In September, the Children at Play Network (CAPN) traveled to Oakland, California, and Greenville, South Carolina (yes, during the hurricane) while continuing our work in Playcosystem at Bernheim. During these travels, we explored some amazing playspaces and heard about the incredible work that teachers, researchers, and other play advocates are doing around the world to provide quality play spaces for children.
Our trip to Oakland marked the start of a new partnership with KABOOM!, a national nonprofit dedicated to ending playspace inequity. KABOOM! is building innovative play spaces for schools in the Oakland area, and they’ve begun incorporating nature exploration areas into their designs. The CAPN is honored to be consulting on these nature play elements, and during our visit, we observed the KABOOM! team in action during a one-week build at Reach Academy. It was incredible to witness the collaboration between advocacy groups, volunteers, teachers, and the community to create an outstanding play space for the children.
During our time in California, we also visited several other playgrounds, including the Berkeley Adventure Playground. Adventure playgrounds originated in Europe in the 1940s, after children were observed preferring junkyards and bomb sites over designated manufactured playgrounds. These “junk playgrounds” offered loose parts and building materials, operating on the same Free Play principles we advocate today. Designing playgrounds around the needs and interests of children, rather than adult priorities like cost and maintenance, is an investment in their long-term physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Our first KABOOM! project is now underway, starting with a site visit in Oakland and numerous meetings with school district members, teachers, and KABOOM! representatives, and visits to other KABOOM! playgrounds. We’re excited to see this partnership grow and to bring more opportunities for nature play, free play, and diverse play environments to children.
