Page 54 - Designing Ways 247

WELLNESS

Photo credit: Brandon Clifford

he Grayson Play-Lab is a landscape. These colossal creatures
Grayson Play-Lab reimagining education by learning are unlike other play structures. The
Tfrom Neolithic observatories. recognizable colours, textures, and
Radnor, United States As schools prepare for the return of materials of common play structures
students, questions remain about how have grown up, prioritising maturity over
to balance effective education within the padding for a false sense of safety. These
confines of pre-pandemic classrooms. monstrous elements are unrecognisable as
A recent report from Harvard’s Chan interactive play objects and, instead, they
School of Public Health is calling for serve as scaffolds to fuel the imagination
maximising physical distancing through of the project-based learning curriculum
known procedures, as well as taking the of The Grayson School.
classroom outdoors. Early childhood “It is an exciting challenge for us at
education already includes imaginative CEMEX to think about how the material
play in the form of recess, but middle and properties of our concrete technologies
upper school students are rarely educated can directly contribute to play and
outside. This is not only a pandemic- education, but also how play can challenge
related issue, but also a pervasive us to think differently about material
assumption that children age their way itself.” — Davide Zampini, CEMEX
out of play in adolescence. Global R&D
“We know that play is an essential Matter Design sculpted the elements
component for educating children of with cryptic details that entice curiosity.
all ages. When students (and adults) These details are as practical as they are
engage in play, they unleash creativity cryptic, with alignments to themselves as
and problem-solving, experience wonder well as to the cosmos. These alignments are
and joy, and develop teamwork and developed in concert with the curriculum
persistence. At this moment, it is crucial of the school. Over the course of their
that we continue to have a dedicated focus education, students are challenged to
on play, and that we re-imagine education discover the meaning behind these design
to leverage the potentials of learning decisions, to calculate their coordinates,
outdoors.” — Melissa Bilash, The Grayson and to understand the logic of how high
School design can influence their whimsical, but
As leaders in innovative educational rigorous education.
practices for gifted students, The Grayson To spark agency for the students, a
School challenged Matter Design to family of wooden instruments, called
provide a play space for their upper ‘glyphs’, serve as a starter kit to bring the
grade students and teachers that would play-lab to life. Reminiscent of a type-set,
ignite an age-appropriate version of each is unique, but share properties with
imaginative learning. In partnership with their neighbours. These colourful tools
CEMEX Global R&D, Matter Design have dimensions and forms that suggest
created an otherworldly collection of a usefulness without overtly prescribing
curious concrete characters situated in singular functions. This blending of

Photo credit: Ally O’Rourke-Barrett

54 Issue 247 • dw