Stormwater at Schools

It is the middle of winter and stormwater is on our minds here in Portland. It is a topic most kids are drawn to. What little kid can resist a puddle? We have a fabulous opportunity to teach with stormwater at our schools. It is visible, occurs all winter long and can be quite beautiful.

Collecting Stormwater at Schools
Schools often have large surrounding sites. In Portland they are one of the largest urban land holders. That means lots of rain and lots of roof to capture rain. Plenty of our schools have lots of asphalt too. The wonderful thing about working at the school is students can help throughout the entire process. See some of my favorites below.

Bridge Water Garden Before

At Bridge School not only was asphalt pavement removed, but stormwater from the roof was diverted into the water garden.

Bridge Water Garden After
http://www.pps.k12.or.us/schools/bridger/208.htm

Safety Hurdles
Safety is always a top concern at schools. Some of the ways you can avoid the unwanted combination of kids and water (or kids and mud) are
- locate the stormwater facility away from the high traffic areas liek the playground or main door. Place it somewhere there is a watchful eye; outside the office or classroom.
- Design it to have a maximum level of water that is still very shallow
- Avoid steep slopes
- Don't try to hold the water in a container and release it later, especially if kids will come in contact with it. You start to get into sanity issues.

Examples
Portland Public Schools has a great stormwater website with photos of their school stormwater facilities. Below are some of my favorite projects. The best projects,

GET THE KIDS INVOLVED!

Fernwood MS Students Installing Their Swale

Fernwood MS Downspout Disconnect and Swale

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Harvey Scott Students Forming Their Swale

Harvey Scott School Swale and Outdoor Classroom

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Maintenance at DaVinci Middle School

Da Vinvi Middle School Rain Garden

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Metropolitan Learning Center
Students picking water loving plants

Metropolitan Leaning Center Swale-
Kindergarden kids compacting the soil on the edges.

Metropolitan Learning Center Swale Completed

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DeLaSalle Parking Lot Swale

It Wood, Its Outside, Lets Build!

Some kids are born to build! I can remember building lots of forts indoors and out. My favorite hiding place with a grove of fir trees (old family Christmas Trees) with a concrete block inside that was my table, couch, potions lab all in one. There are a lot more tools out there today for building and creating outdoors.

BLOCK TYPE CONSTRUCTION

Imagiplanks

Builder Boards

LOOSE PARTS FOR CREATIVE BUILDING

Curvy Board

NYC High Line building kits

MORE NATURAL WOOD PIECES AND FORMS

Auburn University Nature Play Area

from http://www.modhomeec.com

Building frames and loose stick building  

 Happy Holidays and Happy Building!

Music in the Playscape

There are  many options out there for music in outdoor play spaces. From large drums to chimes and many percussion instruments. These early encounters with sounds and music can instill a love of music and get kids over the fear of not being able to 'play' the instrument well.  Below are a few ideas to remember when installing music pieces and a few of my favorite instruments.

WHEN INSTALLING MUSICAL PLAY CONSIDER...

- How tall are the kids? Make sure the piece is not above their comfortable playing level, or offer a stool or seat.
- How many kids may want to play at once? There are some great large pieces, but it many be a good idea to add a few more instruments if you have more kids. Most kids like to specifically hear the noises they are creating and have trouble picking them out of a cacophony of many kids playing.
- Do they need sticks or mallets to play? If they do, spend the money to get tough ones, lots of them and attach them well.
- How does the instrument sound? While an old trash can lid will be fun to bang and make loud noises there is also a place for instruments that make very beautiful sounds. I find children play these much more often and won't tire of them in the long run.
- Consider water from above and below. I live in Oregon! We always consider water. :) But if a puddle develops in front of the piece it is much less playable. Nicer instruments may want to consider a roof structure for long term protection.

A FEW EXAMPLES

Marimba at mount hood Community College Early Childhood Center

Natural Playground Company  has a number of nice musical pieces. I love how the Tongue Drum sounds and looks. http://www.naturalplaygrounds.com

Check out this whimsical and beautiful sounding wrenchophone. You can virtually play the wrenchophone here! 

Tongue Drum Sea Turtle from http://www.soundplay.com/drums.html

Palm Pipe Drum http://www.soundplay.com/drums.html

I love this CHIMASAUR! Colorful and fun. I would definitely run over and try this one out if I saw it.

Talk tubes, like these are the Auburn Discovery Playground, provide a chance to play  with sounds without having to have an instrument. 

The Marimba at Blue Lake Park offers a beautiful tone and features a rain shelter to protect it long term.

Have fun creating and playing your instruments!

Nature Play At Home

I share a lot of ideas and projects on the blog that are related to public projects and sites that are open for all types of users. In no way was this meant to say that nature play needs to be done on a large scale. Quite on the contrary, many parts of nature play have to do with materials, textures and small details.

There are some really easy places to start offering nature connection at home

Offer Natural Materials:  

Let kids collect these materials while on a hike then explore them more at home. Relate them to the seasons and seasonal patterns. There is so much to be learned from breaking open a fall nut or smelling a spring flower.

from: http://progressiveearlychildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/

Offer Sand and Water Access:

Again it can be simple. Below is a fire pit turned into sand and water exploration. This works great because it comes with a mesh top covering to protect from animals and leaf litter.

Offer a Mud Kitchen or Potions Lab:

There is nothing better then a mud pie with fresh spices and flowers from the garden. Round up a few old kitchen containers and tools and identify a 'work counter'. Kitchen and potions labs help young children master the use of kitchen tools in a creative, no worries way. They are often not as much of a mess as you would expect. :)

from: http://rhythmofthehome.com/2010/05/mud-pie-kitchen/

Offer Real Tools to Interact with Outdoors:

Kids are naturally drawn to simple household tasks and tools. These small repetitive movements help with coordination as well as muscle memory and brain development.

A Great Resource for Further Exploration:

The Natural Wildlife Federation has recently Publish this resource, "Make your Backyard the Best Playground - Naturally!" It is jam packed with ideas and resources.

Enjoy!

Play Set Into Nature: Engleman Park Wilsonville OR

A few years ago this lot was covered in trees, with a lone picnic table. Neighbors were not clear if they were even allowed in. At the Engleman Park grand opening next week it will be clear that this is a community space for play and relaxation that is centered around nature. The park will provide a respite for one of the denser areas of the city. 

The park features sit within a beautiful grove of  trees. The previous owner of the property planted them all 50 years ago. While brand new, the features seem as through they fit with the site seamlessly.

There are plenty of opportunities for play in nature and with natural materials as well as nature themed play equipment. A main central features is a rocky swale that will catch stormwater as well as provide an exploration place for imaginative play.

 Downed trees, boulders and stumps were salvaged from the site and nearby parks. This is a beautiful blend of equipment and rubber surfacing (shown below) while also accentuating the natural elements of the site; trees, boulders and water.