Photographed by: Mark Lindhult

Sunderland, Massachusetts

The Sunderland Elementary School Playground, completed in 2022, is open for play. The new playground for Pre-k and kindergarten students features over 13,000 sq. ft. of passive and active play areas. These areas have been designed to support a diversity of physical and social learning opportunities.

Just beyond the school’s halls and classrooms, students walk out into a sunny outdoor classroom/nature play area, with views beyond the schoolyard to the mountains framing the valley. The space showcases natural materials and textures and equipment such as balance boulders and logs can be climbed upon or used as seating. Surrounding this area are durable and cushiony materials to protect against falls such as engineered wood fiber mulch and accessible rubber surfacing.

The outdoor classroom is framed by a series of raised aluminum farm-style planters—a reference the regional agricultural vernacular. Ecosystem support for these growing beds are further supported by pollinator planting beds along the playground fence.

The playground accommodates active play activities such as: biking, running, climbing, spinning and swinging, and creative play activities such as the sandbox area with integrated bench seats. The playground protected and integrated two shade trees on site and introduced three additional shade trees for enhanced shade. The play structures provide for a range of physical and social activities to engage students’ gross and fine motor skills, balance and coordination, and social engagement skills, through a complex climbing structure, and an accessible group spinner, and swing set. The asphalt loop also provides an opportunity for students to engage in bicycling using balance bikes.

Spatially the Active areas are placed closer to the school with more passive areas along the periphery. A figure-8 bike loop connects the outdoor classroom and garden to a custom sandbox, wooded grass area, and play structure area set in accessible rubber surfacing. The playground was constructed by Omasta Landscaping, Inc. and funding was provided by a range of grants and donations coordinated by dedicated school staff.