Just a year ago, students of State Primary School No. 01 in Pondok Puncung, Tangerang, had little options on plays paces during breaks.
The choice was the concrete yard in school or open ground outside.
Both were bare and barren with not so much to play with or do.
But with colorful imagination the students turned the deserted areas into jolly recreational spots.
Things then became even merrier recently at the school as students of the nearby British International School (BIS) International Baccalaureate program pitched in to help establish a playground to complete the playing areas. The primary school students can play and learn at the same time in the new playground, which is called the Learning Garden.
Tucked between a classroom building and high fence, the garden is equipped with a colorful tire swing, a slide and simple jungle gym.
Adjacent to the swing and slide is a piece of concrete painted to look like a giant chessboard, as well as benches and decorative plants.
The students can now swing, climb, slide, or just sit and chat in the Learning Garden, which was officially opened a few weeks ago.
“The garden used to be a dump. We had to spend a lot of time digging the ground because it was filled with garbage,” Bianca Monteiro, one of the students involved in The Learning Garden project, said.
The Learning Garden project is part of the BIS Creativity Action and Service (CAS) program.
Bianca said before the makeover the land had been an abandoned space covered with weeds.
The 15 baccalaurate students who were involved in the project then worked out a design for a makeover to provide a friendlier place where local children could learn and play.
They also involved the students during this process.
“We hung out with the kids for about three or four weeks, we asked them what they would like in their playground,” Bianca said.
Throughout the planning period, which began in November last year, and the construction period, which began in March, the baccalaurate students collected money through sponsorship and their own fund raising activities.
“We raised money not only through sponsors but also by selling roses on Valentine’s Day and cookies at Christmas and other little things to get as much money we could,” Bianca said.
Adrian Thirkell, coordinator of the CAS program, said that the program’s aim was to increase the awareness of the school’s IB students of their surrounding environment.
“It [CAS] is a part of the IB program. It means that the IB students are aware that part of their education is academic.. but a very important part of their education is meaningful engagement with society in a very practical way,” Thirkell said.
The Learning Garden itself is one part of the CAS program, which is compulsory for all IB students.
Sukri Supriatna, the headmaster of the primary school, said that the playground was very welcome.
“The kids, being kids, love it of course,” he said.
In fact, the students of the school were not the only ones loving it.
Since the park was opened, students from other schools, as well as other unknown visitors, have been benefiting from the park in many ways.
This has included, unfortunately, harmful activities like stealing bits and pieces of the components from the jungle gym.
“These had to be cemented into the ground to avoid more stealing,” Sukri said, pointing to the bottom part of the jungle gym. (dis)
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