The Playbrary(TM): A Conceptual Toolkit

World Road trip!

Mystery Grab a book scanner.

Pick a game you want to play.

Find a book with that the right color sticker.

Find a place to work and use your portable book scanner to scan the barcode and enjoy!

Don’t forget, reading the book will help you advance in the game!

GEO GRA PHY

Y APH GR GEO

GE OG GA RAPH ME Stick S! Y er Ga me Ty pe Unite Geogd State s rap hy Califo Geog rnia rap hy

Coun Wo tries of rld th

e

Road

Grab a Pic

trip!

Myste

ry

book sc k Find a game anne colora book you wa r. stick with nt to Find that pla er. the y. portaa place right the ble bo to wo barco ok rk an d us de anscanne Don’t d en r to e your help forge joy scan you t, re adva ading ! nce the in th book e ga me will !

THE PL AYBRARY™: A C o n c e p t u a l To o l K i t

Prepared for MKThink by Willy Mann, Strategist MKThink

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C o n c e p t s , g r a p h i c s a n d t e x t f o r t h e P l a y b r a r y ™ C o n c e p t u a l To o l Kit were developed for MKThink by Willy Mann, Strategist MKThink

Roundhouse One 1500 Sansome Street San Francisco, CA. 94111 all content is proprietary

THE PL AYBRARY™: A C o n c e p t u a l To o l K i t CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

2

THE LIBRARY

3

THE PLAYGROUND

5

THE PLAYBRARY™!

7

CONCEPTUAL MODEL

8

KIT OF PARTS

9

POSTS + PLATFORMS

10

BRIDGES + CLIMBERS

11

ENCLOSURES

12

SHELVES + DESKS

13

PLAY PANELS

15

PLAY + LEARN STRUCTURE

21

SPATIAL COMPONENTS

25

SPATIAL CONFIGURATIONS

26

CONCLUSION 27 REFERENCES 29

I NTRO D UCTI O N

INTRO The goal of any library should be to foster a culture of lifelong learning. However, contemporary libraries too often fail to meet that ambition. A hybrid learning environment, the Playbrary™ attempts to develop an innovative educational space that directly engages children in order to provide an educational environment that is ideally suited to achieve the goal of developing lifelong learners.

Traditional libraries are based on a relatively static and increasingly unsuccessful model.

Serving two primary functions, access to information and providing spaces to synthesize information, the library has come to support a relatively stagnant narrative: grab a book from a shelf and go find a place to read and write about it.

While this narrative is expertly adapted to promoting a culture of research often associated with higher education, it fails to adhere to the learning habits of young children.

The library wants to create a calm and relatively sterile space. Children on the other hand, have a propensity for movement and excitement.

By demanding children conform to the educational environment of the library, rather than embracing their desire for dynamism, the library often serves as a hindrance, rather than an asset, to a child’s education.

The Playbrary™ project represents an attempt to develop an educational environment that is more attuned to the way children want to engage with the world. They want to run, touch, scream, climb and create. Children want to have fun and play! Rather than discourage these tendencies in the learning process, the Playbrary™ represents a new learning typology in which play is an integral part of the educational process.

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The Playbrary™: Conceptual Tool Kit | Overview

This booklet serves as a conceptual roadmap for developing such a space. The following pages contain the strategic framework, learning model, initial kit of parts and spatial framework for realizing a Playbrary™. This guide should be used as an initial starting point. Each section builds on the rationale and conceptual framework for the Playbrary™. You might love some ideas and hate others. That’s ok! The Tool Kit is does not lay out a detailed technical schematic, but rather provides a conceptual roadmap for developing a hybridized playlearn space. The Conceptual Tool Kit is firstand-foremost here to inspire new ways of approaching the design of elementary school libraries by incorporating what children instinctively love to do: play!

STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK |

Spectrum

MKTHINK SUMMER INTERNSHIP 2013

S T R AT EG I C F R A M E WO R K

LIBRARY

PLAYGROUND

PLAYGROUND

While the contemporary elementary school library is good at providing a space to house and synthesize information, it does a poor job of mentally stimulating its visitors. No matter how many color variations or shapes they come in, shelves, desks and seating can only go so far in sparking the imagination of children.

Luckily, one only needs to look outside the library windows in order to see what a dynamic, exciting and adventurous space looks like. For years the playground and the unstructured play associated with it, have provided children with the opportunity to let their imaginations (and themselves) run free. Yet, even amongst the chaos of running and screaming children, there is learning going on. Kids are teaching each other new words and concepts, learning social skills, how to collaborate with one another, how to tell and listen to stories as well as general cultural practices.

What if the library were to try and learn something from the playground? What new typology would result? Enter, the Playbrary™.

LIBRARY

The Playbrary™ is an attempt to find a middle ground between what initially appear to be polar opposites. Existing somewhere between the chaotic running, climbing, screaming of the playground and the quiet, contemplative, learning of the library, the Playbrary™ synthesizes the strengths of both in order to establish a new innovative learning space.

