The Playground Project (WHALE Arts and With Kids) Report

2018

THE PLAYGROUND PROJECT

WHAT IS THE PLAYGROUND PROJECT?

The Playground Project began at the beginning of 2018 with the aim to enable the children and young people of Murrayburn and Hailesland to set out their vision and design for a new community park in their community. Â The Playground Project, is a partnership between WHALE arts and With Kids, and was formed in response to community consultations carried out by With Kids and Edible Estates in the Hailesland and Murrayburn area. Results saw the formation of the Murrayburn and Hailesland Community Park Association (MHCPA) to develop the Greenway, the greenspace area in this neighbourhood, for community growing, social cohesion and with better play spaces for children. With Kids sits on the MHCPA and both With Kids and WHALE arts consult and report to MHCPA on the progress of the project.

Playground Project report

01

FRIDAY AFTER SCHOOL CLUB

The Playground Project set up a regular after school club with children from Canal View Primary School to develop their designs and ideas for better play spaces. Across 2 school term times we had 33 participants and 219 participations, working with pupils P4-7 in the school and in their community. Sessions included a mix of play, construction and creative art activities and snacks provided by Tasting Change. Highlights included visits to Hailes Quarry Park, shelter building with Edinburgh Lothians Greenspace Trust, Parkour with WHALE’s Street Arts programme, slime making supported by students from Fettes College, and spray painting with artist Fraser Gray.

Playground Project

219 PARTICIPATIONS

33 PARTICIPANTS

02

PARTICIPATIONS

"THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS CLUB IS I GET TO BE MYSELF AND I CAN BE CREATIVE."

Playground Project

03

DALKEITH COUNTRY PARK

As well as working with the children we engaged their families as part of the process, taking a group of 24 children and their families on a trip to Dalkeith Country Park’s Fort Douglas Adventure Park, to inspire them to bring ideas from the visit back to their community. The children got to ride the new Fort Douglas zip slides, scale the playground’s sky-high walkways, and take shelter in its showpiece treehouse.

24 ATTENDEES

2425 PARTICIPANTS

"THE FIRST VISIT HAS GIVEN THEM PLENTY OF FOOD FOR THOUGHT AND HAS MADE THEM REALISE JUST HOW FANTASTIC A PARK CAN BE - THAT THE SKY REALLY IS THE LIMIT."

Playground Project

04

NICHAEL'S SHOP MURAL

As part of the after school club the young people worked with artist Fraser Gray to design, devise and paint a community mural on the local shop, Michael’s, which was installed over the summer. Additionally with Fraser Gray they painted and designed a Little Free Library for the community, built by Edinburgh Tool Library. All designs were developed by the children and young people themselves.

Playground Project

2 COMMUNITY ART INSTALLATIONS

2425

" T H I S PARTICIPANTS IS AWESOME SO MUCH BETTER THAN BEFORE."

05

PARTICIPATIONS

"I LOVE THE PLAYGROUND PROJECT BECAUSE WE DO FUN THINGS AND ART. I LIKE GOING TO THE CLUB BECAUSE WE DO PRETTY THINGS AND BEAUTIFUL AND EXCITING THINGS."

Playground Project

06

MURRAYBURN AND HAILESLAND PLAY DAY Over the summer multiple organisations across Wester Hailes worked in partnership to deliver a series of family play days. The Murrayburn and Hailesland Play Day was delivered by MHCPA, With Kids, WHALE arts, Tasting Change and Edible Estates and included the launch of Michael’s Shop Mural, the Little Free Library, natural play with Edible Estates, community lunch and BBQ with Tasting Change and pop up play spaces with City of Play. Over 200 member s of the local community attended throughout the day. Watch this video to see what the event looked like.

Playground Project

200 LOCAL ATTENDEES

07

Playground Project

08

TINKER TOWN

Tinker Town, led by social enterprise City of Play, was a scrap timber village built by children for children. During a week long summer school children and their families from the local community were taught how to use real tools to turn scrap timber into their own adventure land in the playground of Canal View Primary School.

Tinker Town was supported

by WHALE Arts, Edible Estates and With Kids and saw local families spend the week building a unique space, drawing on their own ideas and imaginations.

Watch this video to find out more about Tinker Town.

Playground Project

65 FAMILIES

2425

"IT WAS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR ALL T H E F A M I L Y PARTICIPANTS – TODAY WE’VE BEEN IN A SUBMARINE, IN A PIRATE SHIP AND WE’VE BEEN VIKINGS."

09

PARTICIPATIONS

"CHILDREN GET TO AN AGE WHERE THEIR IMAGINATION IS DIMINISHED BECAUSE THEY ARE GETTING OLDER. IT WAS SO GOOD TO SEE THIS CHANGE AND COME BACK THROUGH DOING THIS PROJECT."

Playground Project

10

2018

THE PLAYGROUND PROJECT