The Learning Kitchen

From 2 - 5 Dec 2025, youths from Boys' Town designed their own playgrounds to accommodate different members of the community, including elderly grandparents who have difficulty moving and wheelchair-bound children who may want to experience the excitement of slides and swings.

They used concepts such as transfer of energy and forces to design and test playgrounds to ensure they were fun and safe. They also used math concepts to build scale models of their envisioned playgrounds.

On the final day, the youths presented their playgrounds, explaining their inclusive design choices and the scientific concepts they'd applied. Through guided exploration rather than direct instruction, they developed genuine understanding and the ability to apply concepts independently.

Our young Engineers from Beyond Social Services wrapped up the journey by building and pitching their dream playgrounds.
They shared their creations by highlighting creative features, unique attractions, and fun designs while also learning how to:

💪🏻 Present confidently and share ideas

🗣️Persuade others on the value of their creations

💭 Think critically and answer questions

The result? A playground of ideas where imagination met innovation, and every child’s vision was realised.

In Lesson 3, our young engineers from Beyond Social Services took on the challenge of building their very own playgrounds! From trampoline setups with tyres and nets to watch towers with slides of different heights and shapes, the children let their creativity guide their planning and design. They also explored how material properties like flexibility and hardness play a big role in design.

Our young engineers then moved on to experiment how science concepts affect playground construction. They experimented with various ways to make swings and slides fun yet safe, considering variables such as types of materials, designs including curves and lengths!

In Lesson 2 of our “Playground for Everyone” project with Beyond Social Services, students came together to combine their individual playground ideas into one bold, inclusive design.

But the challenge didn’t end there — they became advocates. Using persuasive tools like posters, speeches, and letters, they learned to justify thoughtful features like shaded seating for grandparents and accessible play areas for children with different physical needs and anticipate and address objections.

As they presented their proposals, their peers stepped in as an audience, asking questions, offering suggestions, and giving constructive feedback to help strengthen the ideas!

On 12 July, we ran our Playground Series with Beyond Social Services, where children became junior playground designers for a day!

They began by exploring what makes playgrounds fun and inclusive—identifying unique features from real-world examples. Through roleplay and simulation, they stepped into the shoes of users with different physical needs, gaining a deeper understanding of how others experience playground spaces.

Fueled by these insights, the kids designed their own imaginative playgrounds, some inspired by food themes and others crafted to welcome different age groups. Each idea reflected their growing empathy and creativity in building spaces where everyone can play together

From Vision to Reality: Presenting Our Inclusive Playground Models

In the final session of our series, our young engineers proudly presented their inclusive playground models, refined with final touches and guided by facilitator feedback.

During the presentations, students explored each other's creations, exploring the creative ideas behind each playground, the thoughtful details that enable the playground for more people, and the clever use of materials—particularly in how structures were designed to hold weight and function.

Through this series, our young engineers learnt how math, science, art, and social awareness combine to create meaningful solutions for real community needs!

Scaling Big Ideas: Learning Proportion Through Embodied Experiences

In the third session, our young engineers turned their playground designs into scale models!

We kicked off with a fun intro to scale—comparing real objects to mini versions (yes, even toy sushi!)—and laughed through exaggerated animal drawings to see what happens when proportions go wrong. Students then explored map scales and took to the field, measuring an actual playground space by hand!

In mixed-age teams, they mapped out structure placement with a focus on identifying and visualising the space they occupied, while also recognising and respecting the spaces others needed.
Blending math, design, and everything they’ve learned so far, students built models of their playgrounds. This was more than just making—it was math with purpose.