I love a good before-and-after shot. It’s so inspiring to see how good, creative, thoughtful design can transform a space. Take a look at how new design, natural elements, and careful planning completely changed the look and feel of the  Early Years Exploration Area at John M. King in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

During the school year of 2005-2006, the John M. King school community started to think about new possibilities for their school ground. After surveying students and parents, and receiving 138 student-drawn designs, the JM King Community Advisory Council was convened to work with Learning Grounds Consultant Wendy Simonson to create a new design of the school grounds. The Early Years Exploration Area redesign was inspired by Manitoba’s natural environment and the needs of the local community.

In 2008, plans for Zone 2 of this four-zone project were underway. Goals for the redesign of the Early Years Exploration Area included:

• Creating a natural environment to “entice exploration of nature,” including creating three ‘regions’ (prairie, Interlake and boreal forest) to reflect Manitoba’s environment;
• Creating play “events”  such as a trapper’s cabin to stimulate imaginative play;
• Creating a safe and healthy outdoor environment for ages 3-8, including a wind break on the north end and space for active play and interaction between parents and children.

Sandra Buckberger, the Project Coordinator, wrote in 2008:

“As many of our families live in apartment blocks, they need a place where children can increase their physical and mental health through imaginative play, sports activities and interaction with nature. They also need an inclusive place for family and community use. There is a recognized need in our community that these opportunities cannot be provided just for able-bodied individuals… which is why our plan for this site has been designed to accommodate all types of disabilities—mobility, hearing, sight and cognitive. Attracting and facilitating community use has been central in design, construction decisions, and planned activities.”

Here’s the Early Years Exploration Area, completed in summer of 2009.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 28th, 2010 at 8:51 am and is filed under School Ground Greening, Transformations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.