Adventure Playgrounds In Chch Kindergartens

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31985, 12 May 1969, Page 3

Adventure Playgrounds In Chch Kindergartens

Adventure playgrounds in Christchurch kindergartens are stirring the imaginations of their pre-school users'. They are also providing an outlet for youthful aggression. The new playground at Nuffield Kindergarten in New Brighton—part of which is shown above—and in almost constant use this term, is the first of its kind in a Christchurch kindergarten. A fort occupies one comer, an alpine hut another, and a piece of sculpture designed by a student of the School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury sprawls out in disarray bound to delight any child. In the language of child educationists the equipment

is “challenging.” In an outdoor environment enhanced by paving stones set among lawn, treees, ,and shrubs arid arrangements of bark, the children are encouraged to flex their muscles and their minds.

The kindergarten’s supervisor, Mrs M. P. Corby, has found the drop in aggressive behaviour among the children most noticeable.

Boys dominated the playground at first, but are now reverting to using their standard equipment at times and allowing the girls to get on with the business if bringing up dolls. “They are still developing in use of the equipment. The Wendy house is just starting to be used creatively, but the fort is not. They are still doing the obvious things, such as climbing over it,” said Mrs Corby. Discrimination between the sexes does not seem to exist at pre-school level. “Boys play with the dolls, and the girls climb over the fort We have a rope ladder, which the

girls are just as keen to master as the boys,” she said. The children took to the play sculpture immediately. They swarm happily over, around, and in it. Mrs Corby has labelled another piece of equipment—a wooden frame and net for climbing—as the “attack net.” The playground has advantages for staff, too. “Now the children occupy themselves much more. Before the playground was built we had to keep providing them with things to do, but now they are busy all the time,” said Mrs Corby. Mr Littlewood, a landscape designer, was engaged by the Nuffield local committee to plan the playground. He has included a circular pool with surrounding splash pool and a circular sandpit. A mound was formed with sections of logs arranged for climbing nearby, and provision was made for shelter for parents arid staff to sit and watch the children.

Similar playgrounds have been established at the new

Fendaltori and Cotswold kindergartens. The use of large logs is a feature of these playgrounds. Huge sections Of gumtree trunks are arranged in a variety of interesting ways to stimulate play. Cotswold Avenue kindergarten committee members and their husbands worked under the supervision of Mr Littlewood. They built up the grounds with attractive terracotta paving stones, paddling and splash pool, lawn, and sandpit. "The idea is to use natural materials and backgrounds the children can add to and play imaginatively in,” said Miss Eva Millen, a supervising director. “The huts are not fully furnished, and so the children take their own things out, and devise things to use,” she said. In June, those involved in pre-school education will be invited to a meeting at the Kindergarten Teachers’ College when films and talks on playgrounds here and overseas will be given.