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Phase: Research Missions: LATEST RESEARCH

Kids Don’t Need Equipment, They Need Opportunity

Designing community space for children Forget about swings and teeter-totters and concrete turtles – to be a real success, a playground needs a few good mudholes. Ideally a child’s play space should never be finished, it should be in a constant state of change

Photo of ajmal manzil
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http://www.pps.org/reference/kids_smithsonian/
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This inspired (5)

Let's play!
Let's play!
Positive Powers of Mindset and Human Interactions
Positive Powers of Mindset and Human Interactions
Check out the great work of Unchartered Play--an organization that uses play as a tool to address global issues.
Check out the great work of Unchartered Play--an organization that uses play as a tool to address global issues.
ANCHOR: Modifying play grounds to become parenting centers
ANCHOR: Modifying play grounds to become parenting centers
Community building and growing your own food.
Community building and growing your own food.

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Photo of Anne-Laure Fayard

Thanks Ajmal for sharing this inspiring and thought provoking article. I think it makes many important points such as
1. the role of play
2. the focus on equipment rather than opportunities - not only for physical activities, but also for social interactions, dream, reflection, experimentation.
3. the importance to be children focus here rather than designing what we think is good for them

and much more! Thanks a lot!

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Photo of ajmal manzil

thanks Anne. i was just reading the post which you have posted on play.https://openideo.com/challenge/zero-to-five/research/let-s-play
thoughts which i m currently grappling with
What is our role in designing space for children . should " we " design them or facilitate the child to design his/her own
are our community spaces. 'parks' a manifestation of what an adults idea of play is..
what can community spaces teach a child.
we often find children more obsessed with packaging and cartons of toys than the to itself.

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Photo of Anne-Laure Fayard

Thanks Ajmal for your comment. Great questions regarding who should design. I think participatory design - which might be in between design for them or facilitate design by children, and more "design with them" could be a productive approach.
Designing spaces that can be inhabited and modified is another idea. It reminds me an idea posted on another challenge: https://openideo.com/challenge/creative-confidence/applause/the-white-kids-house

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