The Play Center Design
The Play Center at Hattie Larlham is dedicated to ensuring every child has a place to play. This inclusive, parent-supervised play environment provides an ability-friendly play environment for every family member to play together.
The Play Center was developed around three core design tenants: that it incorporate universal design into its layout, that it be developmentally appropriate and that it provide experiential variety for all visitors.
Universal Design
The concept behind universal design is simple: make things that can be used by all people without the need for adaptation or modification. This thinking is being applied to everything from kitchen appliances to Web sites. The philosophy of universal design is based upon seven principles, listed below and as defined by the Center for Universal Design.
- Equitable Use: The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities.
- Flexibility in Use: The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities.
- Simple and Intuitive Use: Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, language skills or current concentration level.
- Perceptible Information: The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities.
- Tolerance for Error: The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions.
- Low Physical Effort: The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum of fatigue.
- Size and Space for Approach and Use: Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of user's body size, posture or mobility.
Developmentally Appropriate
The Play Center at Hattie Larlham also considered whether activities would be developmentally appropriate for visiting children. This type of thinking takes factors into account beyond a child’s physical age. These often include the physical, social, emotional and intellectual levels of guests to The Play Center. For example, typically developing toddlers will often play by themselves and partake in spatial play like building or stacking. In developing The Play Center, careful consideration was taken to provide play outlets for children who may be physically older than their intellectual or social developmental abilities.
Experiential Variety
When developing play areas for The Play Center, important consideration was given to the different types of play in which children could participate. As such, play areas were developed that promoted sensory exploration, object manipulation and social interaction allowing children to learn through experiencing all aspects of their world.
Play Areas
The Play Center at Hattie Larlham provides a variety of play options for children. These classifications of play have been found to be developmentally beneficial to children as they grow and learn from the world around them. These play classifications include:
- Art Play
- Big Muscle Play
- Pretend Play
- Sensory Play
- Music Play
- Block Play
- Early Learners Play
The Play Center at Hattie Larlham includes a contained eating area so that families can enjoy a snack break together during their play experience.
