Recess Monkeys ©

Monkey Bars, aka Jungle Gyms, are a rare sight on playgrounds these days. Too bad. They are great at building a child's dexterity and strength—especially hand grip and upper body muscles. They also enhance coordination and social skills. Monkey bars are risky, however, and one of the leading causes of playground injuries. Here are a couple fun facts about monkey bars.

• Surprisingly, young girls use monkey bars better than young boys because girls develop their motor skills more quickly and have a lower center of gravity than boys.

• The longest set of monkey bars is in Kobe, Japan, and spans 492 feet.

• Monkey bars were patented in 1923 by Sebastian Hinton, who copied a large outdoor bamboo grid that had been built by his father, a mathematician at Princeton University, for his children to play with.

• Monkey bars are often more difficult for adults than children. As we age, our muscle mass typically decreases and loses strength, which obviously makes it more challenging to lift our body weight.

Prints are available in various sizes on metallic paper or canvas, rolled, framed, or mounted on a foam backing.