If given the opportunity, I would pretend I’m Wonder Woman and fly face first down a slide just to feel like a kid again…but, alas, I’m still an adult and not as “cool” (according to my kids) as I think I am. To have a child’s imagination again would be so incredibly amazing to me–no concern of flying down the slide and finding the ground with my face…just flying as fast as I can to defeat Ares! When it comes to park planning and playground design, often times it’s the adults/parents that give feedback at outreach events, but it’s the kids who ultimately experience every aspect of a playground. Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District knew this and tasked CALA with developing an effective blend of outreach techniques for the Village Park project to maximize participation and get the most feedback possible. With that, we all knew it was a must to hold a Kid’s Workshop!
Through a blend of posters, e-blasts and Facebook “event” sign-ups, the word was spread and over 100 participants showed up to the workshop. This workshop allowed kids to vote on their favorite park elements, design their own park, check out playground materials, and even take a virtual reality tour through two playground designs. CALA has developed great relationships with playground manufacturers and vendors, and collaborated with a couple of them on this project to design 3D models of two playground concepts. By having this type of technology present during the workshop, kids (and parents) were able to visualize potential improvements. All of the kids participated in each station and gave us great ideas and feedback (and not just because they got ice cream from Rich’s Ice Cream Catering afterwards).
We are looking forward to incorporating their ideas into the final design…although we may not be able to find sand that won’t attract cats. But, you never know!
For more project and outreach information CLICK HERE
