Natural Playscape Area

In his book, Childhood and Nature: Design Principals for Educators, David Sobel writes, “The best curriculum serves as a bridge between the inner and outer worlds, between play and work, between dreams and reality.  From sand boxes to dollhouses to model train(s), children love to create miniature worlds where they can play.  Through creating miniature representations of ecosystems or neighborhoods we help children conceptually grasp the big picture. The creation of small worlds creates a concrete vehicle for understanding abstract ideas.”

The College School put this principle in action in our natural playscape area at the Newport Place side of our building. Connected to a Kindergarten project with "small worlds" inspired by David Sobel's work, we recently invited our Kindergarten class to design a natural playscape on our campus for other children to enjoy.

Teachers offered the students sand, glass-beads, twigs, seashells and other natural materials, as well as time to play, experience, create, imagine and explore.  As another way to conceptualize their ideas, children documented what they had created onto paper.  Finally a museum was set up to showcase their work, where classmates, as well as other students and faculty members from the building came to learn about their small sand worlds. 

Teachers then asked the children to draw upon all of their previous experiences, both indoors and out, to generate a comprehensive list of materials that they might want or need when designing their miniature playscapes. Pebbles, seeds, butterflies, grass, leaves and flowers all made their way onto the list and eventually into their work.

Next, teachers invited the children to work together in small groups to create miniature playgrounds. Each group designed, created, collaborated and documented their ideas. Throughout this process, these small world experiences and miniature playscapes offered a rich opportunity for teachers to integrate important math, science, art, social studies and language arts skills and concepts. In effect, the students were building a bridge between play and work. 

For example, science skills and concepts were woven into the project when students were asked to plant, observe and document native plant species.  For math, children developed their counting, balance and patterning concepts and skills. The project was rich in opportunities for developing language arts skills of descriptive language, generating lists of materials and writing about the small worlds.

After children made their designs and generated a list of materials they would need for the playscape, the class took a field trip to the local material and supply store.  There the children chose materials for the new playscape. Children also designed bird feeders and wind chimes to hang.  Native plants, donated by Litzsinger Road Ecology Center were given a new home. 

In the end, with some extra manual labor by some of the adults in the community, the class had created an amazing, special, imaginative, and beautiful space where children from all areas of the school can play.  It is a special space our students will continue to explore, designed by children for children.