The purpose of this study is to see how preschool playgrounds offer children anenvironment that inspires them to movement and physical activity in terms of size,material, and vegetation.Previous research shows that children that have access to a preschool playground that isat least 3000 sqm or 40 sqm per child and that have a variation of vegetation is morelikely to engage in physical activity than children that have a preschool playground that isless than 3000 sqm and that have none or very little vegetation. The research also showsthat preschool playgrounds need to have space for the children to be able to get up tospeed and have materials that are of a movement-inspiring nature and which does notcontribute to sedentary or stationary. We have linked this study to the outdoorpedagogical perspective because it looks at the possibilities of the environment and to thetotality between place material and its interplay.We have gathered information by making observations and by contacting officials in thetargeted areas which we have chosen in Stockholm to collect data about the sizes of allpreschool playgrounds in the area. In order to make the observations we made a checklistof what we needed to observe to get the most accurate results. To know which preschoolsto observe we analyzed the data we collected from the officials in the target areas. Wepicked the preschools with the smallest and the biggest preschool playgrounds in thetarget areas and began our observations.During our observations we could see that our formulated questions are consistent withthe results. The result shows that the larger the preschool playground is, the morepossibility of movement and physical activity it offers to children. We could also see thatthe farther away the preschools were from the city, the bigger they got, and morevegetation was integrated in the environment. We could also see that in comparisonbetween the smaller and the larger preschool playgrounds, the material was moreinspiring to movement and physical activities in the larger ones.

No description available.

School recess can be a problematic setting due to inadequate safety, supervision, and structure. Peer praise notes (PPNs) is a school-wide positive behavior support strategy that was implemented during recess to address these concerns at a Title I elementary school. An ABAB reversal design across all students was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of PPNs. Overall changes in office disciplinary referrals (ODRs) in each phase of the design, an effect size that reflects a highly effective treatment, and a moderately strong and statistically significant negative correlation suggest that PPNs decreased ODRs. Results from social validity surveys completed by eight recess aides and 88 students indicated that participants had positive perceptions of PPNs improving student behavior and peer relations, communicating playground rules, extending supervision responsibilities, and offering structured activity to peer praisers. Students' perceptions were overall more positive than the recess aides' perceptions. Limitations, future research, and implications are addressed.

Introduktion: Leken är en grundläggande mänsklig rättighet för alla barn men trots det brister lekplatserna ofta i tillgängligheten för barn med funktionsnedsättning. Barn som exkluderas från lekplatser kan uppleva isolering, svårt att få vänner och blir mer beroende av vuxna i sin omgivning. Inkluderande lekplatser främjar delaktighet hos barn. Intervjupersonerna i studien arbetar inom kommunen och är ansvariga i arbetet med planering av tillgängliga lekplatser.  Syfte: Att beskriva möjligheter och hinder för kommuner i arbetet med tillgängliga lekplatser. Metod: En empirisk studie med kvalitativ inriktning genomfördes och data samlades in via semistrukturerade intervjuer. Ett strategiskt urval bestående av tio personer gjordes, som alla var ansvariga för lekplatser i respektive kommun och en kvalitativ innehållsanalys utfördes. Resultat: Resultatet av intervjuerna utmynnade i fyra kategorier. Den första kategorin är natur lekmiljöer är både ett hinder och en möjlighet. Kategorin handlar om att kommuner gör om mindre lekplatser till naturlekmiljöer vilket försvårar arbetet med tillgänglighet för barn med motoriska svårigheter men ger ett större lekvärde för andra barn. Den andra kategorin är: För liten budget är ett hinder men kan även vara en möjlighet att tänka utanför boxen och handlar om kommunernas svårigheter med att få pengarna att räcka till i arbetet med lekplatser och tillgängligheten på lekplatserna. Den tredje kategorin är: Det finns både bra och dåliga material som beskriver kommunernas svårigheter att få olika material och miljö att fungera ihop. Den tar upp kommunernas syn på hur branschen är utformad när det gäller tillgängliga material, men också hur kommunerna själva arbetar med att hitta nya lösningar. Den fjärde kategorin är: Samarbeten med många aktörer både hindrar och möjliggör arbetet med lekplatser. Kategorin handlar om samarbeten mellan kommuner och olika grupper vid planering av tillgängliga lekplatser. Den tar också upp svårigheter att få med olika funktionsnedsättningar när inte representanter finns med i grupperna.  