Today, October 7th, is World Habitat Day. The UN designated the first Monday of October as a day to reflect on the state of our towns and cities and to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat.
For many, the future of the human habitat is daunting to say the least. Forces like climate change, globalization, and technology are changing our lives faster than ever. One thing is certain: our children’s adulthood will be vastly different from our own. In this rapidly changing context, it is imperative;that we create an environment for children that will equip and resource them to thrive in a new world.
Educators, economists and both the corporate and social sectors are all calling for global citizens who are creative, innovative, socially connected, and resilient. We need a world of people who aren’t afraid to take risks and make mistakes; we need people who can discern good choices and understand consequences. We need world leaders who will think critically, share resources, problem solve, and cooperate.
Although it is these qualities that largely determine an adult’s ability to succeed in life, they are rarely even an afterthought in the vast majority of the world’s school systems.
Today 94% of children attend school. This is an incredible achievement to be celebrated. However, the work is not yet finished. Many of these schools are overcrowded, under-resourced and have outdated curriculums focused largely on rote learning. Consequently, millions of children are lacking the necessary skills to navigate the world.
– 25% of children in developing countries leave school without the skills necessary to manage daily living and employment tasks. (UNESCO)
– 200 million kids fail to reach their developmental full-potential. (World Health Organization)
This is not good enough. We are failing the world’s children year after year.
At the same time, we now have a wealth of research across all disciplines, pointing to the undeniable benefits of play – a child’s first and most powerful tool for learning. Research proves that children who have regular, substantial access to play perform better in school, have higher IQs, greater self-regulation, are more creative, less likely to be involved in criminal activity, more likely to attend and succeed in higher education, and even earn higher wages as adults.
Play is not a luxury. It is a necessity and a right. Spaces for play need not be limited to the plastic, prefabricated swings-and-slide model, costing thousands of dollars to create. Playground Ideas can help anyone create a stimulating play space, on any budget, using only local materials, tools and labour. We exist to create a community of designers, researchers, educators, parents, and advocates making play spaces accessible to all children everywhere. That’s why all of our resources are open-source and free. Stimulating play spaces should be, and can be, available for all.
Playground Ideas first began in 2008 with a group of volunteers building playgrounds along the Thai-Burma border. In 2010, we started a website to share what we’d learned with others interested in doing the same. People started joining us. We've now built an online network of passionate people from Azerbaijan to Zambia who are creating access to play across the globe.
"150 Days of Play"
Today we’re proud to announce that our design library is now bursting with over 150 designs. That's over 150 step-by-step instructions that anyone can build. To celebrate this exciting milestone, over the next 150 days we’ll be profiling a design a day from our library on our blog, along with stories of how these elements were created and examples of how they’ve been used around the world.
If you’re new to our community, head on over to our new website, explore our resources, and learn how you can get involved – by interning, volunteering, designing, fundraising, or donating. Share our resources with a school or child-care center you know and encourage them today to create a space for play.
On World Habitat Day, let's make a commitment to give children what they need to thrive. Let’s start dreaming of, and creating a more playful world.
We invite you to join us on this adventure.