Children in the Ephemeral

What happened to the “experimental’ playground — one where the reality of choice, the roughness of a bad decision, or the lushness of unmanicured nature becomes a teaching, learning, and growth platform? The play environment — one that increases a sense of community — should have the potential to enrich a child’s memory, as significant moments are inspired by the physical characteristics of a specific place. This, in turn, makes the child aware that everything we build is part of everything that already exists. It is the aspiration of this proposal that the combination of a pedagogical system and its architectural enclosure might instill in children the desire to cherish the fleeting nature of the moment. Simple, unfiltered play, through a structure on its way to becoming part of the forest again, gradually becoming the very playground and source of observation, will help positively shape the next generation of our communities.