Playscape Design Chosen to Be Built by Wesleyan Students

“Every year I am amazed at the teamwork and creativity unleashed at Renbrook and the sheer number of structures made mostly from cardboard!” says Betsy Flynn, Learning Support Specialist at Renbrook School. Since 2012, the Imagination Foundation's Global Cardboard Challenge has engaged over 400,000 kids in 60 countries in creative play and STEAM, launched the first national campaign to bring early STEAM education to Pre­K kids, and was named a Champion of the Ashoka/Lego Foundation Re­Imagine Learning Challenge. With over 120 "Imagination Chapters" in 14 countries, the impact continues to grow.

This year Renbrook students from kindergarten to grade five created cardboard playscapes designed for children of all ages and abilities. In order to begin thinking like a designer of playscapes, each child in grades K-5 got a chance to “think outside the box” (no pun intended) about their dream playscape. They were given time to brainstorm ideas using sticky notes to identify elements they want to include in their playscapes. All told, over 800 ideas were generated! Once their creative juices were flowing, team members sketched out a design for their playscapes and they began construction.

Students in grades K-5 then traveled to Jonathan’s Dream Playground on the campus of the Mandell Jewish Community Center in West Hartford.http://www.jonathansdream.org/ to experience firsthand a playground that was designed for children of all ages and abilities. Upon their return to Renbrook, students Skyped with a playscape designer from CedarWorks, designers of environmentally responsible products in the world for active play, in Rockport, Maine. The designer answered students’ questions and explained the design process from concept to production.

In an exciting collaboration, a playscape student design team from Renbrook collaborated with a Wesleyan University Introduction to Design and Engineering class to pitch their idea to members of the class. Greg Voth is a current Renbrook parent whose students at Wesleyan chose the Renbrook playscape prototype as one of their projects for the semester! Renbrook's playscape was one of about eight projects that were presented and the Wesleyan students could only choose four. "They are planning to build a scale model of the playscape and have started thinking about what scale to use and what functionality they want to implement." says Greg Voth Professor of Physics at Wesleyan University.

About Renbrook School
Founded in 1935, Renbrook School is a pre-eminent Pre K-9 co-educational independent day school located in West Hartford, CT. The school enrolls students from 30 cities and towns in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The Renbrook experience is defined by a high degree of academic rigor, personalized attention as a result of small class sizes, a nurturing environment, and an emphasis on values and respect among members of a tight-knit community. Renbrook School welcomes students of every race, religion, national and ethnic origin.

Renbrook's next open house is Thursday, November 15th at 8:30 a.m. for Grades 5-8. Register at www.renbrook.org/visit