The Power of the "Imagination Playground"

Well, high fives - and fist bumps - to architect David Rockwell, whose is applying his genius for creating spaces to a new venture called "Imagination Playground" - an collaborative initiative with urban playground king Kaboom to offer children (especially those in low-income neighborhoods) innovative, colorful playspaces to let their imaginations run wild.

These playspaces are unique, in that, rather than just staging the usual slides, swings and other less-than-imaginative standard equipment, Imagination Playgrounds give the children real, movable foam pieces and parts they can combine into endless new forms, configurations - and original creations (photo from Robert Stolarik of theNYTimes).

Think Legos on steriods - or Zolo or Toobers & Zotz at life-size.

As The New York Times reports:

"In Brownsville, Brooklyn, a portable version of Imagination Playground features oversize but lightweight building blocks. ...

Instead of plummeting down slides or dangling from the monkey bars, children on Saturday built polyethylene palaces from blocks shaped like triangles, clovers, rectangles and cylinders.

They became instant abstractionists, using sturdy brushes to mix heaps of wet sand with colored chalk on the cement. And the urban planners-in-training among them took turns toying with hoses and blocks to create water irrigation systems. ..."

Clearly, with creativity and imagination being forced out of the classroom - and in large part out of our education system, in general - in favor of basic memorization and fact-based testing ... initiatives like Imagination Playground are ever more important and essential, to engage our children in using their imaginations to envision new possibilities and see beyond "what already is" and on to "What Can Be."

What are your thoughts on how creative activities (and, unfortunately, increasingly recess itself) are being squeezed out of our education system?

Share your experiences - and innovative ideas - here ....

In creative spirit,
Julie Ann

Comments

[Annie Lynsen]

Thanks for posting on Imagination Playground! KaBOOM! has linked to your entry from its website - check it out: http://www.kaboom.org/MyKaBOOM/EditKaBOOM/News/tabid/166/ctl/ArticleView/mid/573/articleId/5875/Bloggers-write-on-Imagination-Playground-in-a-BOX-opening.aspx

Have a great and playful day!

Annie Lynsen
Manager, Online Content and Community Development
KaBOOM!

[Julie Ann Turner]

Annie,

Great to hear from you - and thanks for the link!

Have been following Kaboom's work for some time, primarily in Dallas (with Central Dallas Ministries and others) - so important for children to have space to play, use their imagination - and learn that they can choose to create something new ... that they always have the power to create something beyond what already exists.

This is so crucial, especially in low-income, crime-challenged neighborhoods where envisioning a different reality - larger possibilities for themselves - is ever more challenging for children.

Again, kudos for Kaboom's work ...

Hope to see you around the creative playground!