Enriching the outdoor play experience.

Abstract: Playgrounds have been ignored as venues for learning, although educational experts have emphasized play as an important aspect in developmentally appropriate programs. Aside from the physical and motor development offered by outdoor play, opportunities to improve social interaction through both social and intellectual play are also available. Early childhood educators should avail of the potential diversity and richness offered by outdoor play environments. Subject: Play (Social aspects) Early childhood education ( ethods) Playgrounds (Social aspects) Author: !ennger, ichael ". Pub Date: #$%$$%#&&' Publication: Name( )hildhood Education Publisher( Association for )hildhood Education *nternation al Audience( Academic+ ProfessionalFormat( agazine%,ournal Subject( Education+ -a mily and marriageCopyright( ).P/0*1!2 #&&' Association for )hildhood Education * nternational SSN: !!!"#$!%& ssue: Date( 3inter, #&&' Source 'olume( v45 Source ssue( n$ Accession Number: #6&7$7&8 Full (ext: 2eachers, administrators and others generally consider playgrounds and the activities that occur there less important than indoor spaces in the lives of young children. 2his vie9 is reflected in textboo:s used to prepare teachers for early childhood education (e.g., ;re9er, #&&$+ -eeney, )hristensen < oravci:, #&&#+ "ay=>opyera < >opyera, #&&5+ Seefeldt < ;arbour, #&&5). *n a ?uic: revie9 of these texts, the author found an average of $# pages describing the indoor play setting and its preparation and only a little under 8 pages discussing the outdoor play site. Similarly, although the @ational Association for the Education of /oung )hildren emphasizes play as an essential ingredient in developmentally appropriate programs, it gives fe9 specifics for providing such experiences outdoors (;rede:amp, #&74). -rom their inception, playgrounds and outdoor play experiences have been vie9ed primarily as an opportunity to develop physical s:ills through vigorous exercise and play (-rost < 3ortham, #&77). >espite this long=held attitude, educators are becoming more a9are that outdoor play can be much more valuable than previously assumed. )learly, outdoor play can stimulate physical=motor development ( yers, #&78+ Pellegrini, #&&#). *n addition, ho9ever, playgrounds are a positive setting for enhancing

social interaction (Araft, #&7&+ Pellegrini < Perlmutter, #&77). -urther evidence indicates that 9ell=e?uipped playgrounds can stimulate a variety of play types, including dramatic play (!enniger, #&78). .utdoor play can be as effective as indoor play in facilitating young childrenBs development. -rost < 3ortham (#&77) suggest C2he outdoor play environment should enhance every aspect of child development==motor, cognitive, social, emotional==and their correlates==creativity, problem=solving, and Dust plain funC. 3ith a little effort, playgrounds can move from their current rather sterile status (-rost, ;o9ers < 3ortham, #&&5) to more stimulating, creative spaces for young children. ost playgrounds 9ould benefit by more variety in available materials and spaces. ovable toys and e?uipment can ma:e playgrounds into spaces 9here children can have a greater effect on their environment. *n addition, concerned adults need to ensure that children have numerous opportunities for dramatic play outdoors. -inally, playgrounds need to be safe environments 9here children are free to explore 9ithout fear of inDury from materials or e?uipment. 2he play experiences of young children are often categorized either according to the level of intellectual functioning or in relationship to their social complexity. Smilans:y (#&E7) defined four maDor types of cognitive or intellectual play (functional, construction, dramatic, games 9ith rules) and Parten (#&'$) suggested four additional social play categories (solitary, parallel, associative, cooperative). 2o help facilitate these important play types in the indoor setting, early educators have consistently provided children 9ith a large variety of ?uality play materials and toys (e.g., bloc:s, manipulatives, art materials, house:eeping items, dramatic play materials, musical instruments and obDects from the natural environment). 2eachers spend considerable planning time organizing these materials into interesting and inviting centers and ensuring that ne9 choices are available to children on a regular basis. .ptions for the playground are much more limited (-rost, ;o9ers < 3ortham, #&&5). Although s9ings, slides, climbers, tricycles and a sandbox are common, this e?uipment is not sufficient to stimulate a broad spectrum of ?uality outdoor play. Spaces for children to engage in solitary play (e.g., a cluster of plants 9ith a small opening for the child), toys and props for dramatic play (see ,el:s < >u:es, #&78) and materials for construction play (e.g., outdoor bloc:s, 9ooden boards and boxes, small cable spools, gardening space and tools, old tires) are needed to enrich the variety and complexity of the playground. )oncerned teachers should periodically reorganize the playground to provide ne9 and exciting choices for young children. Esbensen (#&74) suggested that teachers consider the outdoor setting to be an extension of the classroom, 9ith the same potential for enhancing development. !e defined seven play zones that should exist on every playground( transition, manipulative%creative, proDective%fantasy, focal%social, social%dramatic, physical and natural element. Esbensen recommended the addition of a playhouse containing a table and chair set, house:eeping toys and e?uipment, and other home=related accessories to stimulate more social%dramatic

