Play value factors
Inspiration for greener schoolgrounds
with a child perspective
Emma Crawley
”The important thing is not to think that
you will achive a ready made product,
this is a process constantly over time.
Adults, children, pupils do it together.
We do something today. Some in a few
weeks and it becomes better with time.
Hopefully there is no end to this work.”
Jan Walhagen principle Annebergsskolan
2016
The Play Value Factors
Emma Crawley
A translated and revised version of the swedish ”Lekvärdefaktorn - inspiration till
grönare skolgårdar”, Emma Pålsson (aka Emma Crawley) Malmö Naturskola 2010
Contact:
Emma Crawley
EmmaJord - Educational and Healthpromoting Outdoor Environment.
Österängarna 340
66060 Molkom
www.emmajord.se
Phone: +46708243149
e-mail: [email protected]
The Play value factors (Lekvärdefaktorn)
was developed during my employment
within the city council of Malmö during
2008 and 2013 in cooperation with different departments within the city. It was
initially used as a tool for inspiration
during green schoolyard development, to
secure the direction of the project (20102011). The project aimed to involve
children, teachers, designers, landlords
and other professionals, that in different
ways where connected to the use of the
schoolyard, development and management, to create an ownership and participation in the process of changing the
grounds.
The play value factors was also created
to help the planning office of the city to
put quality standards on small outdoor
spaces at preschools in the inner city of
Malmö, which during a period of 10-15
years had become smaller and smaller and often very scanty. The planning
office evaluated the tool and added the
quality of space, to be able to demand
quality requirements during the building
permit process for preschools. Since
2011 it is used as a planning tool for all
new preschools in the city of Malmö,
during the permit process.
The tool was designed to create better
environments for health and learning
for children in line with accessible research, policies and theories at the time.
The tool OPEC (Outdoor Play Environment Categories, Fredrika Mårtensson
SLU) was used as a structure base to
secure physical and mental health and
it includes the factors of space, vegeta-
tion and topography, and integration of
play equipment in the landscape. The
play value factors differ from the original
OPEC factors, to make it more readable
and possible to use as a planning and
inspirational tool whereas the OPEC is
mainly a research tool.
The quality of”accessibility” was added in
line with the policies of including all regardless of disabilities. This quality factor
could defiantly be more extensively explained, and need to be combined with
other planning tools to give a satisfying
result.
The factor ”zoning” was developed from
Patrik Grahn’s studies and articles about
children’s play in the preschool outdoor
environment connected to different
health perspective (Ute på dagis 1997,
Utomhuspedagogik som kunskapskälla - Närmiljö blir lärmiljö 2007), looking
back, this could have be more deeply
explained. Patrik Grahn explains the
zones more extensively and also adds
the important nodes and staging points
(swedish: noder och anhalter) in the environment for children’s play. This is unfortunate often missed out when planning
according to the play value factor. The
names of the zones where just made up
to create an understanding of the content
and especially the experience the space
should create for the children. The dynamic zone was initially called the vigorous
zone (Swedish: Vidlyftiga zonen) which
came from Fredrika Mårtenssons observations of vigorous play (vidlyftig lek).
She explains how the children play with
each other, loose material in the grounds
and the landscape, she also explains
how the varied landscape seams to play
with the children instead of the other way
around. There is a socio-physical connection created between the landscape
and the children though the outdoor play,
she claims. Not just with the specific elements in the grounds. This should preferable characterize the entire schoolyard.
The zoning must be understood as a
theoretical explanation of the environment, it aims to explain how variation and
connections in the landscape adds qualities and work together.
”Possibilities for understanding of the
world” was mainly developed to create
space and understanding for the importance of own experiences of the natural
world, elements and phenomenon. It’s
based on place-based learning theories
and experiences of what type of places
give important learning possibilities. The
highest steps on Harts participation ladder was also in mind putting focus on
giving children access to changing and
developing the grounds through play
and through adult-led activities in the
grounds. Hopefully it could give children
a sense of ownership and place attachment. It clarifies how the environment
can make place for more creativity for
the children and staff.
The last quality factor is about creating a
transparence between outdoor and indoor space and activity so the outdoors
become more accessible and useable
which could lead to better concentration
in the classroom and better coherence
for the children while reflecting on things
they experience in the outdoors. When
moving traditional activities outdoors it
also opens up the space and the children get a chance to be more physically
active. Lately, with less staff in Swedish
schools and preschools, a horrifying
trend of putting up sluices with fencing
and gates, has begun to grow very big.
This really limits the child’s possibility
to roam and develop in a satisfying way
and also hinders children to be as physically active as possible. According to
the SCAMPER study (2005, Cecilia Boldemann) not having direct access to the
entire schoolyard has negative effects on
sun exposure as well as physical activity.
The play value factors has been used as
a tool for planning and evaluating outdoor environments for children in Malmö
and throughout the country of Sweden
during the last five years. It has helped
many to see the schoolyards from a new
perspective. It’s still important to remember that this can never replace children’s
own perspective on the environment. If
a schoolyard is to be redeveloped the
children that use the grounds need to be
involved, so that their own special places can be kept and so they will feel that
their opinion is important. The staff also
needs to be involved since they use the
grounds for their profession. Different
educational alignments need different
elements in the environment to carry out
its mission. The setting is also unique for
each schoolyard and the natural qualities should play an important role in the
schoolyard design.