Slutsats: Resultatet visade att kommunerna i studien har ungefär samma hinder i sitt arbete men attityden till möjligheter skiljer sig åt. Budgeten var ett stort hinder för samtliga kommuner medan forskning visar att tillgänglighetsanpassning inte behöver innebära extra kostnader. Resultatet visade att ingen kommun använde arbetsterapeuter som profession i arbetet med tillgängliga lekplatser. Enligt forskning besitter arbetsterapeuten en utmärkt position när det gäller barns rätt till lek då de har kunskap om funktionsnedsättningar, miljö och aktiviteten lek. / Introduction: Play is a fundamental human right for all children, but despite this, playgrounds are often lacking in accessibility for children with disabilities. Children who are excluded from playgrounds can experience isolation, struggle to make friends and become more dependent on adults in their environment. Inclusive playgrounds promote participation of children. The interviews in the study work in the municipality and are responsible for planning accessible playgrounds.  Purpose: To describe the opportunities and obstacles for municipalities in the work with accessible playgrounds.  Method: An empirical study with a qualitative approach was conducted and data was collected via semi - structured interviews. A strategically selection of ten people was selected, all of whom were responsible for playgrounds in their municipality. A qualitative content analysis was carried out.  Results: The results of the interviews resulted in four categories. The first category is: playing in natural environments is both an obstacle and an opportunity. The category is about municipalities converting smaller playgrounds into playgrounds in natural environments, which impedes the work on accessibility for children with motor difficulties but provides a greater play area for other children. The second category is: Too small a budget is an obstacle but can also be an opportunity to think outside the box. It's about the municipality's difficulties in getting enough money to work with playgrounds and the accessibility of playgrounds. The third category is: There are good and bad materials that describe the municipality's difficulties in getting different materials and the environment to work together. It addresses the municipalities view of how the industry is designed in terms of available materials, but also how the municipalities themselves work to find new solutions. The fourth category is: Collaborations with many actors include both obstacles and enable the work with playgrounds. The category is about collaborations between municipalities and different groups when planning accessible playgrounds. It also addresses difficulties in including various disabilities when representatives are not included in the groups. Conclusion: The results showed that the municipalities in study have roughly the same obstacle in their work, but the attitude to opportunities differs. The budget was a major obstacle for all municipalities, while research shows that accessibility adaptation does not have to involve extra costs. The result showed that no municipality used occupational therapists as a profession in the work with accessible playgrounds. According to research, occupational therapists are in an excellent position when it comes to children´s right to play as they have knowledge of disabilities, the environment and the activity play.

Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva föräldrars erfarenheter om social delaktighet på lekplatser för barn med fysiska funktionsnedsättningar. Metod: Studien genomfördes som en kvalitativ intervjustudie med semistrukturerade intervjuer, där 12 föräldrar till barn med fysiska funktionsnedsättning intervjuades. Vid analysen av intervjuerna använde författarna en kvalitativ innehållsanalys, vilket resulterade i 2 kategorier. Resultat: Utifrån föräldrarnas erfarenheter visade resultaten att otillgängliga lekplatser begränsade eller hindrade deras barn att vara socialt delaktiga. Det framkom också att tillgängliga lekplatser kunde möjliggöra barn med fysiska funktionsnedsättningars sociala delaktighet om de tillgängliga delarna inte separerades från resterande lekredskap. Föräldrarnas erfarenheter var att framkomligheten på lekplatserna var av stor vikt för att möjliggöra deras barns lek med andra. Resultatet visade även att föräldrarna hade erfarenhet att bemötas av negativa attityder, oförståelse och bristande kunskap från hemkommuner och lekplatsskapare. Barnens beroende av föräldrarnas stöd för att ta sig runt på lekplatser fick föräldrarna att känna sig som ett hinder för deras barn att leka och umgås med andra barn. Slutsats: Slutsatser från studien är att involvera föräldrar till barn med fysiska funktionsnedsättningar och deras barn i skapandet av lekplatsmiljöer för att främja social delaktighet. Vidare diskuteras behovet av arbetsterapeutisk kompetens om meningsfulla aktiviteter samt kunskap om att anpassa miljöer utifrån barns behov kan utgöra ett bra stöd till skaparna av lekplatser för att möjliggöra social delaktighet genom att utforma tillgängliga lekplatser för alla oavsett förmåga. / Aim: The aim of this study was to describe parents experiences of social participation in playgrounds for children with physical disabilities. Method: The study was conducted