This week
we were made aware of a survey being carried out by Whangārei District Council
for consultation on two local playgrounds. One very popular one which is due to
be upgraded and one new playground which is planned to be created – both in
central Whangārei.
We were
excited to be able to present this opportunity to the kindergarten children to
give their thoughts and feedback on what makes a great playground. After all,
as we reminded the children, they are
the playground experts!!
 |
| The current Town Basin playground which is due for an upgrade |
As we came
together at whānau time we were able to discuss this as a group and with the
help of some visual prompting for instance photos of the existing
playgrounds on our projector, there was lots of conversation and ideas being
shared within the group. We gave the children time to think, reflect and mull
over their ideas before talking further with them in small groups.
Below are
their ideas collected over two days, with children often approaching us
animatedly explaining extra things that they had thought of after having had
time to process the question.
Sullivan: I
like swinging on the swings. I would like a flying fox that goes
wheeeeeeeeee!!!
Senushi: I
would like monkey bars like at my sisters school and some swingy things that go
like twirly whirly whirly until you get dizzy and swing to dizzy heights.
Roimata:
What about a big long river with water trickling down and lots of room to play.
Riley: I’d
like a trampoline which goes right down to the bottom and bounces right up to
the sky.
Lilly:
Yeah! I would like a trampoline! And something to build with.
Teddie: Yes
a trampoline to the moon and a playground where you have to wear your togs. I
love bouncing.
Gabrielle:
I would like a swimming playground.
Caleb: A
slide with corners, a giant big slide!
Gabrielle:
And I would like sticks and blocks to build with and a place to have a fire at
the playground to cook marshmallows.
Juno: I
would like a pool park where you have to go in the pool, and you can slide down
a slide into the pool.
Kelsey: I
would like monkey bars.
Juno: Yeah
but wooden monkey bars are better than metal monkey bars because the metal ones
give me blisters.
Kelsey:
Also a place to play shops.
Teddie: I
would like a bat and ball to play with at the playground.
Mana: I
like climbing. Trees are my favourite thing to climb and I like climbing logs.
Donna: What
about a sensory garden, with smelly herbs and edible plants and small places to
sit?
Nikos: I
like the round thing what goes up down up down. Yeah the merry go round.
Charlie:
Charlie loves to swing!
Riley: What
about an octopus? A giant octopus that squirts water out.
Anna: I
would like a long pink curvy tunnel slide.
Joshua: I
love rope swings with big rope. Swing rope. I’ve been on one before.
Liam: A
shallow pool to run through and splash, and a slide that goes into the water. A
curvy slide that goes fast.
Sharlee-Bea:
I like to go inside things and hide.
Carter: I
like jumping on really giant big rocks.
The ideas
that the children contributed were so varied and amazing! I have had fun imagining a HUGE
playground environment incorporating so many interesting ideas!!
Anecdotally
children are often overlooked when it comes to seeking their perspectives as “... adults consider that they have the
right to make decisions on behalf of young children, or at best may view young
children as citizens in the making” (Ritchie & Lambert, 2018) but this
is certainly not the case.
I would
like to acknowledge Whangārei District Council for making this opportunity
available for the children to contribute their thoughts and ideas to this
project, and for being a leader in the community in this respect. Having
organisations who take the time to listen to the voices of our younger members
serves to build environments in which children are recognised as active
citizens, contributing both to decisions which affect their lives, as well as
to their communities and wider society.
Within the
New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum Te
Whāriki, the principle of whakamana, or empowerment requires that “every child will experience an empowering curriculum
that recognises and enhances their mana and supports them to enhance the mana
of others” (Ministry of Education, 2017, p.18). Acknowledging our children
in this way is certainly affirming to the way they view themselves as part of
the wider community and builds their confidence and their belief in their own ability
to make a difference.
We are very
much looking forward to watching these community projects progress and playing
in the finished environments. One thing is certain – the playground designers
won’t be short of creative ideas to weave into their work!
Arohanui,
Amy
** Please
note, if you live in the Whangārei area and have ideas to contribute, or would
like to facilitate the contribution of your own children’s ideas, the link
below will take you to the Whangārei District Council Survey which is open
until March 10th
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