Playground in One Day
To make Dutch children the world champion of exercise, Yalp Netherlands and the Krajicek Foundation have joined forces for Playground in One Day. Together with the Boswinkel neighbourhood and Enschede's municipality, Yalp Netherlands and the Krajicek Foundation created a sustainable, innovative, and socially safe playground in one day.
Yalp Netherlands and Krajicek Foundation have joined forces for "Playground in One Day."
Exercise is a must. There's no doubt about that. So why is it that the Dutch children are the world champion in sitting still? 80% of the children do not reach the daily exercise standard. In attention areas, this percentage is even 97%.
To make Dutch children the world champion of exercise, Yalp Netherlands and the Krajicek Foundation have joined forces for Playground in One Day. Together with the Boswinkel neighbourhood and Enschede's municipality, Yalp Netherlands and the Krajicek Foundation created a sustainable, innovative, and socially safe playground in one day. The playground includes:
- Lappset Toro Interactive sports arena
- Lappset Sutu Interactive ball wall
- Lappset Memo Interactive play pillars
Boys playing the game Shape on the Lappset Sutu Interactive ball wall
The ideal playground
The idea was part of a three-year sponsorship from Yalp Netherlands to the Krajicek Foundation. Yalp Netherlands initiated this following the example of the American foundation KABOOM, where playgrounds are constructed in one day with the neighbourhood's help. Yalp Netherlands and the Krajicek Foundation developed a concept for an ideal outdoor playground that is challenging, interactive and connects the entire neighbourhood to stimulate children to exercise more often.
"When I see the progress made in a short period of time, it brings me so much joy that we've pulled this off together. It's been an experience worth its weight in gold."
- Ben Admiraal, founder of Yalp Netherlands
Ref Playground in One Day video
A next-level outdoor classroom
The school feels fortunate. The staff and students of the dalton school ODBS Europa now have access to the schoolyard of their dreams. One of the main attractions in the schoolyard is the Lappset Memo Interactive play pillars. A playset where students can answer educational questions of all kinds.
Is it enticing to solve sums and equations during recess?
Yes! You can see the children's enthusiasm playing the Lappset Memo Interactive play pillars: "It's a lot of fun to solve sums during recess. And we get to go outside!" says one of the kids.
Learning new mathematics topics with the Memo Boost
Christiaan Ribbens, the Game developer at Lappset Group Oy, has made it his goal to make the Lappset Memo Interactive play pillars mathematics games more challenging. In January 2020, he launched the educational play program. A combination of new pedagogical games such as a new mathematics game, a new spelling game, and Quiz 2.0. Ribbens and his team have extensively tested the new mathematics game at a school in Nijmegen (the Netherlands) and the Rio del Sol STEAM school in the United States. Also, they studied learning methods from different countries. Ribbens:
We have put all the collected data side by side. Which sums suit which level? We now have 500.000+ sums and equations, so the chances of getting the same sum or equation twice are minimal.
He proudly looks at the ODBS Europe Dalton schoolchildren solving his new Mathematics games' sums and equations. One of the kids walks up to him and asks him what the new binary game is. Christiaan then explains that binary means counting with ones and zeros. A few moments later, the kids solve their first simple binary sums.
The thing I like most? Solutions are now also sought out together. The kids consult with one another before they run to a post for an answer.
- Christiaan Ribbens, Lead UX/Game developer at Lappset Group
Playful learning
ODBS Europe teachers Lieset Vrielink (grades one and two) and Femke de Jonge-Oolderink (grades three and four) are enthusiastic about their students' many possibilities.
Vrielink: "We're trying to use the Yalp Memo Interactive play pillars in a specifically directed manner. We want to integrate the playset into our teaching materials. The cool thing is that the kids don't realize they're learning while playing. In their minds, they think, "we're playing outside". That's quite valuable."
Jonge-Oolderink: "The Yalp Memo Interactive play pillars is very inviting. Sounds come out of the posts, it has many different colours, touch screens, a fun exercise, and you can play in a team or by yourself. And it's outdoors that works. "
"The cool thing is that the kids don't realize they're learning while playing. In their minds, they just think they're playing outside. That's quite valuable."
- Lieset Vrielink, teacher grades one and two at ODBS Europe Dalton School
A big success
Principal Eric Wassens is already looking to the future.
We want to present ourselves as a school that stimulates educational play. We want to ensure that we go outside for at least an hour every day to play and learn. In this case, the Yalp Memo Interactive play pillars is the perfect solution, whether it's language or mathematics.
The primary school students also delightedly use the Yalp Memo Interactive play pillars and the other playsets. A dad watches his daughter solve Memo mathematics sums. He appears to be a local.
This square is just great! My daughter loves to play here. It's a wonderful addition to our neighbourhood.
Would you like to discover more about principal Eric Wassen's experience with the Yalp Memo Interactive play pillars? Check out this interview with Eric Wassen!