St rategic Fram ewo rk S PEC T R U M

“PLAYBRARY™”

It can be hard to get kids excited about a room full of books, but something amazing happens when kids play games on the playground. They open themselves up to new experiences, wonderment and learning that they might otherwise oppose.

The Playbrary™ looks to build on that phenomenon by creating a space that provides a diverse set of environments and encourages exploration and self-guided decisions throughout. In the Playbrary™, it’s up to the child to decide what and how they would like to learn.

In order to productively combine these two seemingly disparate spaces, it is first important to understand the functions, forms and attributes of each.

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L ibrary F UNCTI O N S

LIBRARY FUNCTIONS MAIN STACKS

COMPUTERS

“STEP-UP” READING AREA

GROUP READING

CHECKOUT

CHILDREN’S STACKS

HELP DESK

FORMS

ATTRIBUTES

FUNCTIONS

STUDY SPACE

3

storage

interpersonal interactions

digital media

supervision

indoors

structured

quiet

adults rearrange space

private reading space

group reading space

private workspace

group workspace

The Playbrary™: Conceptual Tool Kit | Library

archive

digital interface

The spaces within a traditional library are easily catalogued. Its basic functions, attributes and forms all support a rather direct and static conceptual model: access information and synthesize that information. Libraries are incredibly adept at providing access to a diverse and plentiful collection of information and they are one of the few quiet and contemplative spaces for young children. However, the conceptual model of the library has its issues when considering the restless minds of young children. While this model is successful at cultivating a research culture that is prevalent that in higher education, it can be a rather dull learning environment for the active minds of young children.

While some students may thrive in the quiet seclusion of the library, its often sterile environment has few options for the active and impulsive learner. The constant back-and-forth between getting a book and reading a book (for example) does not necessarily appeal to the elementary school child that desires to use all her senses when engaging in the learning process.

For these children, the library ’s linear model does little to motivate or inspire. It produces no momentum with which to drive the child through the learning process. While the library is great in some respects, its lack of motivation and propulsion for children leads to an educational environment that regularly fails to foster lifelong learning for all children.

L ibrary AT TRI BUTES + FO R M S

LIBRARY CONCEPTUAL MODEL

LIBRARY ACCESS INFORMATION

SYNTHESIZE INFORMATION

EXPLORE

PLAYGROUND

MKTHINK

ACCELERATE

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P lay g ro und F UNCTI O N S

PL AYGROUND FUNCTIONS PUZZLE WALL JUNGLE GYM

BRIDGE PLAY BENCHES

SWING SET

CLIMBING WALL

BENCHES

FORMS

ATTRIBUTES

FUNCTIONS

SLIDE

5

physical fitness

interpersonal interactions

exploration/ discovery

supervision

outdoors

malleable

loud

whimsical

elevated

climbing apparatuses

bridges + tunnels

accelerators

interactive accessories

forts

The Playbrary™: Conceptual Tool Kit | Playground

In direct contrast to the library, the playground is loud, active and kinetic. Without any external instruction, children intuitively know how to engage with a playground and can easily run around endlessly from the sandbox, to the monkey bars, to the slide without losing interest. While a playground is hardly the first thing one associates with a library, there is a lot one can learn from its conceptual model.

The playground provides children with a self-perpetuating, recursive experience. For example, kids explore, accelerate, and recharge before starting over again. This process is often repeated on end until a child’s parent tells them its time to leave. It is this type of self-motivation, ACCESS SYNTHESIZE unstructured activity and self-guided decision making that can be so appealing to a child.

LIBRARY

INFORMATION

INFORMATION

When engaging with a playground a child is regularly given the opportunity to activate and deactivate spaces, re-purpose existing forms and develop their own patterns. At times it may be loud, messy and chaotic, but there is something to be learned from the way in which a child so carelessly and ecstatically interacts with a playground.

P lay g ro und AT TRI BUTES + FO R M S

PL AYGROUND CONCEPTUAL MODEL

EXPLORE

PLAYGROUND RECHARGE

ACCELERATE

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P laybrary™ WELCO ME!

INTRODUCING THE PLAYBRARY™!

GEO GRA PHY

PHY GRA GEO

GE OG GA RAPH ME Stick S! Y er Ga me Ty pe Unite Geogd State s rap hy Califo Geog rnia rap hy

Coun Wo tries of rld th

e

Road

trip!

Myste

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Grab a Pick book sc Find a game anne colora book you wa r. stick with nt to Find that pla er. the y. portaa place right the ble bo to wo barco ok rk an d us de anscanne Don’t d en r to e your help forge joy scan you t, re adva ading ! nce the in th book e ga me will !

As its name implies, the Playbrary™ is the manifestation of the belief that the functions, attributes and forms of both the library and the playground can come together to create a new educational typology that engages the whole child as a means to foster lifelong learning.

Residing directly between the disparate poles of the playground and the library, the Playbrary™ leverages the access to information and educational value inherent in the library alongside the excitement and malleability of the playground in order to provide children with a unique learning experience. Rather than “finishing their homework before they can play,” the Playbrary™ encourages children to play while they learn!

