Our Student-Designed Playground

As you know probably know by now, we have a new playground! It has been incredible to see the joy and energy of our students as they make the new space their own! The design for the playground was developed with help from our teachers and students who brainstormed the elements of the playground and then voted on their favorite ideas. Then, with support from our very own landscape architect, David Symonds and play-space expert Robyn Jennings (our Primary EE teacher, who holds a master’s degree in the subject of children’s outdoor play), we worked to design a play space that would connect our students to nature and support their growth and imaginative play.

“Playgrounds with interesting topography like hills or digging pits, offer more cooperative play; there is more dramatic play in which children exercise their language and communication skills. And when children are able to manipulate their environment by moving tree stumps or logs, they encounter safer risks and engage more in problem-solving,” says Robyn.

Communities around the globe have embraced the natural landscape design of play spaces. City planners in Boulder recently engaged area youth for input about how to reimagine the city’s Central Park. Between 2012 and 2014, "Growing Up Boulder," worked with 225 Boulder children soliciting input to inspire and contribute to the design.

“There is a new movement in the world of outdoor play environments — a shift back to nature. Instead of filling backyards and playgrounds with traditional metal and plastic equipment, childhood centers across the country are transforming their outdoor landscapes into magical environmental playscapes,” says Rusty Keeler, founder and designer of Planet Earth Playscapes.

Within the walls of Logan, we ask children every day to problem solve, to engage with their peers in meaningful conversations and to take appropriate risks. Now our outdoor space matches the magic that happens within our walls. Keep your eyes out as the field elements are coming soon!

Thank you again to our teachers, students, David, Raul, Robyn and those of you who raised your paddle at our 2019 Auction to support this monumental effort! We couldn't have done it without you!