Built playgrounds are boring!

It started when I was on a church committee that wanted to re-do our playground. We are landlocked by urban development and spaces that cannot be developed as a permanent play space because they provide income from seasonal parking for football- that most sacred of games. This is a tiny space, mind you. The whole area is only about 24' x 15' wtih significant safety hazards and outdated residential equipment that was essentially taking up over 60% of the playable space. (More on that in an upcoming post). Since the space backs up to our nursery and toddler rooms, it was determined that this would be designed as a play space for ages 0 - 5. First the committee said, we have a little bit of money we want to spend. "We thought we should buy a climber." I cringed. Then I sighed.

If this is your line of thinking, or if you are trying to persuade others why other alternatives should be included, here are some reasons why a climber may not be the first thing you want to spend your money on:

1) They only foster one kind of play, at the expense of others

Playgrounds may be the most dangerous place you take your kids. Some believe this is because they only lend themselves to one way play. You climb up, then you climb out, then you fall off. After the brain and body has utilized the equipment the intended way a few times it gets bored and tries to give itself new challenge. This is when the equipment gets used, say by the third visit, in ways outside of what the manufactures intended it for. This is how my own son broke his arm- climbing on the outside of the tube slide to battle his friend, who then pushed him off.
Also play structures work on the development of gross motor play, but only a small subset of that, but do little to foster fine motor skills, emotional development, or imaginative play. On most play structures kids can not easily skip, there is little to push or pull, they can not lift loads across the playspace. Kids can not perceive differences in heavy or light or different kinds of sensations. There is very little pinching, handwriting, threading. It is harder to invite a friend to tea on the top of the slide, or to include very many friends in the top of your tower. And since the essence of imaginative play is loose parts- those bits that can be structured and restructured into infinite creatures, emotions, role-play, costumes, vehicles, counters, or alphabets- it is disappointing when there are few to be found besides wood chips. These areas also are usually designed for a very specific targeted age range and are inappropriate or even dangerous for other siblings who may find themselves playing at the same location.

2) They demand very expensive materials for filler and shading

If you decide that you are going to build a playground, the conversation will then turn to necessary fill requirements to make the space safe. Very quickly you will realize that your budget has been consumed annihilated to go towards rather boring materials such as pea gravel, poured rubber, rubber tiles, artificial turf, or maybe wood chips, the later must be refilled annually to maintain safe fall heights. (Many areas on existing playgrounds have inadequate depth of filler to meet fall height and safety guidelines!) You may have started out wishing to have other things in your playspace: elements for art, music, bikes, cooking, or construction and find that at the end you have nothing left in budget or space except for making these giant, too often gaudy, rainbow colored industrial structures.

Additionally when most large playgrounds are built, one of the first things that is inevitably done is that trees are removed. Now you have no natural shade and natural play elements are removed. The exposed playground equipment gets hot! This makes the space more limited to certain hours or seasons for comfortable play to occur. Many pediatric and dermatological associations are also beginning to worry about the consequences of excessive sun exposure in young children. So shade sails, which often cover a very small part of the space, must be ordered.

3) They don't usually lend themselves to imitating nature in structure or function

With few exceptions, most playgrounds do not imitate or leave room for nature. How lovely though when there is a "nest" to climb into, a cave to go through, or a forest to lie in. In most playgrounds it is hard to find much which imitates  biological, chemical, or physical processes. There is not usually available water. Where are the life-cycles, evapotransporation, or melting? Does the space foster biodiversity or are the humans the only ones allowed? Are there rocks to turn over, layers to unearth, decomposition to witness?

The children hope so.

Wiggly Winter Wonder: Educational Winter Outdoor Play

Your kids are climbing the walls. You are too.  They call it cabin fever, stir crazy. You're about to have a serious case of the winter wackies. But it's soooooo cold...what are some winter ways to take the learning outside?

First, focus on group activities

Cold weather may not be the ideal time for sitting still doing quiet solo activities in journals. You can always do the active stuff outside and then come back in for reflection. Focusing on group activities will build skills like teamwork, cooperation, and creativity while minimizing the time to think about whining or being cold. Group activities will also require involvement from you.  Likewise minimizing your ability to whine or lose feeling in your fingers. For starters you could...Build a life size model, host a winter Olympics, have a scavenger hunt.

Second, use big body movement

This is the best time for building those gross motor skills.  Get that blood flowing. Integrate the curricula with active play. Remember that most old fashioned running games can be easily be re-figured into a lesson. Freeze tag (pun intended) becomes an animal prey/ predator game, red rover (with safety adaptations) could demonstrate migration, and hide and seek can demonstrate adaptations.

Third, focus on dramatic play

What if that fort becomes a historical site? The kids become migrating animals, or physically re-enact the water and nutrient cycles. Perhaps you are able to enact the lifestyles of historic peoples that lived in your area or use snowballs as the ammo in part of a historical reenactment. Use your bird brains, your fox stealth, your smart asses (the donkey!) to figure out how animals survive and thrive in the winter.

Fourth, Use snow any way possible!

Weigh it, measure it, melt it, eat it! Count, add, subtract it. Create target games where the numbers are used in oral multiplication tables. Race on it with timed trials. Sled down it and calculate your velocity. Paint in it with food coloring. Build it.

What are some your most successful winter outdoor education lessons?

Let it snow, or embracing the beast!

To hear the weather forecasters around here talk, you would think snow portends the end of the world! How weary I am of talks of snowmageddon and this snow storm as "beast". Forecasters seem shocked and appalled at the children out in such "horrible" conditions. Shockingly many families are forced to spend more than 24 hours in the same vicinity. Many schools have been closed for four days with more foreclosures looming next week. Will we ever get back to the important things- like school? How can children possibly learn unless they are indoors seated in a chair doing what the teacher tells them to do?

Yesterday my son's school was possibly one of the only ones open in Norman. The high was 18 degrees. We arrived early for the pick up and all of the four year olds were gathered at the top of the hill impatiently waiting for their turns to slide down. Such anticipation, animation, exhilaration, and adoration for the world around them! And such wonderful teachers who have such admiration for children to allow them these essential experiences! As one teacher told me, she thinks not allowing kids to play in the snow is "absolutely cruel."

And yet I know many schools where students do not go outside if it is below 50 degrees. And in most public districts here in Oklahoma there are even policies forbidding kids from having recess if it is below 32 F degrees! This is unjust.

And while the issue is very valid that many students cannot afford to be dressed properly schools and childcare institutions can find creative ways around this problem. One of the easiest ways being building a collection of snow clothes donated from students who have outgrown them. With just a bit of oversight and commonsense there are many beautiful ways for students to enjoy snow play. This is one beast I think we should wholeheartedly embrace.

For some beautiful examples of children engaged in snow play in a climate much harsher then here check out some of my Frode Svane's photos from Norway.