Can we turn the sand pool into a diagonal one? Or is there no obvious limitation? This case may be a good answer.
The sand pond in the kindergarten is often built on the flat ground, or in particular, the sand pool is set in a deep pit. However, in addition to this practice, can the sand pool become more different? Don't be limited by the "pool" and build a playing sand facility on the slope? Or let the sand pool be a little freer, there are no obvious boundaries?
This week, I found a very special outdoor sand play facility to share with you, and I will answer the above questions for you.
Founded in 1942, Kawawa Nursery School in Yokohama City, Kanagawa, is known for being an environment that motivates children to take the initiative to create games and play independently.
The nursery once had a "sand pond with slopes", or it should not be called a sand pond, but a sand play facility. The head of the kindergarten called it the "big funnel", emphasizing the situation where sand leaks out of the sand play facility. From the pictures, we can also see that this facility does not have a very obvious boundary, the sand may overflow at any time, and the overall look is also very simple, but it does not affect a highlight of the kindergarten outdoors.
The most important point of the design of this sand pond is the slope, which is not a slope, but a slope formed by laying sand on the stepped ground, which allows children to maintain balance while playing. On the right side of the sand pond, there is a small stream flowing down the steps, and the steps are embedded in the steps of the children, so that the children can maintain stability under their feet when they carry the water upwards.
In addition to completing the setup of some rides, the tools are very important, and their presence can stimulate excitement and help the game content become infinitely rich. In order to make playing with the sand fun, the kindergarten has many tools for the children: buckets, shovels, watering cans, bamboo tubes for digging waterways. These things add to the way kids play.
In 2018 the kindergarten underwent a relocation and redevelopment plan, co-designed by Sum Design and TENJIN STUDIO, and the new school building and the surrounding forest environment created the idea that education naturally occurred in the new space to be strongly continued.
According to the shape of the site surrounded by natural terrain, the designer designed the new building as a surrounding garden, the new building and the forest behind it have connected corridors, the kindergarten and nature have established a strong connection, when people enter the kindergarten, people can feel the warm atmosphere of rich nature.
The huge opening in front of the new building became a new outdoor event venue. The dirt was directly exposed in front of people's eyes, and the middle became the site of a new sand play facility, like a large sand pile that had not been treated at all.
The slope of the sand pool is steep and gentle, but it is a slope that children can climb up, the sand pool is scattered around the tool shelf, wooden boards, shovels, flat and large stones, the operation table and the hand overturning bucket, etc., the pool is not far from the sand pool, the children can easily transport water to the sand pool, on the sand pool to study where the water flows?
Whether it is a new sand play facility or an old sand play facility, how the shape changes, they all play a role that does not stipulate the child's play but inspires the children to think and play independently, the reason is that this sand pool has no restrictions, has a variety of choices, and because there is no limit, there will be a lot of accidental situations, which also makes the sand playing process more interesting.
This may be the result of paying attention to the game and repeatedly deliberating on the structure of the environment.
In the past two years, a large facility has been added to the sand pond, and the kindergarten children have more play options.