The Sabina Knowledge Park is a space dedicated to learning, discovery, and interaction with scientific and cultural knowledge. With over 1,000 m2, the “Time Square” brings various installations where it will be possible to learn about the theme while playing, reinforcing that the play space should also be the subject of study, planning, and architecture. Within this context, the creation of a playground is not just a recreational addition, but an essential component to promote child development in an integrated and pedagogical manner. Our playground project aims to unite playfulness with education, using the concept of placemaking to transform the space into a continuous and enjoyable learning environment.
Planning and designing playground areas are fundamental for children’s development, stimulating them cognitively and physically, as well as bringing scientific concepts closer in a light and playful way for different age groups.
Playgrounds are spaces for meeting and interaction, where children learn to work in teams, share, and resolve conflicts. These skills are crucial for their social and emotional development, encouraging interaction with nature and promoting a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
Our project integrates playful elements with educational content, focusing on the passage of time. Each element of the playground will be designed to reflect aspects of time, such as natural cycles, history, and scientific evolution.
Project Elements
The Time of Dinosaurs: In this area, children will have the opportunity to explore geological time through dinosaur fossils and footprints.
The Age of Trees: Through the growth rings of trees, from their concentric lines, children will learn about information regarding the life of beings that inhabited our planet at different times.
Sound Telescope: Large stones like those of Stonehenge simulate parabolic shells responsible for concentrating and transmitting information in the form of waves over long distances.
Basketball of the Future: In this area, children will be challenged to discover where the rotating basketball hoop will be after the ball is thrown. This experiment discusses the appearance of fictitious Coriolis forces.
Trunk Web: Similar to a mountain, children will be invited to climb and explore a small wooden puzzle. They will go through a maze of uncertain entrances and some possible paths to reach the other end. This attraction stimulates creativity, strategy, imagination, time perception, and motor coordination.
The Silence Time: The Silo House: In this attraction, children will be invited to climb and explore the time of clouds, birds, and the Sun through the perforated roof of the house. Inside, they will have a large observation camera that ends with a beautiful slide back to the ground.
Einstein’s Space-Time: With a simple trampoline jump, children and adults will see how the deformation of space-time, created by the gravity of bodies of great mass, can even alter time and the trajectory of light in space.
The Time of Water: In this attraction, children will be invited to explore one of the essential elements for the maintenance of life on planet Earth: water.
The Time of Music: Come and experience the sounds and silences of giant musical instruments from musician and luthier Fernando Sardo. Using drumsticks, perceive different sounds, timbres, and musical notes.
The Time of Footprints: It can be in clay, rock, or even on the Moon. Here, we find three sets of footprints (reptiles, birds, and mammals). The goal is to stimulate the search for animal tracks. How about starting your hunt for footprints?
Resonant Swing: Sit down and start swinging. Notice the length of the swing and the length of the pendulum. Now notice what happens to the pendulum. Did you notice? As you swing, the pendulum starts swinging too! In this experiment, energy is transferred through resonance between the pendulum and the swing.
The Echo Time: The human ear needs a minimum time between two sounds to distinguish them. This time is called auditory persistence. Outdoors, due to auditory persistence, the speed of sound in the air, and the surfaces encountered by the sound wave, a phenomenon called ECHO occurs. Through a 17m tube, it will be possible to perceive this phenomenon.
The playground project at Sabina Knowledge Park is a unique opportunity to create a space where play and learning intertwine. This playful-pedagogical environment will be a meeting point for families, educators, and children, promoting comprehensive development and a love for knowledge. Through careful planning and the integration of educational elements, we will transform the playground into an outdoor laboratory, where time is explored, and science comes to life.
Location: R. Juquiá, s/n – Vila Eldizia, Santo André – SP, 09181-730 Brazil
Design year: 2022.
Year Completed: 2023
