Playground
Seven Generations partnered with Brian Slocum, Managing Director of Lehigh University Design Labs, and a team of Lehigh Design students, to create a sustainable playground! A 3-D model of the final design is on display at the school.
Click on the link below to check out the team's research, inspiration and design process:
Lehigh University Design Team Playground Site
Playground update:
Seven Gen Families and Friends,
At long last we will be starting our Seven Generations playground this summer and will need a small army of volunteers to help us make this a reality. The playground is a critical facet of our children's school experience - providing a safe and familiar environment for their physical and creative development during independent play. Per the nature of our curriculum, it may at times also serve as an extended classroom.We will need much help from the community to make this happen over the coming months and years. Here's an update of where we are, and most importantly, a list of ways that you or your family members could help. Thanks to the tireless and creative work of the Lehigh University design team working with our students and staff, we have a fantastic long-term plan to achieve an innovative and unique place for our children to play and explore. However, in this challenging economic environment, we will need a long-term strategy to acquire the material and funds to make this vision a reality. With this in mind, the Playground Committee has recommended that we break the full implementation of the playground into distinct phases. This summer's focus will be on grading and leveling the play area, installing adequate drainage, mulching the play surface, and adding natural and donated (i.e. free or very inexpensive) play features until the more permanent features can be acquired and installed in subsequent years. We are also happy to have the help of student volunteers from area school districts for about one week in early July. *We are planning playground specific work days on Sat. June 25th and Sat. July 16th, from 8-12 (or later). Please consider helping out for whole day or smaller portions *Bring any tools you can: work gloves, pick-up trucks/trailers, shovels/forks, wheelbarrows, etc.We will be making a couple of runs to the borough yard for mulch, local suppliers for drainage materials, staking out and beginning to grade the area. We may also send out crews to pick up donated trees/roots and play structures, pending sufficient help and vehicles. * We are also planning a work week from Tuesday, July 5th through Friday 8th (time TBD). Primary labor will be provided by area student volunteers. In particular, we are looking for one or more adults to supervise and oversee the student work crews. This is a critical need right now. * Informal mulch day - Saturday (7/9) morning (or really any time). Not an organized work day, but a way to make some incremental progress without formal organization. If you have a truck or trailer and live in Emmaus or Lower Macungie, know someone that does, or otherwise have access to mulch, please consider just picking up a mulch load and dropping right into the newly leveled play area - we'll smooth it out later. * Saturday, 7/16 Work Day, 8AM-12PM. We had a great turn out last time and hope to achieve the same this time. Jobs include: Mulching, retention wall building, play feature assembly, climbing wall paint/drill/screw. E-mail Dave Dougherty (address below) if you think you might make it, and he'll be sure to include you on further details. * Natural or donated play elements - We are looking to secure donations to fill the space until more permanent elements are available: Fallen/cut trees, branches, root structures, boulders, etc. * Long-term planning and fundraising/material acquisition - Consider joining the Playground Committee (currently meeting bi-weekly on Friday at 3:30). We will need help applying for playground specific grants/donation and working with local vendors and partners to secure donations of funds or materials. * Any other ideas that you can bring to help secure the short-term and long-term goals of this project are very welcome. If you or a family member can handle physical labor, have access to tools, is in the construction/contracting trade, or just want to find a fun way to help the school with this important need - please contact me with your name/email/phone #. Please note if there's a particular aspect of the job you'd like to help with. Once we have a list of prospective volunteers we can make specific work items and goals for each work day. Thanks to all for your help and support! Dave Dougherty, on behalf of the Playground Committee
We also have an offer for a donated play set and would be happy to accept similar donations such as ropes, swings, etc. Any creative ideas for how to create simple structures from the items provided are welcome.
idave_doc AT yahoo.com
*Image on the Home page box ("Modular Moonscape") is by Thomas McMurtrie. This is one of a series of student design ideas (subject to change) that can be viewed on the Playground Site.
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