Place For Children: Children's Places By Kim Rasmussen

Children live in a world designed for them by adults. The two cultures, child’s culture and adult’s culture exist side-by-side. As the children eventually mature into the adult world, they grow up learning the structure of what is expected of them. As children challenge the authority or expectations, they are battling the construction that was predetermined by the adults. Children have to live in a world where they are living in the structure, as well as being active agents. The two combating ideas are one component that makes growing up a difficult learning experience.

There are places that are constructed for the children and places that children construct. Both are adequate location for children to develop and grow. In the article, Places for Children—Children’s Places, written by Kim Rasmussen, explains the space adults make and assembled for the child is a place of structure called a ‘Place for Children.’ A ‘Children’s place’ is a special place that the child deems important. It is where children can come together and have special experiences, a place with special meaning associated to its location, and children attach feeling to a place. This place is established by the children. (Rasmussen, 2008) This ‘Children’s place’ is an area where the children can

“The youth[s] are actors in their own right. They make decisions, they accept the consequences of their choices, and they hold very strong opinions, all of which reflect the belief that children are capable and often very sophisticated beings” (Castro, 2005: 223). As such, they are able to develop and grow. The children are future adults. These children help create the structure and subsequently have to return it in order for them to enter the adult world in the future. The fact that the children are able to go from active agents back into structure institution illustrates that it is a fluid