Several community agencies in Knoxville, Tennessee worked together to form Partners Through Playgrounds, an initiative to transform a traditional playground at a Head Start center into a natural playscape. Participating partners include the Department of Child and Family Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), the Early Learning Center for Research and Practice (ELC) at UTK, and a local Head Start agency.
Research-based evidence on the benefits of natural playspaces, observations of how children played in two contrasting playspaces, and reflections on children’s rights provided the impetus for this project. Research indicates that natural playspaces can promote enhanced play, learning and well-being of young children. Observations of a university faculty member involved with this project identified “big differences†between – not only the play spaces – but also the play activities at the Head Start center and the university Early Learning Center (ELC). The outdoor playspace at the university included mini-forests, a wooden gazebo for shade, large “walking logs,†and flower and vegetable gardens. The playground at the Head Start center, on the other hand, offered traditional playground equipment (metal swings, slides, balance beam, etc.) and no shade. While children at the ELC could play hide-and-seek in the mini-forest and water the gardens, the “dominant activity among Head Start children was to race up and down one side of the playground.†The understanding that all young children have the right to “beautiful, engaging, and safe spaces to learn and play, both inside and outside†helped to frame a proposal for changing the Head Start playspace.
The $2000 from this successful proposal – along with community partners, volunteers, and donated materials – led to a transformation of the Head Start playground.  The process, which occurred over a six-month period, included several meetings to map out possibilities for the playground design. The plan that emerged represents a hybrid of traditional and natural playground designs. Natural elements added to the playspace include a dry rock creek bed, boxed gardens, a small walking bridge, a gazebo and trees. During the final stages of installing the natural elements in the playspace, the Head Start administrators and teachers noticed an immediate change in children’s playground activities and experiences. They noted how the natural elements added another dimension to the children's play. Children were walking on tree branches, jumping off of boulders, and watering plants. The success of this project served as a catalyst for the renovation and naturalization of additional Head Start playgrounds.
This project demonstrates that, even with limited funds, a community-based effort can bring about changes in the outdoor environment that can be used to enhance the play behaviors, physical activity and learning opportunities of young children, especially if such changes include the addition of such natural elements as logs, boulders, and plants.
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