Invent scenarios.

When your child invents a scenario, he tries on lots of different

roles and organizes his thoughts while developing social and verbal skills.
Encourage your child to play house, doctor, zoo, farm, space station, school, or
store. Join in the imaginative play by taking on a role yourself. Play with stuffed
toys or puppets (make simple puppets by putting your hand in a sock). Let your
child lead your playtime together. If your child is into superheroes, think of the
power your child might want as his own superpower feeling. Consider having your
child create a new superhero!

Creative Thinking & Imagination for Child Development

Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Imagination is the door to
possibilities. It is where creativity, ingenuity, and thinking outside the box begin for child
development. Imaginative and creative play is how children learn about the world. During imaginative
play, children manipulate materials, express themselves verbally and non-verbally, plan (intentionally
or unintentionally), act, interact, react, and try different roles. Great opportunities for learning are
possible when children participate in creative play with dolls, vehicles, blocks, rocks, cardboard, or
boxes. Employing creative thinking while manipulating play dough, creating recipes by mixing dirt and
water, working with art materials, splashing in puddles, or pretending to fly can further child
development.

Imagination fosters cognitive and social development. Everyone wants to raise children who reach
their highest intellectual and social/emotional potential. In early childhood education, critical thinking
skills and creative problem-solving abilities are goals for children's development. Imagining, trying
new ways of doing things, and experimenting help develop critical thinking in children and foster
creative problem solving. Furthermore, imagination builds social-emotional development by allowing
children to contemplate different resolutions, thus boosting children's confidence, which can be used in
interactions with others. Imagination and creativity are also skills that our children will need when
they join the workforce of the future.

Outdoor spaces • Positive outdoor spaces (those that are well designed and
defined) are linked to

better student outcomes, particularly for younger primary-aged students.

• Outdoor facilities should be accessible to all students and should have

minimal

thresholds for easy access.

• Outdoor equipment should be selected so that students of all sizes have

items they

can use safely.

The Virtues of Daydreaming And

30 Other Surprising (And
Controversial) Research
Findings About How Students
Learn
By Julie DeNeen
November 29th, 2012

https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/30-surprising-
research-findings-about-how-students-learn/#ixzz2Dd0h5Vlc

(Julie, 2012)

Chess makes kids smart

Patrick S. McDonald, a great lover of chess and the Youth Coordinator for the
Ontario Chess Association, compiled a series of papers and research
that highlights the benefits of chess, especially as it relates to education.
Honestly, there isn’t much negative to say about chess. It is an inexpensive
game, a great opportunity for socialization among many different age groups
and levels.

It forces students to slow down, concentrate, use precise thinking, active both
inductive and deductive reasoning, as well as recognizing difficult and complex
patterns.

Teachers who are in charge of children with mental and physical disabilities can
also benefit from chess. It is a game that does not discriminate, and no matter
what level you learn to play, it helps children to understand that “losing” the
game is as valuable as winning.

5. Gardening improves children’s desire to learn and boosts their

confidence

The Royal Horticulture Society in the UK has started a campaign to bring

gardening back into the school systems. Thousands of schools have participated
and some of the findings point to gardening as a crucial learning tool for
children. These are just some of the few findings.

Kids who garden show a better ability to concentrate.

 Gardening helped use up surplus energy in active kids.

 The process of growing something from seed to fruit helps teach children
responsibility and managing a living organism.
 Some students learned valuable math skills as they sold their produce to
the town for a profit.
  Getting in touch with the dirt and bugs, helped some young students
overcome their fears.
 An English teacher found her student’s creativity in poetry expanded after
working in the garden.

Gardening touches on so many different school subjects, from the science of

photosynthesis, to nutrition, math, and even English. Kids who garden show a
better ability to concentrate, whether it is because they have an opportunity to
engage their whole bodies in the learning process, or simply because learning in
the outdoors is good for the mind, heart, and body.

Playing with blocks increases neuron count in children

Schools are endangering a student’s creative intelligence when they replace all
scheduled playtime with academic study. As the trend moves more towards
structuring a curriculum that teaches to a standardized test, psychologists who
study play are screaming that this is the wrong move.

In the Community Playthings article about the wisdom of play, researchers note
that something as simple as toy blocks can have incredible impacts on a young
student’s mind. Even with 15 minutes of free play, children will use some of that
time learning about mathematical and spatial principles. Blocks, one of the
simplest and longstanding toys, teach geometry, patterns, shapes, colors, and
physics.

This is because research shows that children who have ample opportunity to
play and manipulate the environment creatively, will be the most innovative and
original thinkers as adults.

Music and movement augment children’s language capabilities during

the preschool years

Music has a calming effect on children and adults alike. Though much of modern
education focuses primarily on visual sight for learning, the auditory processes
are critically important for language acquisition. The younger the child, the
more important music becomes.

Children who engage in music from a young age have a more finely tuned
ability to speak and communicate
For example, when children learn nursery rhymes that are set to a steady beat;
they learn to appreciate the pacing of words and how to speak more clearly.
Songs that are taught for the purposes of remembering routines (like cleaning
up or going to bed) activate the part of the memory that is used when
memorizing sight words and other rote principles.
Research shows that children who engage in music from a young age have a
more finely tuned ability to speak and communicate. Music must continue to be
a part of a young child’s learning environment.

