The 7th graders at Johannes Fontanus junior High school, Barneveld the Netherlands, are working these months on an important assignment , create a design for an inclusive playground.
Client of the students is the municipality of Barneveld.
Idea is from Speeltuinbende Barneveld
Part of the process is that the students can present their initial ideas to experts.
It is very fascinating to see how the students enter into the design process, what assumptions they have and what questions they ask.
A brief summary
We came to talk about the budget. I asked the question; Does more money automatically mean a better playground?
While talking we came to “No, n
ot necessarily”.
All children remembered that the best game was the game where you forgot the time and even at night in your bed you were still busy with the hut you were building or where you are going to hide the next time.
And that game didn’t require any money at all…. let alone a slide or swing.
And we talked about playing together, what that actually is. That it’s not that there’s a wheelchair swing but that all the kids can join in on hide-and-seek or Fortnite life….
And finally, we talked about safety. Is a scratch or bump from playing bad?
All the children had suffered scratches or bumps and they all thought it was part of the game and even important. They teach you, they said.
I asked if they thought this was also true for children with disabilities. After some hesitation and with surprise they all indicated that it is indeed so. Children with disabilities also need to be able to take risks. And yes, sometimes you get a scratch.
But not too bad!
After these conversations, I’m sure there has been a lot of gumming up in the designs. I am very curious to see the final results.