as a qualitative interview study with semi-structured interviews, where 12 parents of children with physical disabilities were interviewed. When analyzing the interviews, the authors used a qualitative content analysis, which resulted in 2 categories. Results: Based on parents experiences, the results showed that inaccessible playgrounds limited or prevented their children from being socially involved. It also emerged that accessible playgrounds could enable children's social participation if the accessible parts were not separated from the rest of the play equipment. Parents experiences were that the accessibility of playgrounds was of great importance to enable their children to play with others. The results also showed that parents experienced negative attitudes, incomprehension, and lack of knowledge from local authorities and playground designers. Children's dependence on parental support to get around playgrounds made parents feel like a barrier to their children being able to play and socialize with other children. Conclusion: Conclusions from the study is to involve parents of children with physical disabilities and their children in the creation of playground environments to promote social inclusion. It further discusses the need for occupational therapy skills on meaningful activities and knowledge on adapting environments based on children's needs can provide good support to playground designers to enable social inclusion by designing accessible playgrounds for everyone regardless of ability.

Ecological planning relies on a keen awareness of relationships between biophysical and social processes, then uses this knowledge for decision making in accommodating for human needs. The value of this planning process allows for design intervention while also ensuring a sustained use of the landscape, with these insights blending skill and artistry into place-making. In the 1960s, environmental concerns galvanized a generation of landscape architects who first codified ecological planning as a rationale for decisions with environmental stewardship. While this is the accepted canon, in the early 20th century during a period of experimentation and exploration, the Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm was using ecological principles as foundations for landscape architecture practice. This thesis challenges current discourse and accepted history, presenting evidence that the Olmsted Brothers' work in the 1920s predated many modern ecological theories and applications, and is an important addition to the historiography of ecological planning. This thesis largely focuses on Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. as the central historical figure, offering a more in-depth understanding of the evolution of the firm, and fills the gap of the Olmsted legacy. As the children of Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr., Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. (1870-1957) along with his brother John Charles Olmsted (1852-1920) co-founded the Olmsted Brothers and created one of the most prolific landscape architecture practices, developing projects in all aspects of landscape design. The Olmsted Brothers' work in California accounts for over 200 projects, and ranks among the highest number of their 5000 designs developed in the United States. In the early 20th century, the city of Los Angeles offered significant ecological, cultural, and technological challenges for the firm, with the city's unbridled urbanization and proliferate use of water and automobility. Rich in solutions, the firm's built and proposed designs over the course of 20 years revealed the discipline of landscape architecture in its richest and most scalar form. From small scale gardens, residential communities, park and parkway systems, to open space and watershed planning, the Olmsted Brothers created public spaces that worked in relationship to the ecology of the region during a critical juncture in the history of regional planning in Southern California. A range of methods were utilized in this thesis. Primary data provided both qualitative and quantitative material for study and was extracted from letters, reports and writing, drawings, photos, plans and maps. Over 20,000 primary documents, written by the firm's principals, provided the basis for analysis, and in a new way, this thesis interprets not only the written documents, but related construction documents developed from 1914 - 1931. As part of its data collection, an original contribution of this study is a comprehensive corpus of Olmsted Brothers source material from their work in Los Angeles. Methodologies sought to modify these documents into a spatial understanding of their work through digital analysis and re-creation of designs. The Olmsted Brothers' design solutions provide insights into today's ongoing concerns about water management, sustainable urban planning, and multifunctional landscapes. Their design proposals solved multiple problems with the design, accounting for not only vast geography, but complex cultural and natural systems within it. The value of their ideas reflects landscape architecture solutions as hybrid, dynamic, and strategic, offering 21st century practitioners paradigms in an ever-changing ecology.