Green spaces or natural backyards elevate children’s learning through

discovery

How important is it for children to play and interact with the great outdoors?
Does it really make a difference in the educational process? The research says
yes. Not only is it critical for children to have time to play outside, but the type
of outdoor environment is important as well.

Research documented in Colorado University’s Journal of Children, Youth, and

Environments noted that students who were given access to green woodlands,
ponds, and other natural habitats had an increase in social cooperation and
creativity, as opposed to the children who were given an asphalt yard with a
jungle gym.

Not only did the student’s enjoy the environment more, but the teachers also
incorporated the outdoor area into their formalized curriculum. It became a
place to learn about ecosystems, science, gardening, and preserving the Earth.

The more natural and open the environment, the greater the invitation for
discovery through curiosity.

Mature make-believe play provides the most beneficial context for

children’s development

Do you remember playing “store” or “restaurant” when you were a child? These
imaginative scenarios, in which children take on roles, props, themes, and
collaborate with other children, is one of the most crucial avenues for
development.

In an article written by the National Association for the Education of Young

Children, they make the argument that play is an ever-evolving skill that
children must be guided through. Whereas young kids used to play in multi-
level age groups (perhaps in a neighborhood or in a family with a lot of
children) having older peers in which to mimic and follow, now students are
segregated according to age. This means that the teacher is now in the primary
role of teaching children how to play.

There also must be ample time for play. Sessions that are only 10-15 minutes
do not give a child the opportunity to play out the scenarios, actions, and
sequences necessary to really engage the senses, the mind, and the child’s
innate creativity. The classroom must allow room for these play-based
scenarios, as they are one of the building blocks of learning.
It is within this context that children build the preliminary skills for advanced
academic understanding.

SAFETY Children learn more when they initiate an activity and are
actively engaged in it

Curiosity is the birthplace of learning. If you follow a two-year-old around for

even a couple of hours, you will watch as he explores the world organically,
following his innate curiosity about how things work, taste, feel, look, and
sound. When a parent or teacher can harness the power of that curiosity, it is
like riding a wave that already has momentum.

The Center for Development and Learning gives caregivers helpful advice about
how to maximize a child’s early experiences. One of the key points centers on
this foundation of curiosity. To give a child a chance to initiate learning, the
caregiver must remain in the background, supporting the child’s natural
curiosity and offering helpful ways to explore.

This is different from the traditional model of instruction, where a teacher doles
out knowledge and asks the student to learn the information.

Phonemic awareness and alphabet recognition increase children’s

chances of reading achievement

As soon as a child is two years old, they can begin to recognize letters,
numbers, and the association of sounds that go along with them. These pre-
reading skills are an early indicator of a child’s ability to read and enjoy
literature as a child, teen, and adult.

According to Scholastic Research and Results, there are a lot of pre-reading

skills that are necessary for literacy, but two stand out as most important;
phonemic awareness (understanding the sound a letter makes), as well as
alphabet recognition. Even though reading is a visual skill, activating the ear to
recognize the different sounds of each letter is the foundation on which reading
is built.

Getting in rhythms helps children grasp fractions

Fractions aren’t the easiest concept for a child to learn. However, it is a

foundational mathematical principle that is necessary for future advanced
mathematics. But there seems to be a connection between music and fractions
that is proving to be beneficial.

In an article from the SF State News, educators have noticed that clapping,
drumming out a beat, notations, and chanting help students understand the
concept of fractions. In music theory, notes are identified by halves, eighths,
sixteenths, etc. and students have a visual way to begin placing fractions in
context.

The results show that students who use music and rhythm to teach fractions
score notably higher on math exams that those that don’t. So get out your
drums and your hands, and begin clapping your way to a better understanding
of fractions.

Why Rounded Corners Are Easier on

the Eyes
by anthony on 08/17/11 at 10:17 pm
(Anthony, 2011)
Designers use rounded corners so much today that they’re more of an
industry standard than a design trend. Not only are they found on software
user interfaces, but hardware product designs as well. So what is it about
rounded corners that make them so popular? Indeed they look appealing,
but there’s more to it than that.
Rounded Corners Appear Less Bright
Anyone can appreciate the aesthetic beauty of rounded corners, but not
everyone can explain where exactly that beauty comes from. The answer to
that is literally in your eye.
Some experts say that rectangles with rounded corners are easier on the
eyes than a rectangle with sharp edges because they take less cognitive
effort to visually process. The fovea is fastest at processing circles.
Processing edges involve more “neuronal image tools” in the brain [1]. Thus,
rectangles with rounded corners are easier process because they look closer
to a circle than a regular rectangle.
Scientific research done on corners by the Barrow Neurological Institute
found that the “perceived salience of a corner varies linearly with the angle
of the corner. Sharp angles generated stronger illusory salience than shallow
angles” [2]. In other words, the sharper the corner, the brighter it appears.
And the brighter a corner appears, the harder it is to look at.
 Which object is easier to look at?
We’re Conditioned for Rounded Corners
Another explanation on why we have an eye for rounded corners is because
they’re more organic to how we use everyday objects in the physical world
[3]. Rounded corners are everywhere. And as children, we quickly learn that
sharp corners hurt and that rounded corners are safer. That’s why when a
child plays with a ball, most parents aren’t alarmed.
But if a child were to play with a fork, the parents would take the fork away
for the fear of the child hurting itself. This provokes what neuroscience calls
an “avoidance response” with sharp edges. Thus, we tend to “avoid sharp
edges because in nature, they can present a threat” [4].

