Eleven children came to the Kulturhaus Hammerstein on Saturday morning to participate in the redesign of the playground in the district with the active support of their parents. Various models were made to serve as a basis for planning the new children's playground. The results of the "planning group" will be exhibited in the Kulturhaus, and on Thursday, March 23, 2023, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., all interested citizens can come by, marvel at the models and vote on them.
The City Youth Welfare Office, together with the board of the Kulturhaus, had prepared the premises perfectly and provided a selection of different materials that made the creative tinkerer's heart beat faster. But first, various playground scenarios were put together on the floor with large puzzle pieces and explored in more detail. The puzzle game quickly turned into a search game. There was a lot to discover, initial ideas for the new playground design were found, people got to know each other and got talking.
Model making formed the core of the planning workshop. The civil engineering department had provided the floor plans of the squares to be planned. This allowed the children and their enthusiastic parents to realize their own ideas and get creative. The most important function of a playground is to offer a variety of opportunities for movement, and this was clearly demonstrated: running, jumping, crawling, climbing and sliding are a must. However, quiet areas and the opportunity to play ball games, especially for the older children, also came into play. Breathtaking climbing frames and poles were built, but balancing beams, ropeway slides, seesaws and sandboxes were also a must. The trampoline was also one of the most popular pieces of play equipment: Bouncing gives a feeling of weightlessness and lightness. There were no limits to the constructions or the children's fantasy and imagination. Even the heavily overgrown slope was included in the planning. In addition to the experience of nature in the truest sense of the word, it is also intended to serve as an "ultra slide", a giant slope slide.
In addition to the large area in Birkenstraße, the small area on the corner of Birkenstraße and Aspenstraße was also included in the plans. Here, special consideration was given to the little ones and, in addition to a sandpit, a seesaw and a nest swing, the quality of stay for the adults was also taken into account. At the end, all the children had the opportunity to present and explain their play equipment. Two boys had even built a lava course: "You have to stay on the stones and balance, and if you fall off, there's lava underneath." The course included climbing stones and various balancing elements, a trampoline and a large climbing pole.
The participants were well looked after by the Förderverein kulturtreibender Vereine Hammerstein e.V. with home-baked muffins, cake, lemonade and coffee and even received a certificate after the successful day. One thing became clear: play spaces are also always places of communication, meeting places for young and old. What was also clearly noticeable at the planning workshop was the enthusiasm of the local community for the joint project.
The drafts are voted on so that the little ones can also see how democracy works. Of course, other ideas can also be submitted. Then the process continues and a specialist planner will take a close look at the children's ideas. Which measures can be implemented in which way will emerge in the course of the survey work. However, it is important that the children are also involved in the implementation of the jointly developed ideas and the subsequent process.