The New Playground
We are very excited to present the final two options for the “big kid” playground. Through discussion with the school, VSB and parents – we have chosen Habitat the playground distributor we will be working with. They were recommended by the VSB and other experts because they use components that are high quality, safe for our children, and will last for years to come.
We anticipate that the new playground will be installed in September – October 2020, once the current building has been demolished and the playground site cleared and prepared.
How will we decide?
The two options will be voted on by parents, staff and students this fall. Parents will be able to vote online via a survey link sent from the school (not PAC, so all parents will receive not just those opted in to PAC emails). Students will vote in person at school (democracy in action!).
How can you help?
Manual Labour! We will be doing a “community installation” of the playground to save on labour costs, so look out for emails next fall asking for parents to come help dig holes and participate in building the new playground.
Fundraising! We are very (very, VERY!) fortunate to have inherited a long legacy of PAC fundraising for this playground, and can officially say that these two options below are FULLY FUNDED by PAC donations. However, we are still working hard to fundraise for the technology & furniture needs for the new school. In the near future, we also hope to incorporate an outdoor classroom space and some additional benches and landscaping around the playground. Please consider being a little extra generous during this year’s fundraising initiatives if you can.
We anticipate that the new playground will be installed in September – October 2020, once the current building has been demolished and the playground site cleared and prepared.
How will we decide?
The two options will be voted on by parents, staff and students this fall. Parents will be able to vote online via a survey link sent from the school (not PAC, so all parents will receive not just those opted in to PAC emails). Students will vote in person at school (democracy in action!).
How can you help?
Manual Labour! We will be doing a “community installation” of the playground to save on labour costs, so look out for emails next fall asking for parents to come help dig holes and participate in building the new playground.
Fundraising! We are very (very, VERY!) fortunate to have inherited a long legacy of PAC fundraising for this playground, and can officially say that these two options below are FULLY FUNDED by PAC donations. However, we are still working hard to fundraise for the technology & furniture needs for the new school. In the near future, we also hope to incorporate an outdoor classroom space and some additional benches and landscaping around the playground. Please consider being a little extra generous during this year’s fundraising initiatives if you can.
The Final Options
In putting together these proposals, we tallied up the results of our “my dream playground” colouring sheet, and did our best to incorporate as many of those elements into the final designs. The biggest challenge of this site is the space – both of these proposals took many revisions to try and maximize the play value for as many kids as possible on our given footprint.
Why no Swings?!
A swing-set (even just 2 swings) takes up about half the real estate allotted to the new playground. After much discussion at PAC meetings, with admin and the playground designers – it was decided that a larger structure was necessary to meet the needs of as many of our children. All aspects of the design try to feature materials that can be played with by many children simultaneously, in many different ways.
In putting together these proposals, we tallied up the results of our “my dream playground” colouring sheet, and did our best to incorporate as many of those elements into the final designs. The biggest challenge of this site is the space – both of these proposals took many revisions to try and maximize the play value for as many kids as possible on our given footprint.
Why no Swings?!
A swing-set (even just 2 swings) takes up about half the real estate allotted to the new playground. After much discussion at PAC meetings, with admin and the playground designers – it was decided that a larger structure was necessary to meet the needs of as many of our children. All aspects of the design try to feature materials that can be played with by many children simultaneously, in many different ways.
Option 1
- Designed like a circuit – kids can go all the way around without touching the ground
- LOTS of climbing and balancing opportunities
- Two sets of monkey bars, including circular monkey bars (!)
- Spinner on the end can accommodate 2-3 children at a time (spins on an axis, not free like a tire swing)
- Double slide
- Corkscrew climber (like a fireman pole with a corkscrew going around)
- Benches are not included in this build
Our feedback: WE LOVE THIS OPTION. There is no ‘bottleneck’ point where kids will be stuck waiting for turns – elements can be climbed over, climbed through, sat on, and enjoyed in many different ways.
Option 2
- Designed like a circuit – kids can go all the way around without touching the ground
- LOTS of climbing and balancing opportunities
- The spinner and the second set of monkey bars have been removed, and replaced by the track ride
- Doesn’t include the corkscrew climber
- Double slide
Our Feedback: we also love this option, just not quite as much. We wanted to include an option with a track ride due to kid feedback from our survey, but it is the only element included that acts like a bottleneck in the circuit, and from observing our current track ride – it often gets stuck in the middle until an adult can come and assist. Both options I think are fantastic additions to the Tennyson play space and we look forward to seeing what our community chooses to move forward with.
A big thank you
We would like to thank the last 10+ years of PAC volunteers who had the foresight to plan for this immense cost and for the parents who stepped up to donate each year. There are parents who donated for years whose children have already graduated from Tennyson.