The Australian Education Reporter
Playgrounds
Playgrounds and outdoor areas provide a structured space for socialisation, imaginative play and physical activity. So how can schools design the best educational landscape for their students?
PLAY can teach children many skills including problem solving, creativity, initiative and social skills but schools need to move beyond the modular, fixed idea of playgrounds and create diverse, flexible and interactive learning environments.
The Australian Institute of Landscape Architecture (AILA) is the peak professional body, with many members involved in the design of playspaces and school landscape development.
AILA national president and University of NSW Associate Professor Linda Corkery said that landscape architects are not just involved in school grounds planning and designing play and learning areas.
“Like any landscape project, they must also consider how the site needs to function, in relation to movement and circulation; accommodating the daily school activities, like morning assemblies; providing adequate shade and cover from wet weather; balancing the sorts of ground surface materials that are used throughout the site to ensure optimum use,” Professor Corkery said.
Paving materials that absorb and hold heat – such as asphalt, concrete, pavers and rubber softball – are a potential problem, particularly in areas with sun exposure, few trees, and sparse little shade.
“In Australia, we should be making much more use of outdoor areas for play and learning, and investing more resources into creating wonderful school grounds for all children,” Professor Corkery said.
“These outdoor spaces are critical for young children’s development – physical, mental, social – and can continue to support good health, education, physical activity and places to socialise through to late teens.”
Professor Corkery said that the focus is not just about play. Well designed and managed school grounds can also enhance learning opportunities, and should be given as much attention as classroom interiors in the overall development of the school.
“In Australia, we should be making much more use of outdoor areas for play and learning, and investing more resources into creating wonderful school grounds for all children.”
“Schools are public buildings that must accommodate students, staff and visitors who have a disability or are movement impaired.
Site design should integrate appropriate ramp access to building entries and access around and throughout the grounds,” she said.
With inner city schools needing to accommodate ever growing student populations, extra facilities like classrooms and halls are added at the expense of the school landscape.
“Many of these playgrounds end up being hard surfaced because they have to hold up under the concentrated daily traffic of hundreds of students,” Professor Corkery said.
“It is rare that many trees, grass or garden areas can survive in these conditions.”
When landscape designers are developing playspaces to engage student’s curiosity and imagination, involving natural elements is important.
“Fundamentally, there is wide acceptance and understanding among educators and parents that the outdoor environments of schools are equally meaningful places for children’s learning as the indoor spaces,” Professor Corkery said.
“Interactions with nature and creating learning environments in school grounds can include school gardens,” she said.
“Rethinking the way the site functions
allows for the possibility of increasing biodiversity, introducing food-producing trees and plants, developing ‘green infrastructure’, such as rain gardens and in some situations, wetlands that can become outdoor science labs.”
Kidsafe South Australia executive officer Holly Fitzgerald said that schools should do their research when planning to install or upgrade an existing play area and that children should be involved in the design process.
“This enables schools to make informed decisions about the playground with the ultimate outcome being a safe, engaging and challenging playground created for the intended users,” she said.
“Well-designed playgrounds will be all inclusive. There are many designers who specialise in designing for all abilities. Consulting with designers, parents, children and health care professionals is essential.”
Ms Fitzgerald recommends that schools visit other playspaces and take note of the type of equipment and surfaces used and then engage a landscape architects or designer who has knowledge of Australian Standards for playgrounds and experience in designing for education.
“Many designers will offer a consultation service which will include students, parents, teachers, and other community members in the design process,” she said.
Ms Fitzgerald suggests that involving students in the process and letting them create a wish list of desired play activities will assist schools in selecting a supplier who best fits their needs.
“By inviting a child to use their initiative and explore possibilities, we provide them with the best opportunities to learn.”
“By inviting a child to use their initiative and explore possibilities, we provide them with the best opportunities to learn.”