In combining playing and learning, the Playbrary™ establishes a hybrid environment that accounts for the kinetic learning habits of children. Children are encouraged to explore and discover new ways to adapt spaces within the Playbrary™ in order to best suit their own needs. By promoting self-guided decision making and independent discovery, the Playbrary™ makes learning fun and dynamic. The result is a self-perpetuating learning experience that leads to the development of lifelong learners.

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The Playbrary™: Conceptual Tool Kit | The Playbrary™

The primary goal of the Playbrary™ is to provide an educational environment that fosters lifelong learning. The Playbrary™ achieves this goal through a framework that is flexible, fun to explore and self-sustaining.

The traditional library model is relatively static, primarily focusing on providing spaces to access and synthesize information. Applying lessons learned from the way children interact with a playground, the Playbrary™ expands on the library model by providing children with opportunities to test their knowledge and share their findings alongside traditional library spaces for accessing and synthesizing information. As integral functions of the Playbrary™, prototyping and sharing knowledge establish new ways of learning within the library and advocate for the continual exploration of new ideas and materials.

Book are read, games are played, new ideas are formed, shared and remixed leading to a whole new set of curiosities and topics to explore.

Thus a fluid and continual learning process is established: information is accessed, synthesized, tested and children share their findings with their friends which in turn leads to new questions yet to be explored.

This self-perpetuating conceptual model is the foundation for the Playbrary™. Operating simultaneously at various scales, the Playbrary ’s™ learning cycle, coupled with its whimsical and malleable spaces, provides for an energetic and agile learning environment that is ideally situated to foster lifelong learning.

SYNTHESIZE INFORMATION

ACCESS INFORMATION

P laybrary™ PL AY B RAR Y ™ | C on ce pt u a l M ode l

GOALS OF THE PLAYBRARY™

PLAYBRARY™ FUNCTIONS SHARE / ASK

PROTOTYPE + TEST

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P lay b rar y ™ KI T O F PARTS | I ntrod u ction

P L AY B RA R Y ™ K IT O F PA RT S This kit of parts serves as an initial list of the possible components that make up the Playbrary™. Drawing from both the playground and library, each component within the kit of parts is conceived to perpetuate the Playbrary ’s™ learning model of accessing information, synthesizing information, prototyping /testing and asking /sharing. The kit of parts is composed of five basic categories: Posts and Platforms, Climbers and Bridges, Enclosures, Shelves and Desks, and Play + Learn Panels.

As a whole, the kit of parts is a great starting point for developing a Playbrary™, but each component should be treated as a conceptual springboard for new forms and ideas. This kit of parts is completely customizable in order to support the common goal of developing an educational environment that fosters lifelong learning.

The individual components in this kit of parts can be combined to create the different spatial components of the library. From the interactive and kinetic spaces of the Play + Learn Structures, to the quiet and contemplative Zones of Seclusion and the loud and collaborative Library Commons.

Consult with existing manufacturers of playground or library equipment for best practices.

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The Playbrary™: Conceptual Tool Kit | The Playbrary™

POSTS AND PLATFORMS P laybrary™ K I T O F PARTS | Pos t s + P lat for m s

Playbrary™ posts and platforms are appropriated directly from the playground.

As the central structural element of the Playbrary™, they are the foundation for all other Playbrary™ components.

POSTS • Posts serve as the primary structural element of the Playbrary™ structures. All other parts (platforms, enclosures, play + learn panels, etc.) attach to the posts • Posts come in multiple size to allow for varied elevated Playbrary™ environments • Refer to existing manufacturers of playground equipment (such as Landscape Structures) for ideal heights and spacing of Playbrary™ posts.

• Consider integrating data and power with Playbrary™ posts in order to maximize flexibility, digital integration and networked learning PLATFORMS • Platforms come in various shapes that can fit together to create various configurations.

• Regardless of shape, the “active edges” of a platform – the side(s) that can receive other components such as Enclosures or Play + Learn Panels – should be a consistent size to allow for maximum adaptability.

• Refer to existing manufacturers of playground equipment (such as Landscape Structures) for ideal shapes and sizing of platforms.

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P lay b rar y ™ KIT O F PARTS | Clim b e r s + B r id ge s 11

CLIMBERS AND BRIDGES Climbers and bridges are essential in giving children access to and traversing elevated platforms.

CLIMBERS • Climbers’ primary purpose is to provide children with a means to get from the ground to the elevated platforms.

• While the initial Playbrary™ kit of parts only consists of a basic ladder climber, developers are encouraged to incorporate more adventurous climbers often found on playgrounds such as climbing walls, ropes and climbing nets.

• Refer to existing manufacturers of playground equipment (such as Landscape Structures) for ideas for climbers.

BRIDGES • Bridges allow children to traverse platforms at different elevations and can be an attraction in their own right.

• When inserting a bridge into a Play + Learn Structure, it is important to be mindful of the clearance below. Bridges should be placed high enough to allow children to pass beneath with relative ease.

