Creating open spaces for play in urban environments: The case of pop up adventure play

PDF (ελληνικά)
Published: Jul 27, 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/χπ.1433
Keywords:
adventure play early childhood education playspaces creativity urban areas
Μαρία Μπιρμπίλη (Maria Birbili)
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5233-4761
Μαρία Παπανδρέου (Maria Papandreou)
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0353-4182
Abstract

Children need opportunities and spaces where they can play and move freely and safely, exercise their drive for exploration, create imaginary worlds, express themselves and communicate with other children. As children’s opportunities for free play in the city are diminishing a new trend in playspaces seems to be developing in the USA and Great Britain. It is the idea of pop up adventure playgrounds which, with everyday, artificial and natural materials, that cost nothing or very little, allow children to be autonomous in their play and control their actions and choices. The philosophy of pop up adventure play pays particular attention to the kind of materials we give children and seeks spaces which allow large movement, the transfer and combination of materials and collaborative action.

This paper will discuss the experience and the evaluation of an experimental implementation of pop up adventure play that was organized in the academic year 2015-2016 by student teachers, attending two university courses, and their instructors. In the end, we make suggestions concerning the designing and implementation of similar activities in the Greek urban environment.

Article Details
  • Section
  • THEMATIC FIELD IV Introducing innovations for the upgrade of the educational environment

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Author Biographies
Μαρία Μπιρμπίλη (Maria Birbili), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Assist. professor, School of Early Childhood Education, AUTh

Μαρία Παπανδρέου (Maria Papandreou), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Assist. professor, School of Early Childhood Education, AUTh
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