The teacher sourced for some videos available online to support children’s exploration and these provoked the children to find out more about:  (1) How a friend with disabilities would perform daily tasks like going to school, brushing their teeth, eating snacks and playing games with their friends, and (2) How to change a playground so that friends with disabilities could join in.

To help deepen their understanding, the teachers planned for the children, mini experiential activities to simulate daily activities without the use of various body parts.

“How can we brush our teeth without our hands?”

“Let’s try to write our names using only our feet.”

Children attempt to transport a beanbag using only their feet.

Children experienced dining  while being blindfolded.

Each child was assigned a “sighted buddy”  to ensure safety

After watching the videos of the Paralympics Games, the children experienced “Wheelchair Basketball” and “Sitting Volleyball”. Quoits were placed on the children’s laps which restricted them to remain seated on their “wheelchair”. These enabled the children to experience the limitations in movement and the strength needed for those who are wheelchair-bound to play games requiring speed and movement. 

To extend our children’s knowledge about the different types of play equipment and spaces, the teachers planned field trips to some playgrounds in Singapore like Canberra Park, an inclusive playground open to all including the wheelchair users, people who are visually handicapped, and the elderly. They also visited the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park which has a typical children playground and is popular for being a recreational park for families to enjoy nature and the waterways. The last play space they visited was the Battleship Playground in Sembawang Park, a maritime-themed playground. There was rich learning for the children.

“The buttons are at the right height for them to press!”

Children had an opportunity to play on the Aeroglider and there are slopes for easy mobility.

Together with their teachers, the children learnt more about inclusive physical spaces from an invited guest speaker, a social entrepreneur in assistive technology. They learnt about the challenges faced by children with disabilities and how they cope in typical physical environments. Working in groups, the children discussed and applied what they had learnt. Using materials in the recycling basket, they made models of what they felt play equipment in an inclusive playground would look like.