Future physicists can start learning about Newton’s laws of motion on the Hildreth Elementary School playground. By creating Rube Goldberg-style pathways of magnetic ramps and tubes on a vertical metal panel, kids can send balls rolling down slopes, through rings, and into cups.
The outdoor magnet wall is just one piece of new outdoor play equipment being added to the HES playground, thanks to grants from the Harvard Schools Trust and the Parent Teacher Organization. The grants also provided for a sandbox, a sand table, and a large-size playground version of the game Connect 4. The schools trust approved over $3,600 toward the project, while the PTO contributed about $2,000.
The project began with the idea of adding playground equipment that supports physical science and engineering concepts, but it soon grew beyond that. “In working with our educational team, we determined that this grant can meet another even more meaningful need,” the grant writers said in their application, explaining that the new equipment is also “wheelchair accessible and inclusive of all learners.”
With the magnet panel, kids can experiment with balls colliding where the ramps meet and see how slope affects speed. According to the grant, teachers in later grades can use the board to explain ideas like the difference between potential and kinetic energy. Since the equipment is waterproof, fluid dynamics can be part of the experiments.
The sandbox and sand table allow younger children to work together creating imaginary landscapes, the grant says, fostering cooperation and social play.
Connect 4 is a strategy game similar to tic-tac-toe for two people or teams. Each side chooses a color and tries to be the first to get four discs in a row in the vertical frames, while blocking their opponent from doing so. The grant application described Connect 4 as a game that encourages social development and “emotional regulation skills,” which sound a lot like good sportsmanship—an important goal in many playground games.
Kindergartners, from left, Jessica Xu, William Van Schalkwyk, and Marielle Johnson play a life-size game of Connect 4. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
