Just as the classroom can be made more inviting with the use of intentional materials, the same goes for outdoor spaces. Outdoor activity gyms made of metal and painted in primary colours may be the norm in many school yards, however there are other options. Outdoor spaces should provide places with shade and nooks for two or three children to sit quietly and ponder the natural world or to create imaginary realms. Materials of wood, plexiglass, and steel provide outdoor settings that support the Reggio ideas of transparency and reflection.
Last summer when travelling near Boston, we came upon an outdoor space in Harvard Square that represented to me the ideal playground. The Alexander W. Kemp Playground in Cambridge Common is an invitation to children of all ages. It hosts a carved dragon ship with sail, climbing nets, pumps and troughs for water that connects to an outdoor sheltered centre containing pulleys for sand. What appealed to me most as a parent and an educator, was that the playground promoted physical activity as well as equipment for imaginary play and inquiry using sand and water.
As stated by the City of Cambridge http://www2.cambridgema.gov/cdd/cp/parks/common/index.html the “redesigned playground was completed and opened in summer 2009. It has a variety of play features to stimulate challenging physical activity as well as creative, exploratory, imaginative and social play for kids of all ages. It builds on the idea that playgrounds are places where children grow and learn about themselves and the world around them.The playground design is a landscape of hills, valleys, sand, wooden branches and stumps, living plant material, and loose wooden blocks to build with. It is a place where kids can invent their own forms of play. Many features are made from naturally decay-resistant wood. Slides are embedded into hills. Turning a crank sends water cascading down a series of tables into the sand area. There is a swing set for toddlers, a multidirectional dish-shaped swing that can be used by several children at once, a see-saw with multiple seats at each end for groups of children (or adults), and a “merry-go-round” that is at ground level to provide wheelchair access.”
Definitely something to think of when designing an outdoor space for children.
We take our kids there almost every weekend and there is so much to explore every time they are there! The local community has grown as well and you can find older and younger kids playing together while learning to take care of each others spaces. Great post!
Wonderful that you live by such a great space! We just happened upon it in our travels. I’d like to find similar outdoor public spaces…