Playgrounds do not have to be static sites, but safety standards should not be the only force that guides their evolution over time. Just as the ongoing transformation of any city is a product of many interwoven factors, the collection of smaller sites that delineates one city from another should reflect the same holistic influences. This is not an argument for the abandonment of the safety standards that influence playground design. Instead, it is an argument for the adoption of and stronger adherence to community standards that influence city design. This paper argues that a park area (and more generally, any public space) that is relevant and unique to a community will be well-used by the community and, thus, a successful space; it is in a city’s best interest to create such spaces where they are lacking and protect them where they already exist. The first chapter provides a land-centric history of the growth and development of the Los Angeles region, which is especially deficient in public green space. I argue that transportation technology and infrastructure was the great shaping force of the urban environment during the 19th and 20th centuries, and discuss the Olmsted-Bartholomew “Parks, Playgrounds, and Beaches for the Los Angeles Region” report that was presented to the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce in 1930. The second chapter covers the design communication of American playgrounds since their beginnings in the late 19th century. I also analyze the parallel between Progressive Era playground supervision and the present-day safety standard obsession that has created an equally rigid playscape. The third chapter is a case study of the ongoing historical preservation treatment of La Laguna playground at Vincent Lugo Park in San Gabriel, CA and a discussion of the value of site-specificity.

Background: Few studies have delved into the relationship of the social environment with children’s physical activity and outdoor play in public playgrounds by considering gender differences. The aim of the present study was to examine gender differences and the relationship of the social environment with children’s physical activity and outdoor play in public playgrounds. Methods: A quantitative, observational study was conducted at ten playgrounds in one district of a middle-sized town in Germany. The social environment, physical activity levels, and outdoor play were measured using a modified version of the System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth. Results: In total, 266 observations of children (117 girls/149 boys) between four and 12 years old were used in this analysis. Significant gender differences were found in relation to activity types, but not in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The presence of active children was the main explanatory variable for MVPA. In the models stratified by gender, the presence of opposite-sex children was a significant negative predictor of MVPA in girls but not in boys. Conclusions: The presence of active children contributes to children’s physical activity levels in public playgrounds. Girls’ physical activity seems to be suppressed in the presence of boys.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:42:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cintia Ribeiro Rondon.pdf: 30479827 bytes, checksum: 848b26a4d6902af7d3585aa5fd269439 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-21 / Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie / In a first moment, the research intended to rescue the lost laces , or better, undones between the human being, the human being in your first childhood and the natural environment while favorable environment to the psychic wellness, to the health and to the educative practices aiming learnings in the Infant Education, in a integrated manner. And this affinity, the need of the meeting between the human being and the nature can be demonstrated in vary artistic records, as pictures, tapestries, wares, sculptures, and other artistic manifestations (and even in people´s own names, of streets, neighbors or cities) and in the core of many religions and philosophies. The second moment of the thesis tried to answer the following question formulated by the tutores to focus better the study objects: Which phase of the scholar education would be pertinent in this study that seeks pioneer examples that owned educative green yards in the city of São Paulo? Actually, if we wish to know about the pioneers built in the city of São Paulo, the right is the famous phrase: begin by the beginning . In other words, the ideal is to focus the research in the scholar yards of the Infant Education, for being the first scholar yard of the life of a child after his or her contact with their´s family yards. And in this way we start to lapidate yard-gardens of paulistanos´ Kindergartens! Research that detailed, raised data and facts known and unpublished about gardens (Landscaping Art) & children (History of Culture, in the case the Infantile) & Kindergarten (Education). Interdisciplinary extension contemplated in the Stricto Sensu`s course profile in Education, Art and History of Culture in which this thesis is inserted. Invisible yards, these and our pioneer paulistanos. Still little is known about them, historically, architecturally. Except lot of works about its Pedagogy based in the Froebel System theory that amalgamated the examples identified and selected. Therefore, we call them invisible Yards, because we need to transform them visible again. Because they were capable to connect garden and infant education and natural environment. And also can be rescued to renew the actual scholar yards, starting by the firsts: of Infant Education. These discoveries are made with emphasis in a last moment, with the deeper study about the garden of the Kindergarten attached to the Escola Normal Caetano de Campos: Histories of a caetanista Kindergarten student, Architecture and Landscaping. Followed by a serie of reflexions of the own graduate student in the reading of projects in this areas. Possible analyses if understood in two big concepts: of Micro-History of Cultural History (Peter Burke) and of Method of the Theory Based on Data , de Glaser and Strauss. / Num primeiro momento, a pesquisa pretendeu resgatar os laços perdidos, ou melhor, desfeitos entre o ser humano, o ser humano em sua primeira infância e o meio natural enquanto ambiente favorável ao bem estar psíquico, à saúde e às práticas educativas visando aprendizagens na fase da Educação Infantil, de modo integrado. E esta afinidade, a necessidade do encontro entre o ser humano e a natureza pode ser demonstrada em vários registros artísticos, como quadros, tapeçarias, louças, esculturas, entre outras manifestações artísticas (e até mesmo no próprio nome das pessoas, de ruas, bairros ou cidades) e no cerne de muitas religiões e filosofias. O segundo momento da tese tentou responder a seguinte pergunta formulada pela orientadora para focar mais os objetos de estudo: Qual fase da educação escolar seria pertinente neste estudo que busca exemplares pioneiros que possuíssem "pátios educativos verdes" na cidade de São Paulo? Na verdade, se desejamos saber sobre os pioneiros construídos na cidade de São Paulo, o certo é a famosa frase: "começar pelo começo". Ou seja, ideal é focar a pesquisa nos pátios escolares da Educação Infantil, por serem o primeiro pátio escolar da vida de uma criança após seu contato com o quintal de sua família. E assim começamos a "lapidar" pátios-jardins dos Jardins de Infância dos paulistanos! Pesquisa que detalhou, levantou dados e fatos - conhecidos e inéditos - sobre jardins (Arte Paisagística) & crianças (História da Cultura, no caso a Infantil) & Jardins da Infância (Educação). Gama interdisciplinar contemplada no perfil do curso de Stricto Sensu em "Educação, Arte e História da Cultura" no qual esta tese esta inserida. Pátios invisíveis, estes e os nossos pioneiros paulistanos. Ainda pouco se sabe sobre eles, historicamente, arquitetonicamente. Exceto muitos trabalhos sobre sua Pedagogia baseada no Sistema de Froebel - teoria que amalgamou os exemplares identificados e selecionados. Assim, os chamamos de "Pátios Invisíveis", porque precisamos torná-los visíveis novamente. Porque eles foram capazes de conectar jardim e educação infantil e meio natural. E também podem ser "resgatados" para renovar os pátios escolares presentes, a começar pelos primeiros: da Educação Infantil. Estas descobertas se dão com ênfase num último momento, com o aprofundado estudo sobre o jardim do Jardim da Infância anexo à Escola Normal Caetano de Campos: Histórias de uma aluna do Jardim da Infância caetanista, Arquitetura e Paisagismo. Acompanhado de uma série de reflexões da própria mestranda na leitura dos projetos destas áreas. Análises possíveis se entendidas dentro de dois grandes conceitos: o da Micro-História da História Cultural (Peter Burke) e o do "Método da Teoria Fundamentada nos Dados", de Glaser e Strauss.

The subject of this diploma thesis is the preparation of project documentation for the implementation of new sports and cultural centre Otradov. The dominant feature of the complex objects stands and multipurpose hall. The building is architecturally designed with an effort to fit in too much of rural architecture. Multipurpose hall has two floors, one third roofed flat roof, two-thirds of the roof ridge. The core system is aerated concrete blocks. The building is two-storey grandstand with the carrier deck. Roofing is solved by means of broken wooden beams. Sanitary facilities is dealt wall system and roofed shed roof. Athletics track, the surface of the polyurethane mixture designed for sports.