Winterberry Play Yard Improvements
We value imaginative free play. Help us finish our beautiful play yard.
As a Waldorf inspired school, we prioritize unstructured play; ideally in nature and with our community. Our kindergartners through 8th graders use the play yard for recess, movement class, and community festivals, such as Festival of Courage, Lantern Walk, Pentathalon and May Fest.
It is also our goal to create a welcoming space that neighbors can use while school is not in session.
We strive to create a space where kids can grow physically as well as socially, while developing an appreciation for nature and becoming stewards of the earth.
Questions or Comments?
Click the link below to ask the team your questions or leave a comment about the play yard.
Thank you for your interest!
Our Guiding Principles and Priorities
Guiding Principles: Natural Materials and Natural Movement:
We will choose natural and local materials whenever possible.
We desire simple, natural play features.
Nothing too extravagant but something that will last, provide imaginative play, natural risk and still be safe and accessible.
Natural materials age beautifully. They simply feel good. We think they get better with time and touch, and if they begin to fall apart we can repair them more easily, or improvise and replace them with our own resources.
Priority : Natural Movement
To encourage natural movement that supports sensory and neurological development. Our students need to swing, spin, grip, hang, be able to go upside down, pull, push and more.
Priority : Imaginative, Social Play
We envision flexible spaces that allow for open-ended play that can develop as children grow older.
There is desire for a variety of spaces that allows for whole classes to meet outside, small groups to play together, and for kids to get away from the stimulus if needed.
Priority : Low-Impact Development
Through a combination of engineering solutions, earthwork, rain gardens and infiltration areas, we aim to minimize mud and standing water from play areas as well as reduce stormwater run-off. This will transform the spaces into functional uses that are supported by stable ground surfaces and integrated into the circulation.
Priority : Inclusivity
An accessible pathway throughout the play yard will allow all students and staff, regardless of their physical capacities, to feel comfortable, safe, and included in our school. Connecting our building to play areas using hard surfaces especially at the doorways and crossing the drainage areas will help to keep our building clean.