I’ve been living in a small rural village in Costa Rica and I’ve noticed the space dedicated to play is non-existent. Games happen on the way to school or admit the exchange of messages while the teacher isn’t looking. Games are typically during recess and are reduced to hide and go seek to tag. I see games as an integral way to build values for children, especially once games have new rules to be learned and respected for safety or the express purpose of maintaining fun! So let’s explore how creating spaces that encourage different ways of playing with our bodies and each other can lead to new dynamic expressways for authentic learning.
And…I’ve only designed and built for myself never for an entire community! And what a learning curve it has been. I’ve learned to start small and I’m currently beginning with a cozy netted dome design that is called the crabshack that provides not a superstructure but enough space to climb maneuver over and under with space for other structures in the future. You want to 1st show people that you aren’t just talking and you are ready to share this project with the world and what you continue to learn from observation from a children’s development perspective.
This was the initial building area. I loved it because it was central to the community I was close to, It was near the cemetery which I felt created some respect to past generations, it was near the beginning of established forest trails, and it had enough space to create the pinnacle design of a series of structures that could later be served as a obstacle course to go through with friends and see how fast you can maneuver through it. But I soon learned there was already more energy going into the neighboring town; los Tumbas. There they wanted to expand a picnic area and get support to make a space outdoor sitting and I was able to introduce my design to the committee there. We’ll be starting the build in October this year and it feels so rewarding to see this take off. I have so much love in my heart for this project and I look forward to continuing to share my project. As we progress any donations you make will help me continue to complete this vision and the download I received that 1st will be just for this small community but once people see how it brings the entire community together maybe they’ll want to expand this vision into other communities. Thank you for reading and if you’d like to see more updates check out my giveth page