play outdoors. 3ith additional planning and preparation, teachers can create these zones and ensure that the children participate in a variety of play types. ovable 2oys and E?uipment An essential element of learning in the early childhood years is the opportunity to affect the environment. )hildren learn a great deal by manipulating the materials and e?uipment in their 9orld (Aamii < >eFries, #&47). Play helps children actively ma:e sense of their environment (Piaget, #&8#). 2hrough active play, children are learning, exploring and creating. 3assermann (#&&$) called this the generative function of play. @early all of the indoor play materials can be manipulated by children. Puzzles, bloc:s, art materials, musical instruments and dramatic play props are among the many materials commonly found indoors. .n the playground, ho9ever, this diversity is rare. -rost, ;o9ers and 3ortham (#&&5) recently conducted a survey of American preschool playgrounds and found that tricycles 9ere most often available, 9ith an average of about three per playground. "oose tires, sand, 9agons, barrels and loose boards (building material, stac:ing bloc:s) 9ere available, in descending order, ranging from about t9o tires per playground to about one barrel or board to every three playgrounds. )hildren 9ho play outdoors therefore have very fe9 movable e?uipment options. Adding more movable toys and e?uipment is not a difficult tas:. )hildren do not need expensive or hard=to=find items. *n fact, common and inexpensive materials generally suffice. A good example of a creative playground space made 9ith inexpensive materials is the Adventure Playground designed for older children (see "ouv, #&47+ ichaelis, #&4&+ Pedersen, #&78). 2he Adventure Playground, 9hich originated in >enmar: in the #&65s (Pedersen, #&78), consists of a rich variety of building materials such as scrap lumber, bric:s, tires, rope and sand. 3ith the assistance of a trained play leader, children spend countless hours building, using and tearing do9n their play structures, and then beginning the process all over again ("ouv, #&47). Similar materials and tools can easily be added to the preschool playground to enhance young childrenBs opportunities to manipulate and construct in the outdoor environment. 2he number of tires, barrels and loose boards found on some playgrounds (-rost, ;o9ers < 3ortham, #&&5) can be increased and child=sized cable spools, outdoor bloc:s, gardening tools and small 9ooden or plastic boxes can be added. 2o protect this e?uipment from 9eather and vandalism, a storage method is needed. Either a storage shed or part of an existing play structure (such as underneath a slide%fort structure) must be designated to house movable materials 9hen not in use. *f the storage area is readily accessible to children, 9ith lo9 shelves and bas:ets or boxes for loose parts, they can assume responsibility for ta:ing out and returning this e?uipment.

