Hi,
I need some help, and I KNOW I have come to the right place after reading some of these wonderful posts about the accessable outdoor playgrounds that many of you have worked hard to plan, raise funds for, and have seen come to life in your communities.
My son has attended a county run special needs preschool for 4 years now. The school serves kids of all types of disabilities, but also is the center of a Head Start program, and there are typically developing children in the classes along with the children who have disabilities.
Wow, what a mess! I doubt that any child, when asked what they like about the playground, is going to answer "gravel and vegatables." While "getting back to nature" is important for kids, it certainly leaves a lot to be desired if it's the only feature of a playground. First of all, the gravel is not only unsafe, it's not ADA approved. Your administration would probably not be pleased with a headline in the local paper shouting "Special Needs School Not Compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act." For some more information and a chart on surfacing safety and accessibility, check out http://projects.kaboom.org/UniversalDesign/Surfacing/tabid/20558/Default.aspx
As far as the lack of playground structures/equipment, children of ALL abilities need outdoor "big muscle" play to develop and refine skills in balance, coordination, and motor patterns such as climbing. Considering that your kids are preschool age, they are smack in the middle of the time period most critical for developing these skills. Unfortunately, while there has been a surge in the amount of research on the importance of free play, it's still hard to find research stating that the equipment provided to the children has an impact on their quality of play. What I have found, however, is as follows:
http://projects.kaboom.org/PlayDevelopment/tabid/20513/Default.aspx *The Importance of Play to Child Development - describes the various types of play necessary for healthy development. Check out "sensory play" in particular, where you can learn about the importance of proprioceptive, vestibular, and other types of play the children at your school are currently being denied due to lack of opportunity (ie: structures to balance on, push through, etc.)
http://firstfiveshasta.org/PDFs/Playgrounds0102.pdf *Research Paper: The Benefits of Playgrounds for Children Aged 0-5 http://www.voiceofplay.com/imp_of_play/index.asp *The Importance of Play - links you to seperate pages on the physical, emotional, cognitive, and social benefits of play http://www.ipema.org/News/default.aspx * articles/research on the website of the International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association - look specifically at:
http://firstfiveshasta.org/PDFs/Playgrounds0102.pdf *Research Paper: The Benefits of Playgrounds for Children Aged 0-5
http://www.voiceofplay.com/imp_of_play/index.asp *The Importance of Play - links you to seperate pages on the physical, emotional, cognitive, and social benefits of play
http://www.ipema.org/News/default.aspx * articles/research on the website of the International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association - look specifically at:
Developmental Domains and Outdoor Play Components (equipment approriate for various developmental stages)
The "Ideal" Outdoor Manufactured Play Environments (basic components of a well-rounded playground)
Climbing - A Natural Way to Play (value of climbing components)
What In the World is Brachiating, Anyway? (value of overhead components)
Why You Should Swing Too! (value of swings)
http://www.ptotoday.com/0104playground.html *an article on fundraising for a new playground
http://www.playlsi.com/Planning/Accessibility/Inclusive+Play/ *examples of accessible play equipment
I hope you find these useful. I'll post more if I find it.
Good Luck! And remember, at the end of the day, the kids will be so appreciative that you fought for their playground!!!
One more that might be useful: http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleId=65 *The article is entitled "Outdoor Play: Designing, Building, and Remodeling Playgrounds for Young Children." It talks about what playgrounds should include (climbing equipment is mentioned) and criteria of a "good" playground.