Playscapes

Document a playground at your school or in your community. On a Google Map view, show arrows for the main entrances. Draw green dotted lines around vegetation areas and black dotted lines on fences. Dash around passive, quieter activities like sitting, talking, etc. Label any benches or seating areas. Stripe zones of active ball play, climbing structures, running paths, sports fields, nature areas, etc. Note special areas for drama play, music making, construction, and board games. Plot the rising, midday, and setting sun. Note which areas are in the sun and which are in the shade. Check out dry areas and those that are wet or collect water and mud. Get to know your playground!

Brainstorm ideas about new places to play. Create a survey to share with people of any age who might use the playscape. Your survey could involve analyzing what people liked or disliked about current playgrounds; be sure to add questions about activities they would like the new space to provide. Playground activities can be separated into active, passive, public, semi-public, wet, dry, informal, formal (game-oriented), reading, talking, making, sitting, standing, running, etc. Be sure to make room for nature play with plants, animal and insect habitats, and one or more water elements. Map activities in plan and in elevation, possible areas for: Visible and multi-navigable access routes Circulation of Play Open Green Space Symbolic high places Dizzy spaces Large and small spaces Climbing boulders? Hiding in bushes? Take notes in your journal. Program a playscape!

Once you have the area of your existing play area (or an area for a new play area), and a list of ideas from your charrette, it is time to test some ideas in models. Analyze your site to ensure you are mapping and considering the climatic and contextual forces acting on it, and the areas you programmed in Activity 2 to fit. Go to Google Scribble Maps and type in the address of your school playground. Enlarge the plan until it fills your computer screen. You can plot the areas and activities of your program on Google Scribble Maps or print a plan of the schoolyard and use markers to show where play objects and areas might go. Create three different layouts. Name each layout. Collecting feedback from playground users, such as classmates, teachers, and parents, is important, as they will challenge your ideas and perhaps even offer some new ones. Discuss the positive and not-so-positive moments in the layouts. Take notes and summarize the comments.

In teams, review the site analysis. Create three conceptual schemes and the feedback for each. Discuss what teams should do to respond to the feedback and what has been learned so far in the process. Diagram zones of active and passive play, large and small play areas, sunny and shady play areas. Create conceptual models of the key elements, places, and paths in the playspace. Using construction paper, pipe cleaners, cardboard, sticks, and stones, create zones, structures, paths, and places to sit and observe. Place your models in the backdrop of your school or park. Take pictures. Present your ideas. Ask for feedback. Which playscape seems the most fun and why? Which one is the safest? Which one allows for visibility of all the areas? Which playspace best fits the character and identity of the school?

Based on feedback and reflection on the conceptual models and drawings, create a fourth and final comprehensive model. Create experiential views of approaching, entering, and playing at the different stations. Make a poster that shows the location of your new playspace, its key ideas and strategies that differ from the existing ones, and the systems you have overlaid to create your design. Think water, air, light, quiet, and active play areas. Add your labeled drawings with different destinations. Promote your new playground. You may be surprised at how many imaginations you inspire! Get your project started!

• Play is always active.
  • True
  • False
• Paths in a playground should be
  • Discontiinuous
  • Hidden
  • Single Direction
  • Circular
• Playspaces benefit from
  • An open green area
  • Storage of activity supplies
  • Different sizes of spaces
  • All of the Above
• The following are examples of areas in a playspaces
  • Reading Area
  • Sand box
  • Water Play
  • Board game tables and chairs
  • Climbing rocks and Timbers
  • A tall hill
  • Ping Pong
  • Climbing rocks and timbers
  • A stage
  • All of the above and more!