The Playbrary™: Conceptual Tool Kit | The Playbrary™

E N C LO S U R E S P laybrary™ K I T O F PARTS |

Enclosures serve two primary functions: safety and privacy. They can create a safe perimeter around elevated platforms to keep children from falling as well as establish boundaries for small enclosed spaces for reading, sharing or studying.

RAILINGS • Railings primary function is to prevent children from falling.

• Railings should be relatively transparent to create open spaces that are easy to supervise.

WALLS

En c los u re s

• Wall enclosures are best suited for creating “private rooms” within the Playbrary™.

• Walls can be brightly colored, decorated or themed in order to create a lively educational environment.

INTERACTIVE ENCLOSURES • Even though enclosures are conceptually utilitarian, they don’t have to be bland! Enclosures should fit within the Playbrary™ typology and create exciting and adventurous learning spaces.

• The “Bubble Enclosure” (right) is a good example of an interactive enclosure.

Providing children with a window to the rest of the Playbrary™, the Bubble enclosure is particularly suited for higher elevations in the Playbrary™ in order give children a unique perspective of the space.

• Note that Play + Learn Panels can also function as interactive enclosures.

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P lay b rar y ™ KI T O F PARTS | S h e lve s + De s ks 13

S H E LV E S A N D D E S K S Shelf and desk components are the most familiar of the Playbrary ’s™ kit of parts to traditional libraries. Conceived of as modular pieces within a larger whole, shelves and desks can be added, removed and rearranged within Play + Learn structures to provide children with access to book storage and workspaces.

SHELVES • Three basic shelf components can be pieced together to create a stack between two posts: bottom, middle and top.

• Bottom and middle shelves have a back panel that provides a secure backing to protect books from falling off one-sided stacks.

• Top and middle shelves have triangular supports that serve as the book ends or sides of stacks.

DESKS • Desk units are straight forward, elongated surfaces that fit between two posts.

• Desks can be used either for computers (as show in the diagram on the right) or be left empty to allow for a more traditional workspace.

• Desks can be attached back-to-back between two posts in order to create a table that can be used as a collaborative workspace.

The Playbrary™: Conceptual Tool Kit | The Playbrary™

SHELF AND DESK CONFIGURATIONS P laybrary™ K I T O F PARTS |

The modularity of the shelf and desk components allows them to be combined in countless ways in order to create flexible and agile spaces within the Playbrary™. Heights are easily adjustable and shelves and desks can be combined to create a direct proximity between accessing information and synthesizing it.

Shelf and desk heights should be comparable to the average height of the students who will be using them. (See the graphic below to assist with sizing stacks and desks.)

AVERAGE HEIGHT BY AGE Grade Level

Height

5 6 7 8 9 10

K 1 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th 5 th

40” 41 1/2 ” 43 1/2 ” 45” 48” 51”

40”

Small Stack

5 (K)

41 1/2”

6 (1st)

C onfigu rat ion s

Age

43 1/2”

7 (2nd)

45”

48”

8 (3rd)

9 (4th)

51”

10 (5th)

Large Stack

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P lay b rar y ™ KI T O F PARTS | Play + Le ar n Pan e ls

P L AY + L E A R N PA N E L S INTRODUCING THE PLAY + LEARN PANEL With the core belief that reading, writing and sitting at a computer aren’t the only ways children can learn, the Playbrary ’s™ Play + Learn Panels brings new approaches to learning into the library space. Situated directly in the middle of the playground–library spectrum, Play + Learn Panels focus on learning through play and games. Play + Learn Panels give children the opportunity for hands-on learning. Within the larger Playbrary™ framework, the panels serve as a space for children to prototype and test new knowledge they have synthesized from books or computers throughout the Playbrary™. However, even in isolation, the panels exude the Playbrary ’s™ learning model: accessing information, synthesizing information, prototyping /testing and sharing / asking. Each individual panel provides children with a complete learning experience. Even if a child comes to the Playbrary™ just to interact with a Play + Learn Panel, they will leave having learned something new. Like the rest of the Playbrary™ Kit of Parts, the Play + Learn Panels on the following pages represent a starting point for the development of a diverse set of panels to cover a comprehensive set of skills and subjects. In many cases, the panels represent general concepts for moving forward.

BASIC PLAY + LEARN PANEL GUIDELINES • All panels should be designed to develop skills relevant to a school district’s curriculum in addition to developing basic skills relevant to children ages 5-10. This includes, but is not limited to literacy, visual thinking, collaboration, social skills, and problem solving in addition to subjectspecific learning.

• Playbraries should include a variety of different Play + Learn Panels that focus on developing unique skills through various degrees of multi-sensory interaction in

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The Playbrary™: Conceptual Tool Kit | The Playbrary™

order to account for a child’s individualized interests and learning styles.

• When possible, panels should integrate technology to teach digital literacy and link to online networks to extend the learning process beyond the walls of the Playbrary™.

• Utilizing an online network, panels should focus on creating a fluid and evolving set of new informational material. The online network should connect the home, classroom and other schools to a common Playbrary™ portal to encourage collaboration and remixing of their peers’ productions.