Providing

ore .pportunities for >ramatic Play

"iterature addressing the issue of play (e.g., Eri:son, #&44+ Piaget, #&8#+ Singer < Singer, #&&5+ Smilans:y, #&E7) clearly indicates that dramatic or imaginative play is of central importance in the young childBs development. >ramatic play is :ey to success in later formal education. 2he young child 9ho can readily manipulate symbols in dramatic play is much more li:ely to accept and effectively use the arbitrary symbol systems of mathematics and 9ritten language (>yson, #&&5+ @ourot < Fan !oorn, #&&#+ Smilans:y < Shefatya, #&&5). Early educators recognize the importance of this play type and provide materials and space indoors for house:eeping, dramatic play and bloc:s. 2hese centers, 9hen stoc:ed 9ith ?uality play materials, stimulate a rich assortment of creative dramatic play that fre?uently spreads into other areas of the classroom. 2his variety of opportunities for indoor dramatic play helps meet the needs and interests of the greatest number of children. 3hen ne9 materials are rotated in and out of the classroom centers on a regular basis, these interests are maintained over time. Although dramatic play opportunities do exist outdoors, they are limited and often created spontaneously by the children themselves 9ith the fe9 available materials. onroe (#&78) found that over half of all child care centers studied had no specific e?uipment for outdoor dramatic play. -rost, ;o9ers and 3ortham (#&&5) found dramatic play e?uipment on fe9er than one=third of all preschool playgrounds surveyed. >ramatic play e?uipment for use outdoors can be readily purchased or scrounged. Also, some materials that are typically found in indoor dramatic play centers can be ta:en outdoors. -or example, a camp can be set up outside 9ith tent, fire pit, sleeping bags, coo:stove and coo:ing utensils. Placed in a box or similar storage container, related props can be ta:en outside and returned indoors 9ith relative ease (see ,el:s < >u:es, #&78). A steering 9heel from a car or truc: can be mounted in a 9ooden box and placed on the playground to stimulate a variety of dramatic play activities. 2he same 9heel, nestled inside an old boat, can encourage nautical themes. 3hen placed in front of a line of 9ooden boxes, the steering 9heel can become the engine car of a train. A playhouse or fort=li:e structure can be purchased or constructed by parents and community members and used by children in other creative play themes. Early educators can use their imagination to develop a long list of similar materials that stimulate good dramatic play outdoors. Safety *ssues Exciting outdoor play spaces also need to be safe environments for young children. Gnfortunately, teachers and administrators are fre?uently una9are of the many unnecessary hazards that playgrounds contain. Although safety issues have been identified for nearly $5 years, statistics indicate that a gro9ing number of children

continue to be treated in hospital emergency rooms for inDuries incurred on the playground (3allach, #&&5). 2he most significant problem on playgrounds today is the hardpac:ed surfaces under and around e?uipment (2ins9orth < Aramer, #&7&). -alling from playground structures onto a hard surface, such as asphalt or pac:ed earth, can cause serious inDury. )oncerned adults must replace these surfaces 9ith more appropriate materials (such as #$ inches of sand or pea gravel) to reduce this unnecessary hazard (2hompson, #&&#). .ther problems associated 9ith playgrounds for young children include( e?uipment spacing, improper e?uipment installation, irregular maintenance and inade?uate briefing of children on playground use (G.S. )onsumer Product Safety )ommission, #&&#). Each of these issues must be addressed so that playgrounds can be lo9=ris: places for children to experiment in and explore. )onclusions )hildren deserve the same diversity and richness in their outdoor play environments as they have indoors. Esbensen (#&74) and -rost and 3ortham (#&77) offer many suggestions for those interested in gaining further insights into this topic. ;y carefully analyzing the playground setting and determining 9hat is missing, concerned adults can provide a greater variety of play materials and more opportunities to manipulate materials and nurture dramatic play. 2hen, by spending more time planning for and implementing a more complete playground curriculum, teachers and administrators can help children ta:e full advantage of this marvelous, but fre?uently underdeveloped, part of a complete early childhood program. 0eferences ;rede:amp, S. (Ed.). (#&74). >evelopmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 7. 3ashington, >)( @ational Association for the Education of /oung )hildren. ;re9er, ,. (#&&$). *ntroduction to early childhood education. ;oston( Allyn < ;acon. >yson, A. (#&&5). Symbol ma:ers, symbol 9eavers( !o9 children lin: play, pictures, and print. /oung )hildren, 68($), 85=84. Eri:son, E. (#&44). 2oys and reason. @e9 /or:( @orton. Esbensen, S. (#&74). An outdoor classroom. /psilanti, -eeney, S., )hristensen, >., < @e9 /or:( errill. *( !igh%Scope Press.

