter (seesaw)

Question 4

D. Hard-packed dirt or asphalt

Question 5

D. Monkeys swinging through trees

Question 6

C. Spring rider

Question 7

C. The jungle gym

Question 8

B. They burned children's legs and hands

Question 9

C. The Junglegym

Question 10

A. The glider swing

Question 11

D. The spiral slide

Question 12

B. A thick rope from a tree branch

Question 13

D. Swing jumping

Question 14

D. Glider swing

Question 15

A. The fireman's pole

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