P L AY + L E A R N PA N E L – S TO R Y B OA R D

went to the

for lunch. Before

a giant

appeared and

for lunch. Before

BROWSE

P laybrary™ K I T O F PARTS | S tor y B oa rd

One day the

to get sixteen

got to the

One day the

went to the

to get sixteen

the

for lunch. Before

got to the

got to the

SHARE

a giant

appeared and

for lunch. Before

INTRODUCING THE STORY BOARD! The Story Board is an interactive visual mad-lib game that utilizes pictograms, a digital touch screen and the library network. Students can create their own stories, share them, read what their friends have created and remix them into new adventures.

the

got to the

LEARNING CYCLE REMIX THEIR STORIES

CREATE A STORY we

to get sixteen

got to the

READ THEIR STORIES

READ YOUR STORY

SUGGESTED PAIRINGS Due to its emphasis on developing literacy and narrative skills, the Story Board is an excellent compliment to a Playbrary ’s™ English language arts or fiction collection.

BROWSE OTHER PEOPLE’S STORIES

SKILLS DEVELOPED : • Vocabulary • Narrative Skills • Basic Grammar • Visual Thinking

SHARE YOUR STORY

• Digital Literacy • Collaborative Play • Creative Play

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P lay b rar y ™ K I T O F PARTS | Play B ook

P L AY + L E A R N PA N E L – P L AY B O O K T H E G A ME B OA RD Instructions

Grab a book scanner.

Pick a game you want to play.

Find a book with that the right color sticker.

Find a place to work and use your portable book scanner to scan the barcode and enjoy!

Don’t forget, reading the book will help you advance in the game!

INTRODUCING THE PLAY BOOK! An new way to explore the library. The Play Book integrates digital interfaces with tangible books. Using a portable touch screen device with a barcode scanner attachment, the student can go beyond the pages of a book to enhance their learning experience.

Sticker Game Type United States Geography

Road trip!

California Geography

Mystery

Countries of the World

LEARNING CYCLE FIND YOUR NEXT GAME!

UPLOAD YOUR SCORE

FIND A BOOK

SCAN THE BARCODE

SUGGESTED PAIRINGS The Play Book is an excellent way to introduce a new means of exploring any section within the Playbrary™. It is preferable to have at least one Play Book per each unique subject matter within the Playbrary™ collection (e.g. math/ science, social studies and language arts).

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The Playbrary™: Conceptual Tool Kit | The Playbrary™

USE THE BOOK TO HELP BEAT LEVELS OF THE GAME

SKILLS DEVELOPED : • Research Skills • Visual Thinking • Digital Literacy • Collaborative Play

PLAY THE GAME AND LEARN ABOUT THE SUBJECT

• Creative Play

P L AY + L E A R N PA N E L – M U S I C S T U D I O

RECORD!

digital interface (login > record > share)

SHARE login:

instrument

INTRODUCING THE MUSIC STUDIO! The Music Studio comes in a pair of at least two panels spaced throughout the Playbrary™ and allows children to create, record and share music they ’ve made either alone or with a friend! The panels are composed of an electronic instrument, digital touch screen display and a directional speaker.

SUGGESTED PAIRINGS The Music Studio is designed to have multiple panels spread out around a Playbrary™.

The individual panels should be placed near relevant materials in the collection, such as art, culture or music. While the directional speaker is designed to contain noise to the immediate vicinity, the Music Studio will inevitably be one of the louder panels in the Playbrary™ and should be positioned accordingly.

P laybrary™ K I T O F PARTS | M u s ic S t u dio

directional speaker

PLAYING TOGETHER DIRECTION SPEAKERS AND DIGITAL INSTRUMENT KEEPS EXCESS NOISE DOWN

SPACED OUT IN PLAYBRARY WIRED TOGETHER SO KIDS CAN PLAY TOGETHER

SKILLS DEVELOPED : • Collaborative Play • Creative Play • Rhythm

• Introduction to Music • Digital Literacy

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P lay b rar y ™ KI T O F PARTS | Tic-Tac-Toe B oard

P L A Y + L E A R N P A N E L – T I C - TA C - T O E B O A R D

INTRODUCING THE TIC -TAC -TOE BOARD! Immediately familiar to anyone who has ever been to a playground, the Tic-Tac-Toe Board puts an emphasis on bringing children together for collaborative play. Aimed towards younger children, the panel develops initial pattern recognition while teaching kids how to play together. And hey, even if they aren’t reading, whenever children are together they are learning something new whether it’s picking up a new word or learning to tell a story!

SUGGESTED PAIRINGS The Tic-Tac-Toe Board should be placed in close proximity to materials for younger children.

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The Playbrary™: Conceptual Tool Kit | The Playbrary™

SKILLS DEVELOPED : • Collaborative Play • Visual Thinking • Social Skills • Pattern Recognition

• Cognitive Development

P L AY + L E A R N PA N E L – T I M E F L I E S

1:15?

