Home fit for pounding of tiny feet

Press, 29 October 1981, Page 12

Home fit for pounding of tiny feet

Today's column looks at a Canadian project on the design and adaptation of houses for young children. The project was produced by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation for the International Year of the Child, last year. "Before they enter school, children spend- great amounts of time in the home setting — either in homes of their own or in homes of family day care providers,” says the introduction to the project.

■ “The home is where most early learning occurs. However, most homes are poorly designed from the point of view of children’s development needs.

“Kitchens, generally considered women’s territory, have become small, functional spaces with an emphasis on food storage and preparation.

“A master bedroom, traditionally occupied by the head of the household, is the larg-

est bedroom in the house and tends to be ‘off-limits’ .for children. Children’s rooms are often too small to permit active play. “Living rooms tend to be showplaces from which children's play is banned. Dining rooms, located adjacent to kitchens are often underutilised in the normal, everyday activities of the family, reserved rather for special occasions.

“Children's needs are largely ignored in the traditional house plan.” The main guiding principle of the project has been to get children “out of the cellar and into the parlour.” Young children want to play within sight and sound of the adults caring for them, and the adults, although not necessarily in the same room, want to maintain supervision. Therefore, the major location for children’s play should be close to the centre of activity of the household, the kitchen, the introduction says.

I < “Neither second floor bedI rooms, nor basement playI rooms are satisfactory locai tipns for young children's I regular play activity." i This is the philosophy be- | hind the project, and listed i below are a few practical 1 suggestions. \ Kitchen and din-' | i Pin-up-display panels at i children’s height (less than I 4ft or 100 mm high), blackboard. Work bench 22in or 560 mm high, with a hole to hold i paste jar steady, could be i collapsible to the wall. ■ Step platform about Ift or , 300 mm high for reaching kitchen counter to help with ' cooking or the sink for water i play. Counter across kitchen to ‘ allow children to remain out- ; side kitchen work area. 1 Low storage cupboards and shelves for toys and safe I arts and crafts equipment, so ' that children can put away their gear. Livingrooms Low coffee table, ideal for children to kneel at and

0 work. I'he table could' be designed to take toy storage boxes underneath’ which could double as children's seats. A low windowsill to let children see outside. A window box or bay with cushions for a quiet reading area could be made by boxing in the sides of . the windows. The boards either side of the windows could double as sides for high adult book shelves, and low shelves and cupboards for children. Bedrooms Window box with window seat for quiet reading area. Bunks instead of beds to give a maximum floor play

area. Low clothes rails in wardrobes so that children can take out and put away their own clothes. Low storage so that children can take out and put away toys, shoes ... Split room down centre, with both sides having part of a window, to give necessary privacy to older children. Partitions can be pinup or blackboards. General Television sets situated in

the area where children play most, for example, the livingroom, can have hide-away doors so that children do not watch all the time. Viewing can be controlled. Light switches and door handles at 3ft (900 mm Low coat hooks at entrance so that children can take and return their own coats. Set place for gumboots. hats. Low windows in some rooms so that children can see out.

In Residence Bronwen Jones

72 . Model one, left: adjacent to each area would be low children’s storage units, containing “props” to direct activities, such as the kitchen: water play, arts and crafts, cooking; living room: reading, coffee table games, music; dining room: puzzles, building blocks, larger floor space if table pushed aside, playhouse under table; hall: larger, wheeled toys, dramatic play closet. . .. Model two: The living room is kept as an adult preserve, but there can be close contact with children in the family playroom and kitchen during the day. The dining room is reserved as a playroom until children get old enough to want to play away from adults. A window from the kitchen to playroom would serve for contact. .