Inclusively designed outdoor playgrounds for kindergartens

Javni vrtci naj bi sledili podobi sodobne, odprte vzgojno-izobraževalne institucije, zavezane k ustvarjanju priložnosti za optimalni razvoj vseh raznolikih posameznikov. Da pa bi iz procesa vzgoje in izobraževanja odstranili vse nepotrebne omejevalne dejavnike in s tem sledili ideji inkluzije, so med drugim pomembne spremembe v fizičnem in socialnem okolju institucije. Pričujoče delo bo naslovilo zlasti potrebne spremembe v fizičnem okolju, in sicer z vidika zunanjih igrišč vrtca. Igrišča zaradi specifičnih lastnosti nudijo pomembno drugačne izkušnje, a jim kljub temu ni namenjene veliko pozornosti v Kurikulumu za vrtce (1999). Hkrati v nekaterih analizah ugotavljajo (Simoneti, 2012Kranjc, 2019), da so igrišča ob vrtcih zaradi mnogokrat prevladujočega kriterija varnosti pretežno nestimulativno visoko strukturirana, kar pa onemogoča njegovo fleksibilno prilagajanje raznolikim skupinam otrok. Da bi lahko ustvarili okolje, v katerem se bo vsak otrok čutil del skupine, in sicer kot spoštovan, slišan in enakovreden član skupnosti, je pregled in premislek o kvaliteti igralnih situacij na zunanjem igrišču nujno potreben. Premislek mora zajeti tako vidik sprememb fizičnega okolja v oziru inkluzivnega oblikovanja in arhitekture, kot tudi vidik ustreznega delovanja vzgojiteljev ob vsakodnevni rabi – vpeljevanje sprememb ter podpora inkluzivni igri. Namen dela bo s teoretskim raziskovanjem opredeliti merila inkluzivnosti zunanjih igrišč vrtcev, ki se izrisujejo v domači in tuji literaturi. Poudarki bodo na utemeljitvi inkluzivnih iger, inkluzivnega oblikovanja, vlogi vzgojitelja ter aktivni participaciji otrok kot ključnem elementu inkluzije. Cilj magistrskega dela bodo smernice pre/oblikovanja in re/organizacije zunanjega igrišča vrtca ter načinov vzgojiteljeve podpore igre otrok, z namero zviševati stopnjo inkluzivnosti. Smernice bodo vrtcem nudile iztočnico za evalvacijo obstoječega igrišča in refleksijo lastnega delovanja ter predstavljale morebitno podporo za nabor konkretnih idej v akcijskem raziskovanju.Public kindergarten should follow the idea of contemporary, open educational institution, which is obligated to create and maintain equal opportunities for optimal development of every child. To follow the idea of inclusion, they have to remove every hampering factor which is in a way on providing good quality, balanced and meaningful play opportunities. In order to do that some changes in the physical and social environment are needed. This work will describe changes from outdoor playground spheres. Specific features of outdoor playgrounds support authentic experiences, which makes this place such an important part of preschool education. Even though these experiences can\u27t be replaced and gained in indoor places, the national curriculum doesn\u27t put much attention on the outdoor space. Also, some recent observations conclude that current outdoor playgrounds mainly aren\u27t stimulative or flexible, because of dominant criteria of safety and the high level of structure of the place. This leads to playgrounds that are not answering a variety of needs of a very diverse group of users. To achieve the goal – create a space where every child will feel like a part of the community, as respected, heard, and equal member – the literature review and reflection on the quality of play opportunities in the outdoor playground is very much needed. Reflection should contain changes in the physical environment taking into account knowledge of inclusion design and also changes in a social environment – the role of a kindergarten teacher and his everyday use of space and support of children play. The purpose of this work is to describe the criteria of the inclusive outdoor playground from practices and theory. I will define inclusive play, inclusive design, the role of a kindergarten teacher, and the active participation of children. The goal of the paper is guidelines for (re)design and (re)organization of kindergarten outdoor playgrounds. I will also include ways in which kindergarten teachers can support children\u27s playboth with attention to increasing the level of inclusion. Guidelines will be a starting point for evaluating the current outdoor playground and for reflection of current actions and maybe good support to make explicit ideas for change