Emma Crawley
Molkom 2016-09-07
The outdoors of the schoolyard should have three zones where the children can
roam freely in-between, these zones offers additional and more varied play opportunities with time, along with the child’s growing roaming range.
Closest to the building you have the safe zone, furthest out is the wild zone and in
between those is the dynamic zone.
Level 1 (-1 p): All of the yard has similar play qualities an feels like one zone.
Level 2 (0 p): The yard has qualities from two zones.
Level 3 (+1 p): The schoolyard has qualities from all three zones.
SOCIALIZING
AND COMMUNITY
Wild zone
Dynamic zone
Safe zone
Buildning
ZONING
SENSE OF SPACE
AND FREEDOM
DYNAMIC AND
VIGOROUS PLAY
Level 1 (-1 p): There is no accessible location for activity on the yard. Children and
adults who are for example using wheelchair or visually impaired, need help to get
around in the yard.
Level 2 (0 p): The surfaces around the house are adapted so that children in wheelchairs or with other disabilities can get around independently. There are some
custom designed spots for play. Edges has been avoided because they can pose
barriers for wheelchair users and a trip hazard for the visually impaired.
Level 3 (+1 p): One of every place for play and educational venue is designed so
that children in wheelchairs can participate. There are gathering points at the yard
where you can easily get to with the wheelchair. The yard is well thought out to provide challenges to all regardless of disability.
PATHS WITH FIXED
SURFACE
ACTIVITIES FOR
COOPERATION
ACCESIBILITY
STRONG
EXPERIENSES
FOR ALL SENSES
RAISED ACTIVITES
Level 1 (-1 p) : Flat yard with ornamental vegetation, such as flower beds or low shrubs , without much variation.
Level 2 (0 p) : Most of the yard is flat with ornamental vegetation, but there are also
a lot of bushes and groves for children’s play. There are also one or a few hills on
the yard.
Level 3 ( p +1 ) : The largest proportion (at least half) of the yard has varied topography and varied vegetation that contributes to high biodiversity and giving place to
the varied play for the children.
HEAVY-DUTY AND
COSY
SHRUBBERY AND
GROVES
VEGETATION OCH TOPOGRAPHY
PLANTS WITH EXCITING EXPERIENCE VALUE YEAR
ROUND
HILLS CAN BE DESIGNED IN MANY
DIFFERENT WAYS
Level 1 (-1 p): Play equipment is separated from the landscape and the natural environment. There is no natural shade in places for play. Fences acts as a barrier
between different spaces for play.
Level 2 (0 p): There are both playground equipment that is integrated in the landscape, and separated equipment. The vast majority of places for play, however, have
soft shadow from vegetation.
Level 3 (+1 p): Places for play are well integrated in the natural environment; the
majority has been created in harmony with the landscape. For example, there are
natural places to climb. The whole schoolyard landscape is planned so that the
children can choose shade or sun throughout the day.
CHILDREN CAN
CHOOSE SHADE
THERE IS NATURAL FLOW
BETWEEN PLACES
FOR PLAY
INTEGRATION OF PLAYEQIPMENT
IN THE LANDSCAPE
NATURAL
CLIMBING
SENSORY
STIMULATING
PLACES
ATTRACTS PLAY
Level 1 (-1 p) The schoolyard is mostly paved and ”finished”. Most of the schoolyard
is unchangeable. The places for play on the schoolyard control the type of play that
can occur.
Level 2 (0 p) There are multiple locations in the schoolyard that is exciting for kids
to discover and explore. It is possible to influence and changing activities on the
schoolyard, such as gardening and other practical experiments.
Level 3 (+1p) The schoolyard is planned so that the change can be experienced
throughout the year. Always new things to discover. There are places for construction play, play with water and sand. The schoolyard is planned for gardening and
there are fruit trees and berry bushes. There are also natural and/or wild schoolyard habitats, where children can discover the cycles of various animal or insect life
cycles.
LIFECYCLES TO
EXPLORE
POSSIBILITIES FOR
UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD
PONDS AND
WATER PLAY
CONCRETISING
OF THE FOOD
JOURNEY FROM
EARTH TO TABLE
Level 1 (- 1 p) None or almost no greenery is experienced from inside the building.
There are no direct exits out to the schoolyard, so the kids need to wait for the staff,
to get access to the yard in its entirety.
Level 2 (0 p) Children can experience the greenery inside the compartments. There
are exits directly to the schoolyard from mudrooms and hallways.
Level 3 (+1p) The children gets a good view of green areas, parks or landscapes,
from the indoor activity spaces. Windows are placed near ground so the children
can look straight out. In addition to the exit from the hallway, there are available exits
from the various activities in the rooms, giving direct contact. Traditional indoor activities can easily move outdoors, because there are tables and seating with easy
accessible storage solutions.
SMOOTH TRANSISION BETWEEN
OUTSIDE AND
INSIDE
DIRECT CONTACT
WITH THE OUTDOORS IN ITS
ENTIRETY
TRANSISION BETWEEN
INDOORS AND OUTDOORS
ACTIVITIES CAN
EASILY MOVE
OUTDOORS