Copenhagen, Denmark
January 23
Big Thursday with Helle Nebelong!
We spent the majority of Day 8- which we had affectionately dubbed “Big Thursday”- with Danish architect Helle Nebelong. Nebelong is a pioneer in designing adventure playgrounds, and is dedicated to bringing nature into Denmark’s bustling capital city, Copenhagen.
Murergaarden Integrated Daycare Center and After School Club
The first stop of the day was Murergaarden. Murergaarden is situated at the center of several apartment complexes. The current version of this large nature playground for this daycare was designed by Nebelong, and is open for members of the neighboring community. Nebelong explained that the playground used be zoned off with three distinct zones or fences. When she redesigned someone else's playground 20 years ago, one of the first things to come down was the fence.
Architect Helle and Director Bodil gave us a tour of the facility. Unlike many playgrounds we see in the US, this playground is more rugged and natural than sterile and geometric. By challenging children to be aware of the unevenness of their environment, they develop better motor skills. Bodil explained that when the children first saw the newly remodeled playground, they were overwhelmed and could not decide how they wanted to play with their strange new setup, but quickly fell in love with and conquered the design.
Fælledparken: Tower Playground and Garden of the Senses
Tårnlegepladsen (Tower Playground)
One of many playgrounds created by the Monstrum Group. The structures are all replicas of famous/iconic rooftops that can be found throughout Denmark. Electronic devices are attached to many of the roofs. When tapped, they light up and make bird sounds, encouraging a type of chase game. Helle did not design this specific playground, and acknowledged that it lacks accessibility for disabled persons.
Sansehaven (The Garden of Senses)
Nebelong created this garden upon the request of a local mother who wanted the city to provide a wheelchair accessible place for her and her daughter to enjoy. As with most of the sites we saw, locals assured us that the garden is a much richer experience in the summertime. It was designed as an attempt to engage touch and sound into play and exploration, and includes exhibits to touch and feel.
Valbyparken: Nature Playground and Children's Millenium Garden
The Valbyparken Nature Playground is the second largest park in Copenhagen. It is a massive park built on what used to be a rubbish dump, and contains several play structures, and rolling green hills reminiscent of Tolkien's Shire. The park itself consists of five themed tower playspaces, all with their own themes: Light, Wind, Green, Bird, and Change. All towers are linked by a circular, "floating" bridge.
Helle Nebelong walked with us through the park and gave us insight to various challenges that occurred, as well as specific details about the park, and feedback she's received from the children who play there. The children rejoiced at the fact that, in the nature park, there is nothing but nature. This green space helped to distract from the overstimulating noise and industry of the city.
Cowboy Coffee with Mikkel Nodentoft
The Nature Playground in Valbyparken is one of many staffed parks. We were fortunate enough to have spent the afternoon with park expert Mikkel Nodentoft. Over cowboy coffee brewed over the fire, Nodentoft emphasized the importance of staffed parks, and discussed the continuous struggle between nature educators and pedagogues in the field, vs the politicians trying to cut funding. Nature playgrounds mean a lot for the children who spend more time at the parks and around the neighborhood than at their homes.
During our session, we learned of a strategy focused on getting children outdoors through school. More children are enrolled in a school than the school has enough buildings to support. This system ensures that a select portion of the children are always away pursuing some sort of outdoor education activity.
The Children's Millenium Garden
Strolling along Valbyparken's 1km long road that passes through the center of the park reveals seventeen small gardens. Opened in the year 2000, The Children's Millennium Garden is one of seventeen gardens. Nebelong brought this idea to life, which was originally created by a group of local third graders in a contest. They designed the entire garden by themselves, and wanted it to be a romantic place where people and their partners can take walks.