By Anne LeBauer and Naomi Sukenik
Imagine an open and untamed piece of land where children can play freely. In this place there would be the raw materials for children to build their own kind of playground. What might they come up with if given the opportunity to use such materials as wood, rope, paint, pipes, tires, mud as well as a variety of tools?
A trained playworker would be on hand to assist and keep things safe, but the children themselves would decide how to play, what to build and how. They could even learn to build a fire, and cook their own food when hungry!
This is the vision shared by Anne LeBauer and Naomi Sukenik, two friends who have joined together to make this happen. Anne was initially inspired by watching the documentary Seven Up, where she saw a European Adventure Playground in action, and she was sparked again by a recent piece on National Public Radio about the resurgence of Adventure Playgrounds. Naomi was also intrigued by the notion, and even has a background in building rope parks and zip lines for children to aid in their development.
There are many beautiful green spaces in town with lots of pre-fabricated play structures, and these parks are valuable and have their place in our community, but we can complement these parks by adding a new choice — an Adventure Playground. Let’s empower our kids to imagine their own spaces, give them permission to take scaffolded risks, learn through trial and error, and allow things to get messy! They will grow stronger by practicing self-reliance, and by problem-solving alone, with peers, or with the unobtrusive help from a professional playworker.
In January, Anne and Naomi began the process by starting the Central Illinois Adventure Playground Community, launching their Facebook page, and by having a community forum. While they are trying to locate a piece of land and fund their vision, they are also building community interest about the benefits of child-directed play by hosting Pop-Up Play Days in different neighborhoods. They are also currently discussing the possibility of having Pop-Up Play Days in conjunction with some of the park districts’ existing events. In addition, they will be meeting with various schools to discuss adventure playground inspired after-school programming.
For more information please see their Facebook page or contact Anne LeBauer at aneesby@gmail.com and Naomi Sukenik at nomesls@gmail.com
Anne LeBauer is a Southern California transplant who loves her close-knit community here in Urbana. Yearning to reconnect with her inner-child , Anne is currently enrolled in the Playworker Development Course offered through Pop-Up Adventure Play.
Naomi Sukenik recently moved here with her husband and two children from Israel where, while studying special education and non-profit management, she became enthralled with the idea of allowing children to be children. She is currently feeding her passion for play by learning how to be a Playworker through Pop-Up Adventure Play.