Playground Adaptation

RESEARCH AND PLANNING

When playground upgrades were being planned and scheduled, 2nd graders asked to have a meeting with Head of School Debbie Gibbs and Associate Head of School Doug Odom. The students wanted to present the administrators with their suggestions for improving the School’s back playground—ideas that would help all students, regardless of physical abilities, to have fun in a safe way. On the morning of the meeting, 2nd grader Emilia Odom told her father she thought he should wear his “most dependable suit.” He did. After all, it was a big day.

The students were well prepared for the meeting. The essential theme for 2nd grade is adaptation, and since the beginning of the year teachers—Kiira Lee, Sara Aguilar, Maria Lama, and Marina Gutierrez—had been guiding students in an exploration of questions such as:

• Why do people need to adapt?
• How do students adapt to school?
• How do schools adapt to the needs of different students?
• How can a playground be adapted to meet the wants and needs of all students?

They had also taken a field trip to Hadley’s Playground—an award-winning, fully accessible playground in Potomac, Maryland. Students were excited by what they saw in Potomac and spent time comparing Hadley’s Playground to Lowell’s back play area. The 2nd graders then decided on the key pieces of equipment they would like to add or alter to improve play for Lowell students and in small groups began making models illustrating their ideas and crafting persuasive arguments to present to Debbie and Doug.

In 2nd grade, the idea of power and what you choose to do with it are important themes in discussions throughout the year, so these themes permeated discussions and planning as well. Teachers wanted students to see themselves as both able-bodied people and also as members of a community that includes people with a range of physical abilities. In that context, teachers asked them to consider; What happens in a community if the needs of all members are not met? and How do decisions impact people differently?

The meeting gave Debbie and Doug the opportunity to model thoughtful, inclusive decision-making. They began by explaining their jobs at the school and talked to the students about the many factors involved in making a decision about choosing new playground equipment—including the safety and the cost of equipment.

Then, it was the students' chance to speak up. The two classes made their presentations and got immediate feedback when the administrators reflected on what they had heard.

Debbie and Doug both thought that the students’ suggestion to install monkey bars that start off lower to the ground and gradually get higher, rung by rung, made a lot of sense. Debbie shared her concerns about the safety of swings—one of the proposals for new equipment. She asked students how they would feel about the half-bucket swings that have a seat belt. Doug explained that the back playground project wouldn’t start right away, and tried to help students understand why these things can take a long time to happen.

Sharing their presentations with key administrators and becoming part of the decision-making process for the playground was a satisfying learning experience for students because they had the opportunity to use their knowledge and skills in support of a cause they care about.

It was also an empowering experience. Kiira explains, "Students learned that they do no need to wait until they are adults to take action and affect their community... they can and should be constantly evaluating the world around them and thinking of innovative ways to improve it."