Playground

This was our first project and started in 2006 when the therapists and the nursing sister at the school explained to us how little time the children at Tembaletu spent outside.

Most of the pupils that attend Tembaletu school live in informal settlements in the townships around Cape Town and have no opportunity or safe space to play outdoors at home. It was felt that it would be wonderful to have a play-ground where the pupils could learn some basic educational concepts through facilitated gross motor play and experience the exercise and movement that enhances their ability to learn. Not only would it be lots of fun but they would also be exposed to the sunshine and Vitamin D which many lacked nutritionally.

It was decided to use an area outside the Foundation phase classrooms which was already contained and the idea was to make a safe, accessible playground with lots of activities which could be adapted in some way for all the different abilities of the children at Tembaletu.

First we put up an adapted jungle gym and some swings.

Added some paved pathways in between the different activities that would be accessible to wheelchairs and buggies as well as for children using crutches.

Then we dug out an existing, overgrown sandpit and added a shady shelter over it.

We encouraged some volunteers from a more affluent high school in Cape Town to come and help compost the area and plant some trees!

Volunteers from the Frank Joubert Art school in Cape Town helped us paint a beautiful mural on the perimeter wall.

We added a Wendy house . . . Then some rocking zebras!