Luke D. Fannin

When Sebastian Hinton was a child， his father， a Princeton mathematician，built a cubic3 bamboo frame4 in the familys backyard to teach Hinton and otherchildren to visualize5 space in three dimensions6 as they moved through it. Butthe kids were more drawn to climbing and swinging on the bars.

Recalling this experience years later， Hinton designed a cubic metalplayground frame based on his fathers design. It looked like a kind of forest topthrough which the children may play in a manner somewhat similar to that ofmonkeys. On October 23， 1923， Hinton got a patent7 for his “jungle gym”， andthe monkey bars were born.

Today， Hintons invention continues to raise a debate8 about childrenshealth， in part because monkey bars result in more injuries9 than any otherthings in the playground.

Hinton thought climbing was the human ancestors10 natural method ofpractice and was therefore ideally suited for children.

Many scientists also believed that risky play is very important for healthygrowth and development in children. Such experts join Hinton in praising thebenefits of play-climbing.

當(dāng)塞巴斯蒂安·欣頓還是個孩子時，他的父親，普林斯頓大學(xué)的一名數(shù)學(xué)家，在家中后院建造了一個立體的竹架，教欣頓和其他孩子在其中穿行時，如何將空間想象成三維的。但孩子們更喜歡在竹桿上攀爬和搖蕩。

幾年后，欣頓回憶起這段經(jīng)歷，他在父親設(shè)計的基礎(chǔ)上設(shè)計了一種立體金屬游戲場框架。它看起來有點像森林的頂部，孩子們可以通過它以某種類似于猴子玩耍的方式玩耍。1923 年10 月23 日，欣頓的“叢林健身房”獲得了專利，猴架由此誕生。

如今，欣頓的發(fā)明繼續(xù)引發(fā)關(guān)于兒童健康的辯論，部分原因是猴架比游樂場里其他任何東西造成的受傷事件都多。

欣頓認為攀爬是人類祖先的自然練習(xí)方法，因此非常適合兒童。

許多科學(xué)家也認為，冒險游戲?qū)和慕】党砷L和發(fā)育至關(guān)重要。這類專家與欣頓一道稱贊了玩耍攀爬的好處。

Notes

1. mathematician 數(shù)學(xué)家

2. mainstay 支柱；主要的依靠

3. cubic 立方的；立方體的

4. frame 框架；構(gòu)架；支架

5. visualize 想象；使形象化

6. dimension? 空間的，維度

7. patent? 專利；權(quán)

8. debate? 討論；辯論

9. injury? 傷；損害

10. ancestor 祖先