Background - International Council for Children's Play

• Maximum flexibility
• Both gross motor and fine motor play
• Constructive and role play is central
• Maximum children - minimum area
• Minimum of accidents, calculable risks
Conclusion
It is sad that 99% of the schools in Norway have used millions of crones to purchase readymade
climbing frames and other play apparatus that do not stimulate varied, flexible and
developing play, instead of the much cheaper hut building.
Why have 99% of the schools in Norway neglected to plan for a hut town, where the children
are constructing and deconstructing their own out door play space?
I think some reasons are the following adult attitudes:
• Have never seen such a hut town in function
• Huts should be in the forest
• What is wrong with empty asphalt and football?
• Hut building is dangerous
• To little space in the school yard
• No money (have used them to costly commercial apparatus!)
• Ugly, scrappy, chaotic, the teacher is loosing control
• Will soon be damaged of vandals
• To much work for the teachers
• Have not heard about it in my teacher education
But I believe that the most important reason is lack of knowledge about play research and
the best conditions for outdoor play, and lack of technical knowledge about materials and
constructions. A building playground project with continuous changes possible, such as
the projects reported herein, will stimulate the neglected constructive play and dramatic
role-play outdoors. At the same time our approach is a much cheaper solution to the
problem of providing outdoor play space and objects; and such an approach teach also
the children that recycling the materials is important for global conservation of natural
resources. This is an important lesson for the children of our wealthy western society.
Literature
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Andersen/Svane (1982) Gjør noe med skolegården. Forbruker- og
Administrasjonsdepartementet
Borgen C (1990) Den fantastiske leken. Skolefritidsordninger. Kompendium nr. IV
Fellessekretariatet for skolefritidsordninger. KUF
(1990) Tilrettelegging av lek og lekeformens utviklende betydning for barns
personlighetsutvikling. Kompendium nr IV.
Fellessekretariatet for skolefritidsordning.
Brostrøm S (1995) 6-9 årspædagogik. Leg, leg, rammeleg. (Play, play, frame play)
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Flemmen A (1993) Ekte leik på den politiske dagsorden i Kroppsøving årg. 43 nr
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(1996) Høringsuttalelse: Læreplan for faget kroppsøving i Kroppsøving årg 46,
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(1996) Barnehage på skule. Norsk senter for barneforskning. Trondheim
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