February+Edutopia+Reflections


 * __Children Create the Playground of Their Dreams__**

by Suzie Boss
This was a neat article with a really cool idea behind it. What a way to really get students involved in their school and to be able to take a sort of ownership in their school.

Students in a low-income, very culturally diverse school in Seattle were able to draw and sketch ideas of what they would like their old, out-dated playground to eventually look like. They chose 24 students to share their ideas of what they envisioned their new playground looking like. Parents and teachers then took these ideas and looked through playground manufacturing magazines to try to closely resemble the students' ideas into the actual playground. Finally, a group of adult volunteers from a nonprofit organization came in to do this a built the playground in one day.

I think that playgrounds are a real important piece to getting the best out of children. //"If our children are more successful on the playground," the principal adds, "we know they're going to be more successful in school."// Students need that time to be able to go outside, run, get some fresh air and be free to do what they want. //"These Seattle students are benefiting from a burgeoning national movement to create more time and space for childhood play, which is good for developing healthy minds, bodies, and relationships."// Now they won't need to be twiddling their thumbs anymore, but can be enjoying this new and awesome playground.

It's just like here in SD, you can tell when students have been cooped up inside for days not being able to get outside and have some freedoms after so many days of below zero weather. This is probably just like going outside and having nothing exciting to do.