6:00?

10:05?

11

12

slide to reveal the answer!

1 2

10

9:43?

9

12:17?

3

8

4 7

7:50 ?

6

5

5:00?

9:30?

INTRODUCING TIME FLIES! Time Flies is an interactive game that teaches young children how to tell time. Featuring movable clock hands, children try to display given times on the large clock. After arranging the hands on the large clock, just slide back the panels to reveal the answer.

SKILLS DEVELOPED : • Telling Time • Cognitive Development

P laybrary™ K I T O F PARTS | T im e Flie s

12:17?

• Collaborative Play • Social Skills

SUGGESTED PAIRINGS The Time Flies panel should be placed in close proximity to materials for younger children.

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PLAY + LEARN STRUCTURE

Playbrary™ PLAYBRARY™ STRUCTURE | Introduction

AYBRARY |

Play + Learn Structure – Illustrative Example

GEOGRAPHY

GEOGRAPH Y GA MES! Sticker Game Type United States Geography California Geography Countries of the World Road trip!

Mystery Grab a book scanner.

Pick a game you want to play.

Find a book with that the right color sticker.

Find a place to work and use your portable book scanner to scan the barcode and enjoy!

Don’t forget, reading the book will help you advance in the game!

GEO GRA PHY

HY GRAP GEO

GE OG GA RAPH ME Stic ker S! Y Game Typ e Uni ted Geogr States aph y Cal ifor Geogr nia aph y Count Wo ries of rld the Roa

d trip

!

Myste ry Gra ba Pick book sca nne Find a gam colora booe you wanr. stic k with ker.

Find tha t to pla t the y. por a place righ t the table booto wo bar k scark and Don’t code and nne use help forget enjoy!r to scayour you , rea n adv din anc g the e in the book gam will e!

The smaller components from the kit of parts fit together to create the essential element of the Playbrary™: Play + Learn Structures.

Directly borrowing from an aesthetic familiar to Playgrounds, these structures immediately establish a fun learning environment. Spaces to store books, read, write, climb, crawl, access computers, explore elevated platforms and traverse bridges instantly transform the traditional library space into an active and dynamic educational arena.

The above image is an illustrative example of the countless different ways to combine pieces from the kit of parts into a variety of unique Play + Learn Structures that each harbor exciting new ways to engage the learning process.

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The Playbrary™: Conceptual Tool Kit | The Playbrary™

Playbraries should feature a variety of different Play + Learn Structures in order to maximize the diversity of learning environments. Ideally, different structures should house different sections of the physical collection (e.g. a Math/ Science Structure, Social Studies Structure and English Language Arts Structure can work in tandem to cover a school’s curriculum).

Each of these topically unique structures can then be catered to include methods of learning specifically targeted to a given subject matter.

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BRARY |

M

S

P L AY + L E A R N S T R U C T U R E – L E A R N I N G ZO N E S ELEVATED PLATFORMS*

*can be used for synthesizing or sharing

PLAYBRARY |

Play + Learn Structure – Learning Zones READING “NEST”

UNDERGROUND PASSAGES* *can be used for synthesizing or sharing

E ON

ELEVATED PLATFORMS*

*can be used for synthesizing or sharing

READING “CAVE”

P laybrary™ PL AY B RAR Y ™ S T R U C T U R E | Zon e s

ON

Play + Learn Structure – Learning Zones

READING “NEST” ACCESS INFORMATION

UNDERGROUND PASSAGES*

*can be used for synthesizing or sharing

SYNTHESIZE INFORMATION

READING “CAVE” PROTOTYPE + TEST

STACKS SHARE / ASK

COMPUTERS*

*computers can serve all four functions

PLAY + LEARN PANEL

Like the individual pieces that compose the kit of parts, the Play Learn Structure should COMPUTERS* can serve all four functions be designed to correspond to *computers the Playbrary™ learning model, only on a larger scale. There should be spaces to access information, synthesize information, prototype and share findings.

Unlike a traditional library, the Play + Learn Structures apply lessons learned from the playground and provide more ambiguously programmed spaces. The programmatic ambiguity of space creates a fluid environment.

New spaces are constantly activated and deactivated as students discover new ways to explore.

learning experience with the possibility for uncovering new ways to learn withSTACKS each visit.

Rather than only having the option to sit at one of five desks to read a book, children in the + LEARN PANEL Playbrary™ can climb, crawlPLAY and burrow their way into new nooks and crannies in order to find quiet contemplative spaces. Conversely, if a child wants to be loud and learn by talking with friends, they can traverse bridges and find an open elevated platform to exchange stories.

Children in the Playbrary™ are constantly inventing new ways to interact with their surroundings and actively engage in the learning process.

By allowing students to activate and deactivate spaces as they choose, the Play + Learn Structures provide for a malleable

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P lay b rar y ™ P L AY B R A R Y ™ S TRUCTURE | Proce s s

PLAY + LEARN STRUCTURE : LEARNING PROCESS The initial ambiguity in program creates spaces that encourage movement, discovery and selfguided decisions so that students can shape their own experiences as they are propelled through the learning process.

