Kulturinsel Einsiedel - do it differently
One of the staff at Islington Play Association, Max Mueller, who works on the Active Kids project, used a travel bursary from the Lady Allen of Hurtwood Memorial Trust to visit the "Kulturinsel Einsiedel' in Southern Germany, near the Polish border in 2007.
Here a dedicated team of workers has created a fantasy play area in the forest, with tree houses and caves, as well as manufacturing play equipment that is exported all over Europe. They use no spirit levels, and work closely with Health and Safety inspectors, yet produce exiting designs quite different from both standard manufactured equipment and most London adventure playgrounds.
For full details about the Lady Allen of Hurtwood Memorial Trust, see their website. The Trust exists to encourage and promote the welfare and education of young children and their families, particularly those who are disabled or deprived and to continue work that is in the spirit of enterprise inspired by Lady Allen. Applications for the annual Travel Bursary award are invited from candidates with a scheduled travel project in mind. They must offer full details of how the award will help them to gain specific knowledge and experience, which will enhance the quality and nature of their work with young children and their families. The awards are normally in the region of up to £1000.
More information about Kulturinsel Einsiedelon on their website - parts of which are in English.
Download Max's report he sent to the Trust for his award with some fascinating pictures of the play areas created by Kulturinsel Einsiedel below.
Update October 2008
Islington Play Association have built on the interest shown and have successfully applied to the Playful Ideas strand of funding from the Big Lottery Fund for their 'Treehouses for Islington' project, due to start in March 2009.
The project will enable children at 24 sites across the borough to build their own treehouses, shelters and dens under the guidance of specialist play professionals. All structures will be approved by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA). Know-how will be shared with other play providers regionally and nationally through a ROSPA-designed 'how-to' manual so that children across the country will be able to safely share in this thrilling experience.
Downloads