Which object would you trust with your child?

Rounded Corners Make Information Easier to
Process
Rounded corners are more effective for maps and diagrams because they
allow our eyes to easily follow lines “as it suits better to the natural
movement of the head and eyes respectively” [5]. Sharp corners throw your
eyes off the path of the line so you end up experiencing abrupt pauses when
the line changes direction. But with rounded corners, the line leads your
eyes around each corner to continue along the path smoothly.
 Which diagram is easier for your eyes to follow?
Rounded corners also make effective content containers. This is because the
rounded corners point inward towards the center of the rectangle. This puts
the focus on the contents inside the rectangle. It also makes it easy to see
which side belongs to which rectangle when two rectangles are next to each
other.
Sharp corners point outward putting less focus on the contents inside the
rectangle. They also make it hard to tell which of the two sides belong to
which rectangle when two rectangles are next to each other. This is because
each rectangle side is exactly a straight line. The sides of a rounded
rectangle are unique because the lines curve towards the rectangle it
belongs to.

Final Thoughts
There are more to rounded corners than meets the eye. Rounded corners
are not only easier for our eyes to process, but they also make information
easier to process. There’s no doubt that rounded corners are appealing. But
 these extra reasons make them even more appealing to use. When you talk
to a client about rounded corners, you’ll now have something more to say
than it just looks good.

Multi-use Athletic & Sports Fields

(Holland, (n.d.))

⇒ Artificial Turf Benefits:

 Maximizes playing time

 Provides a consistent artificial turf surface for superior all-around performance
 Minimizes abrasions, neural and joint injuries
 Contributes to less time lost to injury – compared to natural grass
 Increases revenue generation potential
 Offers the most proven, durable and safest product in the industry

Geometry in playground
(Haham, 2017)
If we ask children what they see on the playground, most of them will
probably answer: "Slide, swing, tower, tunnel..." We are used to seeing the
playground through the names of the equipment, but if we look deeper - we
can see countless shapes and geometry figures hiding in the equipment
themselves and between them, and the children can be exposed to other
geometric concepts beyond the forms most of which they already know.
What is a geometric shape?
A geometric form is a shape described by a closed line enclosing part of a
plane.
The main forms of engineering are a circle, a triangle, a square, a rectangle,
a parallelogram, a trapezoid, and rhombus.

shapes-3.jpg

If you walk along the closed line that describes the geometric shape, you get
back to the starting point. Such a closed line divides the plane into two
parts: the section within the line, which is the interior of the geometric form,
and the part outside the line.
Small Worlds
Children role play real-life situations
through imagining scenarios and building
small worlds. Plants, sand, and soil are
materials that small children can relate to
and manipulate for building and creating
their own small worlds.

Maps and Paths

Children have an inborn desire to explore.
They love to search out new places and find
different ways to get to places; for example,
they might move through a backyard and
excitedly declare that they have discovered a
secret trail or short-cut. For this reason, hold
back on designing every square inch of
a play space. Allow children to devise their
own trails, paths, and “desire lines.”

Fantasy and Imagination

Children naturally engage in creative play.
Support this innate behaviour by providing
props and making spaces that allow children
to act out their imaginary worlds. Provide
hands-on interactions with living things
such as insects, birds, and trees. Build rich
environments that facilitate storytelling and
dramatic play. Set the stage for children to
imagine themselves in many different roles.

Hunting and Gathering

Children love to find, gather, and collect
things. Holding treasure hunts, supplying
loose parts and enriching spaces with
gardens and vegetation are great ways to
satisfy this impulse. When exposed to natural
spaces, children are inclined to collect bugs,
leaves, rocks, and sticks. A space that offers
a variety of natural materials, surfaces, and
textures provides an environment where
children can search for patterns in nature,
which involves inquiry-based learning.
Appeal to
Children’s Senses
Design outdoor environments that sharpen
children’s perceptual awareness and provide
places for wonder, curiosity, and the expression
of ideas. “Aesthetics” does not just refer
to something that is beautiful to the eye,
but anything that influences the senses in
a positive way, including hearing, feeling,
smelling, and tasting. For example, the
aesthetics of architectural design affect the
senses through proportion, scale, rhythm,
light, materials, odours, and colours. Some
ideas for the school ground include displaying
children’s project work, and their creative
expression through works of art. Build a welcoming,
sensory filled meet-and-greet area,
plan a scented garden, and use art along
fences as unique expressions that reflect the
culture of the school community.

Physical
Development
Children need to:
move climb dig roll run jump leap ride hop
skip balance hang grasp cling swing lift push
pull fall down stretch stack carry pour