Children and families are getting their first look at the design for the Sayward School playground, a recent $100,000 winner of BCAA Play Here, a community investment program that gives kids in B.C. better places to play and learn.
Thousands of words shared by children and their community to describe their dream play spaces have been turned into pictures of their new playgrounds. Shawn Pettipas, Director Community Engagement, BCAA, says in a press release, “It’s exciting to reveal the Sayward School playground design, particularly knowing it will become reality when it’s built this fall.”
BCAA and partnering play space experts work closely with each winning community to design vibrant new play areas that can serve as a central hub to not only bring kids together, but entire communities as well. Other winners of the 2019 BCAA Play Here contest include a playground for Black Creek Community Centre, also on Vancouver Island, and a small wheels playground in Oliver in the Okanagan.
The Sayward School playground includes extraordinary features geared towards challenging, imaginative and inclusive play and accessibility. The playground incorporates:
- Features for children from 2-5 years and 5-12 years.
- Interconnected circuit features - allows children to move from one element to another without having to set foot on the ground with multiple entry and exit points throughout the circuit.
- Two high slides and a double slide for younger children.
- Separate spinning features where kids can spin sitting down or standing up.
- Net bridge and net climbers.
- Firefighter’s pole.
- A store front panel for imaginative and social play.
- A glide ride where kids can hold on and ride across from one platform to another.
- Roofs that cast a colourful spectrum of light.
About BCAA Play Here
Launched in 2016, BCAA Play Here is an annual community initiative that gives children and families in communities across BC better places to play. British Columbians are asked to nominate a play space in their community for a chance to win a $100,000 revitalization. Focusing on need and impact to communities, the hundreds of nominations received are narrowed by a judging panel, then British Columbians vote for the communities they want to see win. Once this year’s play spaces are complete, BCAA will have invested $1.3 million and enabled 12 revitalizations.
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