Omokoroa No 1 School pupils are showing great creative skills and ideas as they prepare their work for the new Omokoroa playground design schools’ project.
Omokoroa No 1 School, along with Omokoroa Point School, Pahoia, Whakamarama and Te Puna schools are taking part in the playground design project, led by Western Bay of Plenty District Council with assistance from Pirirakau Hapu, the local Tangata Whenua.
The new playground is part of a revamp of the Omokoroa Domain and Esplanade being undertaken by Council over the next three years.
Council’s Project Leader Scott Parker and his team visited Room 4 students recently to catch up with how their ideas were turning into playground designs.
Teachers Rob Maclaren and Liz Webster have certainly inspired their students – resulting in a range of fabulous ideas including giant lizards with slides as their tongues; a pedal-powered water gun; turtle trampolines; octopus slides; a pyramid rock climb; flying foxes; a mushroom forest; Viking architecture; a submarine with hamster-wheel propellers; fish ponds; rock walls; interactive games and artistic impressions of Mauao and the Omokoroa environment.
Rob says the project has involved maths, technology and science – the equivalent of a whole term of work and Liz says whatever happens, the students have embraced the project and learned a lot.
One of the students described his playground model as an “amazing amazement” and another student, Dylan described the playground classes as – “fun when you can get out of learning.”
Council’s consultant landscape architect Tim Lander (LOAM) is excited at the visualisation of the students and the transformation of their ideas into playground designs through paintings, wood crafts, paper-mache, every-day household items and collage works.
“The ‘low-tech’ methods of sketching and modelling are a good way to explore the essence of ideas.
“These students should be very proud of their achievements, their care and enthusiasm for the project is obvious and impressive. Their work is right on track with what we are looking for and I’m excited about using these and the ideas from the other four schools as we move into the next design phase.”
University of Waikato student teacher Jordi Langdon says he has been “blown away” with some of the ideas that children have come up with and the way they are expressing those ideas through craft work and drawings.
“When I ask them what is their favourite class – they say it’s doing the playground designs. They are loving this project. It’s been a lot of fun and challenging for them.”
The schools have been working on the project throughout Term Two and their ideas will be showcased at a community event on Saturday, 27 July from 1pm at the Omokoroa Boat Club. Each school will have display tables and walls to exhibit their works for the wider community to view.
