OAKLAND SCHOOLYARDS INITIATIVE: Fitness Structures
OAKLAND SCHOOLYARDS INITIATIVE: Fitness Structures
Oakland Schoolyards Initiative
As we have revitalized schoolyards from barren and dangerous places into active, green and healthy spaces, we have failed to develop and build play structures that meet the needs of our schoolchildren. To help reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity, our schools need structures that are physically challenging, safe, beautiful and low cost. Hopefully these can be built by community volunteers and be approved by the District and review agencies. They should work like a Marine Corps Obstacle Course, look like a Henry Moore's sculpture and cost a lot less than Kompan playgrounds. Pilot project designs for 5 to 12 year olds for elementary schools and another configuration for middle schools would be ideal. Construction can occur at one or more of our school sites. Play structures that are endemic to schoolyards look like chutes and ladders built by plumbers to satisfy risk managers not children. They are boring and do not provide for vigorous exercise. Typically, children wait a while to climb a few steps then slide down and repeat. None of the innovative playground designs address the fitness issue. Neither KaBOOM’s formulaic structures nor the community-build groups’ innovations provide strenuous activity that is fun as well as healthful. Girls particularly need upper body exercise that schoolyard games do not provide. We believe that the design talent available through Architecture for Humanity and modest funding can develop and build a prototype fitness structure that can be replicated in all of our renovated schoolyards and in other districts. The epidemic of childhood obesity is a serious problem that needs to be addressed in many ways. We hope that this proposal will succeed for our schoolchildren.






