Philadelphia kids will be able to enjoy 16 spaces to play while receiving tools for their educational development. To this end, the program Play Everywhere has awarded $1 million in grants to create playful learning elements in everyday locations in the city.
The Play Everywhere Philly initiative awarded individual grants ranging from $20,000 to $80,000. The 16 interactive installations located mainly in outdoor public spaces, such as sidewalks or underused lots include murals, playing structures, exploration gardens and parks.
Play Everywhere Philly is part of Kaboom!’s nationwide Play Everywhere initiative. Its main goal is to bring play opportunities to places that Philadelphia kids and families use every day. All 16 Philly projects center the needs of low-income communities. The project marks a first experimentation with new educational elements through a partnership with the local organization Playful Learning Landscape.
Jenny DeMarco, Kaboom!’s senior partnership manager of foundations and initiatives said Kaboom! used different criteria to select the winning projects. They made it in collaboration with Playful Learning Landscape and the Community Design Collaborative, another local partner.
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The criteria included learning opportunities presented by the play installation; feasibility, which included conversations with city government about permits and the play value, the ability to “spark joy” to kids.
Philadelphia kids will play while learning
These are some of the winning projects:
Belmont Commons: The playspace will build math and spatial skills, as well as teach kids about colors, numbers and the alphabet.
Chinatown PlayZa: The PCDC is transforming the 10th Street Plaza into a PlayZa with an illustrated map of Chinatown, games and interactive learning murals.
Clay, Play, Read: This is the installation of two, ceramic murals at the Cecil B. Moore and Kensington libraries. The murals will explore art and literacy on custom tiles that will prompt families to create words, name animals and create stories.
Discovering Sharswood: It is an interactive treasure hunt spread across nearly a dozen kiosks in the neighborhood. The interactive kiosks will display to Philadelphia kids, puzzles and games that teach topics such as art history, eating healthy produce, and civil rights.
Everybody Plays Town Center: Multi-lingual stations will promote multi-culturalism and cultural literacy learning, as well as, serve as a weekend Farmer’s Market.
Frankford Waterworks: This playspace will educate kids about storm water management and the water cycle.
Gardens Abuzz at Corinthian Gardens: Philadelphia kids will play and also learn about science, sustainability and animal life.
Happy Feet: Happy Feet will enhance musical skills through singing and creative movement activities through the use of boxes made of bells and steel.
Herencia Ancestral Interactive Mural: Interactive murals aim to prompt meaningful conversations and the discovery of indigenousness languages.
Lil’ Philly Safety Village. A kid-sized traffic park where families can practice the rules of the road and safe street habits.
The 16 projects are expected to be completed by October 2021.
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