Just Imagine Revisited
Last October I wrote an article titled, “Just Imagine”, about a playground we have been planning for and dreaming about. Below is the lead paragraph from that article:
Just imagine ... a playground that would have spaces for active play and quiet spaces, a playground that would have natural objects for play such as logs and pinecones, a playground that has places to draw, objects that make musical sounds, places to perform, places to talk with a friend, places that allow children to use their imaginations as they play.
For the past four years a group of teachers and a dedicated parent, have met to plan a very different kind of playground for our students. “Play” is a child’s way of processing all he/she is learning, of testing ideas, of trying new things, building friendships, making decisions, managing conflict. Play can be solo or group, but it is almost always imaginative, active, open-ended and evolving. The Lower School teachers value the ‘play’ time that our students are given. The teachers encourage students to make their own choices and decision in this playtime. It is a time for minimal adult intervention. The girls make the choice of what they are going to do, with whom and for how long. They create the rules, invent the story, name the game, and often establish the pecking order. This is their time to manage and imagine. The adults stand back and intervene only for safety or to manage conflicts.
Just imagine ... a playground that would have spaces for active play and quiet spaces, a playground that would have natural objects for play such as logs and pinecones, a playground that has places to draw, objects that make musical sounds, places to perform, places to talk with a friend, places that allow children to use their imaginations as they play.
For the past four years a group of teachers and a dedicated parent, have met to plan a very different kind of playground for our students. “Play” is a child’s way of processing all he/she is learning, of testing ideas, of trying new things, building friendships, making decisions, managing conflict. Play can be solo or group, but it is almost always imaginative, active, open-ended and evolving. The Lower School teachers value the ‘play’ time that our students are given. The teachers encourage students to make their own choices and decision in this playtime. It is a time for minimal adult intervention. The girls make the choice of what they are going to do, with whom and for how long. They create the rules, invent the story, name the game, and often establish the pecking order. This is their time to manage and imagine. The adults stand back and intervene only for safety or to manage conflicts.
So what would a playground look like that was more open-ended, suggested play, provided tools and objects that could be used in a variety of ways, had quiet spaces, active spaces, organized spaces, open-ended spaces? These are ideas we have grappled with for the past few years. We have visited playgrounds, looked for ideas, scoured Pinterest, read books and surveyed our Lower and Middle Schools students. We have a good idea of how we can transform our current playground into a much more imaginative space. We have even consulted a landscape architect to help put our ideas on paper.
Our plan was to move this process forward this year. As with many plans, there have been roadblocks. While we know what we want, we need funds to move forward with the landscape architect, which would eventually result in a small campaign to raise funds for the improvements. We are looking into grants and will also be asking for funds from donors.
As my time at Ellis draws to a close, my hope is that all of the planning we have done over the past few years will not leave with me. The children deserve a better playground, one that inspires imaginative play and is a place they cannot wait to get to each day. Your support of this project is critical. As always, it is about the children and making it better for them. That is what my focus has been my entire career as an educator. I can ‘just imagine’ what this playground could be for them. Thank you for any support you can give to this project ‘for the children’. Stay tuned!
Back
Our plan was to move this process forward this year. As with many plans, there have been roadblocks. While we know what we want, we need funds to move forward with the landscape architect, which would eventually result in a small campaign to raise funds for the improvements. We are looking into grants and will also be asking for funds from donors.
As my time at Ellis draws to a close, my hope is that all of the planning we have done over the past few years will not leave with me. The children deserve a better playground, one that inspires imaginative play and is a place they cannot wait to get to each day. Your support of this project is critical. As always, it is about the children and making it better for them. That is what my focus has been my entire career as an educator. I can ‘just imagine’ what this playground could be for them. Thank you for any support you can give to this project ‘for the children’. Stay tuned!
Envision Her at Ellis
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