PLAY GROUND UPGRADES – phase II
Mar ’23: We are delighted to announce the new fundraising campaign for Spring 2023 with a generous donor who will match your contribution so your dollar brings in $2 of playground upgrades for the school!
Phase II will include monkey bars, swings, spinners as well as finishing facilities work that has been ongoing this winter season including lockers and bathroom flooring.
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Aug ’23 Thanks to donations and parent volunteer work—BVWS new playground structures were installed this month!
The Galaxy Draco and the Spacenet play structures from Kompan are an innovative Swedish design intended for older elementary and middle school aged children. They includes multiple responsive free-play activities designed to foster coordination and sensory integration.
Very few play spaces encourage children to move around in all directions like a Spacenet does. It is an adventure in 3-dimensions, opening numerous options for interaction and play activities such as climbing, swinging, sliding, jumping, bouncing and balancing. The Spacenet can hold lots of children (ages 5-14) in cross-coordination play.
A huge thank you to the Boulder Valley Waldorf community for donating not only the funds, but their time, energy and weekends to getting the old equipment out and the playground ready for the new structure!
Many people are pleasantly surprised to learn that Waldorf students spend a great deal of time outdoors. While this is especially true of Waldorf Early Childhood programs, all the classes at Waldorf schools through the grades are outside each day as part of the curriculum.
Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development. It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact with the world around them.
There are many reasons to bring children out into nature including to give them an opportunity to play with “natural toys” such as sticks, pine cones, and leaves, as well as navigating a play structure like the one we have. It’s an opportunity to breathe fresh air, witness the marvels of the natural world, increase the child’s power of observation and to calm them and to work out extra energy. At BVWS, movement is integrated into the academic subjects as we know that children learn best when they are engaging their fully body. From math, language arts, science and history, we incorporate group and individual movement, play performances, and more.