In the diagram to the right, a student grabs a book on California geography from a large stack. After flipping through some of the pictures, he decides he would like to read the book. He climbs up a ladder and across a bridge to find a secluded reading space.

He reads the book for a while, but has trouble remembering the different rivers in California.

He jumps up, runs back over the bridge, down the ladder on the other site of the structure, and over to a Play + Learn Panel that focuses on developing knowledge of California’s unique geographic features.

He plays the game for a while and passes every quiz on the rivers of California. However, while he was playing he was challenged with a lot of questions about California mountain ranges.

He decides to stop playing the game and runs back to the stacks to grab a book on mountains.

Maybe this time he’ll crawl under the platforms to read it instead.

This hypothetical narrative is exemplary of the type of educational experience the Playbrary™ provides. Instead of the dull and monotonous practice of pairings desks and stacks, the Play + Learn Structures inherently provide children with a spatially malleable learning palette. Whether its climbing to the top, crawling beneath, sitting at a computer, making a collage at a table, or interacting with a Play + Learn Panel, the Playbrary™ provides children with a plethora of options so that they can make their own decisions.

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The Playbrary™: Conceptual Tool Kit | The Playbrary™

The Playbrary ’s™ adaptive spaces and handson sensory components compliment one another, not only to peak a child’s interest, but to sustain that level of engagement over an extended period of time.

PLAY + LEARN STRUCTURE – LEARNING PROCESS P laybrary™ PL AY B RAR Y ™ S T R U C T U R E | P roce s s

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Play + Learn Structure – Learning Cycle

Grabs a book on California’s geography from the shelf

Logs on the library forum to ask a question about the Santa Monica Mountains.

Uses Book-to-Game scanner to test her knowledge with a CA geography game.

Reads the book in the quiet space of the tower.

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P lay b rary ™ S PATI AL CO MPO NENTS

S PAT I A L C O M P O N E N T S O F T H E P L AY B R A R Y ™ spaces

functions

SUPPORT SPACE: SECLUSION ZONE

PLAY + LEARN STRUCTURES

SUPPORT SPACE: LIBRARY COMMONS

K - 2 LIBRARY

Zooming out further to a macro-scale, the Playbrary™ is composed of basic spatial components. For example, the above scenario illustrates a Playbrary™ composed of a Seclusion Zone, Play + Learn Structures, Library Commons and K-2 Library.

Some of the spaces – such as the Play + Learn Structures and the K-2 Library – are designed to include all the necessary functions for a child to progress through the Playbrary™ learning model. Other spaces – such as the Seclusion Zone and Library Commons – only come in as support spaces to present the child

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The Playbrary™: Conceptual Tool Kit | The Playbrary™

with the option for either louder or quieter environments.

While the above schema is only one possible spatial combination, all Playbraries should be sure to account for quieter learners. Not every child learns by running and touching.

Some children want to be secluded and read in peace and quiet. Spaces like the Seclusion Zone should be provided to give children that option. The more options the better!

Social Studies Structure

Seclusion Study Zone

Math/Science Structure

When configured together as a whole, the spatial components of the Playbrary™ should be organized in such a way as to maximize the number of unique loops a child can make through the space. By using the learning model as a means for space programming, the Playbrary™ can account for a variety of different learning processes. The goal is to be an equally successful educational environment for all types of students.

Language Arts Structure

Library Commons

Administration

Art and Music Structure

K-2 Structure

ENLARGED PLAY + LEARN STRUCTURE

ACCESS INFORMATION

SHARE / ASK

SYNTHESIZE INFORMATION

PROTOTYPE + TEST

Learning loop operates at multiple scales.

“THE QUIET STUDENT”

“THE KINDERGARTNER”

SUPPORT SPACE: SECLUSION ZONE

SUPPORT SPACE: SECLUSION ZONE

PLAY + LEARN STRUCTURES

PLAY + LEARN STRUCTURES

SUPPORT SPACE: LIBRARY COMMONS

SUPPORT SPACE: LIBRARY COMMONS ACTIVATED SPACES

K - 2 LIBRARY

ACTIVATED SPACES

K - 2 LIBRARY

“THE FOCUSED STUDENT”

“THE EASILY EXCITABLE STUDENT” SUPPORT SPACE: SECLUSION ZONE

SUPPORT SPACE: SECLUSION ZONE

PLAY + LEARN STRUCTURES

PLAY + LEARN STRUCTURES

SUPPORT SPACE: LIBRARY COMMONS

SUPPORT SPACE: LIBRARY COMMONS ACTIVATED SPACES

ACTIVATED SPACES

K - 2 LIBRARY

P laybrary™ S PATI AL CO N F I G U R AT I O N

CONFIGURING THE PLAYBRARY™

K - 2 LIBRARY

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P laybrary™ CO NCLUS I O N

G E T S TA R T E D !

Now that you’ve finished the Playbrary™ Conceptual Tool Kit it’s time to start brainstorming and finding new and exciting ways to incorporate aspects of play into the library.