oravci:, E. (#&&#). 3ho am * in the lives of childrenH

-rost, ,. "., ;o9ers, "., < 3ortham, S. (#&&5). 2he state of American preschool

playgrounds. ,ournal of Physical Education, 0ecreation and >ance, E#(7), #7=$'. -rost, ,. "., < 3ortham, S. (#&77). 2he evolution of American playgrounds. /oung )hildren, 6'(8), #&=$7. !enniger, . ". (#&78). Preschool childrenBs play behaviors in an indoor and outdoor environment. *n ,. ". -rost < S. Sunderlin (Eds.), 3hen children play (pp. #68=#6&). 3heaton, >( Association for )hildhood Education *nternational. ,el:s, P. A., < >u:es, ". (#&78). Promising props for outdoor play. >ay )are and Early Education, #'(#), #7=$5. Aamii, )., < >eFries, 0. (#&47). Physical :no9ledge in preschool education. Engle9ood )liffs, @,( Prentice !all. Araft, 0. E. (#&7&). )hildren at play. ;ehavior of children at recess. ,ournal of Physical Education, 0ecreation, and >ance, E5(6), $#=$6. "ay=>opyera, ., and >opyera, ,. (#&&5). ;ecoming a teacher of young children. @e9 /or:( c1ra9 !ill. "ouv, 0. (#&47). "oose on the playground. !uman ;ehavior, 4(8), #7=$#, $'=$8. ichaelis, ;. (#&4&). Adventure playgrounds( A healthy affirmation of the rights of the child. ,ournal of Physical Education and 0ecreation, 85(7), 88=87. onroe, . (#&78). An evaluation of day care playgrounds in 2exas. *n ,. ". -rost < S. Sunderlin (Eds.), 3hen children play (pp. #&'=#&&). 3heaton, >( Association for )hildhood Education *nternational. yers, 1. >. (#&78). otor behavior of :indergartners during physical education and free play. *n ,. ". -rost < S. Sunderlin (Eds.), 3hen children play (pp. #8#=#88). 3heaton, >( Association for )hildhood Education *nternational. @ourot, P. ., < Fan !oorn, ,. (#&&#). Symbolic play in preschool and primary settings. /oung )hildren, 6E(E), 65=85. Parten, . (#&'$). Social participation among preschool children. ,ournal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, $4, $6'=$E&. Pedersen, ,. (#&78). 2he adventure playgrounds of >enmar:. *n ,. ". -rost < S. Sunderlin (Eds.), 3hen children play (pp. $5#=$54). 3heaton, >( Association for )hildhood Education *nternational. Pellegrini, A. (#&&#). .utdoor recess( *s it really necessaryH Principal, 4#(65), $'.

Pellegrini, A., < Perlmutter, ,. (#&77). 0ough=and=tumble play on the elementary school playground. /oung )hildren, 6'($), #6=#4. Piaget, ,. (#&8#). Play, dreams, and imitation in childhood. @e9 /or:( 3. 3. @orton. Seefeldt, )., < ;arbour, @. (#&&5). Early childhood education( An introduction ($nd ed.). @e9 /or:( errill. Singer, >., < Singer, ,. (#&&5). 2he house of ma:e=believe( Play and the developing imagination. )ambridge, A( !arvard Gniversity Press. Smilans:y, S. (#&E7). 2he effect of sociodramatic play on disadvantaged preschool children. @e9 /or:( 3iley. Smilans:y, S., < Shefatya, ". (#&&5). -acilitating play( A medium for promoting cognitive, socio=emotional and academic development in young children. 1aithersburg, >( Psychosocial and Educational Publications. 2ins9orth, >. A., < Aramer, ,. 2. (#&7&). Playground e?uipment=related inDuries involving falls to the surface. 3ashington, >)( G.S. Product Safety )ommission. 2hompson, >. (#&&#). Safe playground surfaces( 3hat should be used under playground e?uipmentH ,ournal of Physical Education, 0ecreation, and >ance, @ovember=>ecember, 46=48. G.S. )onsumer Product Safety )ommission. (#&&#). !andboo: for public playground safety. 3ashington, >)( Author. 3allach, -. (#&&5). Playground safety update. Par:s and 0ecreation, $8(7), 6E=85. 3assermann, S. (#&&$). Serious play in the classroom. )hildhood Education, E7('), #''= #'&. ichael ". !enniger is Associate Professor, >epartment of Educational )urriculum < *nstruction, 3oodring )ollege of Education, 3estern 3ashington Gniversity, ;ellingham. )ale Copyright: )opyright #&&' 1ale, )engage "earning. All rights reserved.