For an elementary schooler, the 30-minute break that they get each day to play outside can be a saving grace. Recess is not only the highlight of the majority of kids’ day but it is also an opportunity for enrichment and development. This school is fed by six elementary schools: Cold Spring, Stone Mill, DuFief, Fallsmead, Lakewood and Travilah but the quality of their playgrounds and yards vary and offer different perks to the kids who attend that school.
Playgrounds allow benefits that go beyond physical health. According to American University School of Education, students who have unstructured, physical time built into their school days show an increase in creativity, problem solving and engagement in their social circles, leading to improvement in leadership and conflict resolution. Different playground structures also provide a multitude of benefits to students. So here is my ranking of elementary feeder school playgrounds.
- Stone Mill: They really have it all at this school: a huge green yard, a kickball field, numerous games painted on their black top, two playgrounds abundant in activities and to top it off a cohesive color scheme. According to Playworld, swings and climbing structures are among the features frequently enjoyed by kids and Stone Mill is chock full of both of those, offering kids the ability to improve their sense of balance on the slide, their gross motor skills and reciprocal patterns with the monkey bars.
- Cold Spring: Cold Spring is a close second with their outlines on their blacktop, a color scheme, slides, monkey bars and a rock wall. Having two blacktops, one for games and the other exclusively for basketball, is another helpful addition. What caused them to miss the mark is the lack of a kickball field and the fence that removes easy access to their soccer fields.
- Travilah: The gap between Cold Spring, Stone Mill and every other school is quite jarring. But the expansiveness of the Travilah playground is what places them above the rest and puts them in the top three. Although their playground lacks a variety in their structures, and is adorned only with different kinds of monkey bars and vertical ladders, it is not cramped and the kids still have options to choose from. The field has healthy grass and the outline of a soccer field is a nice bonus.
- Fallsmead: The one feature that saved this school from being further on the list is their large rock wall. Rock walls are a great way for kids to improve their hand-eye coordination, balance and flexibility, and the size of it allows for multiple kids to be on it at the same time.
- DuFief: I may be somewhat biased since this was my elementary school, however, I do believe it has one feature that causes it to stand out and saves it from last place on my list. DuFief is lucky to have two separate playgrounds and blacktops and, although they are pretty limited in size, one of the playgrounds does have a giant, bright yellow monkey bar climbing tower that reigns over the kids during recess. This tower is a staple for the DuFief school yard.