The Playbrary™ is not the specific pieces presented in the document, but rather the underlying concept that “play ” should be an integral part of a children’s library.

The current library model fails to fully engage elementary school students. Rather than creating a space that embraces the whole child, current library designs focus on a singular method of learning. Instead of accounting for a child’s natural tendency to play, the library imposes a very specified learning model on all children. The library should not be a space that forces a child to be quiet while the playground encourages them to freely engage with their surroundings. There needs to be a middle ground in order to maximize a child’s engagement with literary and educational materials and foster lifelong learning.

The Playbrary™ expands the library into the realm of the Playground as a means of creating an engaging and total learning experience for all different types of children. It’s time to make libraries a fun and enjoyable space for all children.

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P laybrary™ REF EREN CES

REFERENCES American Association of School Librarians (2012): Standards for the 21st-Century Learner.

Chicago, IL. Antonucci, Mike (2005): “Museum Creates a World of Wonder ” in San Jose Mercury News Sunday, April 10, 2005. San Jose, CA .

Barros R.M., Silver E.J., and Stein R.E.K. (2013): “School Recess and Group Classroom Behavior ” in Pediatrics Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Elk Grove Village, IL. California Department of Education (2000): History-Social Science Content Standards for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve. CA .

California Department of Education (2013): Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects: For California Public Schools Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve. CA .

California Department of Education (2013): Common Core State Standards for Mathematics: For California Public Schools Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve. CA .

California Department of Education (2013): Common Core State Standards for Mathematics: For California Public Schools Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve. CA .

California Department of Education (2009): Science Content Standards for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve. CA .

California Department of Education (2011): Model School Library Standards for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve. CA .

Children’s Play Council (2006): Planning for Play: Guidance on the Development and Implementaiton of a local Play Strategy. London, UK. Giffard S., Kaplan R.B., Still J., and Dolloff A . (2012): Metis Schedules. NY. Rancho Cucamonga Public Library (2010): Play in the Library? outlines the Play and Learn Islands (PAL). Rancho Cucamonga, CA .

Gilbert, Dan (2002): “Looking Back and Looking Ahead: A Formative Evaluation of Discovery at San Jose Children’s Discovery Museum” prepared for the San Jose Children’s Discovery Museum. San Jose, CA .

Harvard Library (2012): Harvard Library Lab Program Description and Guidelines. Cambridge, MA .

Institute of Museum and Library Services (2009): Museum, Libraries, and 21st Century Skills.

Washington, D.C.

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The Playbrary™: Conceptual Tool Kit | References

Institute of Play: Quest Design Pack: School visit www.instituteofplay.org Jennifer C. Hendrix with the American Library Association Office for Information Technology Policy (2010): Checking Out the Future – Perspectives from the Library Community on Information Technology and 21st-Century Libraries. Washington, D.C. KaBoom! (2008): Facts on Play. Washington, D.C. KaBoom! (2009): Play Matters: A Study of Best Practices to Inform Local Policy and Process in Support of Children’s Play. Washington, D.C. Kernan, Margaret (2007): Play as a Context for Early Learning and Development: A Research Paper commissioned by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). Dublin, Ireland.

P laybrary™ REF EREN CES

Institute of Play: Quest Design Pack: Curriculum visit www.instituteofplay.org

Landscape Structures (2013): Landscape Structures Catalogue available online at www.playlsi.com. South Delano, MN. Literacy Advisory Committee (2011): Madison Metropolitan School District K-12 Literacy Program Evaluation: Findings and Recommendations for Continual Improvement of Literacy Achievement & K-12 Alignment.

London R. A ., Mallonee N., Stokes-Guinan K., and Westrich L. (2010): Playworks Implementationin Eight Bay Area Elementary Schools: Final Report prepared for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Stanford, CA .

Macpherson, Karen (2002): “Development Experts Say Children Suffer Due to Lack of Unstructured Fun” in Pittsburgh Post Gazette.Pittsburgh, PA .

Mathmatica Policy Research, John W. Gardner Center, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2013): Impact and Implementation Findings From an Experimental Evaluation of Playworks: Effects on School Climate, Academic Learning, Student Social Skills and Behavior. USA .

Moghadam, Sepehr H. – ASSESS (2004): “Discovery Youth: An Evaluation of the San Jose Children’s Discovery Museum After School and Weekend Program” prepared for the San Jose Children’s Discovery Museum. San Jose, CA .

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2010): The State of Play: Gallup Survey of Principals on School Recess. San Francisco, CA .

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P laybrary™ REF EREN CES 31

Salen K., Torres R., Wolozin L., Rufo-Tepper R., and Shapiro A . (2011): Quest to Learn: Developing the School for Digital Kids prepared for The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

London, UK. Smith, Peter K. and Pellegrini, Anthony (2008): “Learning Through Play ” in Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development. Goldsmiths, University of London UK and University of Minnesota, USA .

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (2010): Public Playground Safety Handbook.

Bethesda, MD.

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