By Yusuke Ohno , Takashi Machidori | Project Member
We are making place to play as supporting the management of Koganehama Chibikko Hiroba (Koganehama Kid’s Playground) conducted by local residents and volunteer group. We have been making it by utilizing a wood getting salt damage, debris carried by the tsunami, rusted nails or things being there like that.
It was windy day. Although children play with bonfire in the beginning, when a child who is the first grade at elementally school started digging a hole on the ground suddenly, higher grade children also begun digging holes, and then they continued doing that with excitement for a whole day after that. Some children tended to seclude themselves in their house because they just moved into this area, but they have been able to make friends with all other children before anyone knows. Play let them make friends spontaneously.
On the following day, the child who tended to seclude himself in his house was waiting for us before the beginning of the play event we provided. Just after our arrival, digging hole was restarted. The children who had played together in the day before come to again, and they resumed digging where they left off. Though they had already dug a hole with a depth of 1 m and a width of 1 m, additionally approximately 1.3 meter it was dug in a horizontal direction. However, the hole was in danger of collapse, so digging was stopped temporarily. Then, children and adults thought how it will be kept, together. As a result, they had decided to plank the wall inside with wood, like coal mine. And they promised to gather there again in the next play event and do something next step. It was amazing time.
It is important to focus on what children want to do or what they feel excitement from, as thinking their safety. They can pile their small success on top of another, and gain affluent original experiences in their challenging or the process of trial and error. Sometimes, they end in failure or suffer setbacks, but such experiences are also important for them. We will develop the community environment or adults to watch over the children warmly.
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