For years, staffers at
Angels' Place have wanted to expand and develop the center's outdoor areas. The children who come to Angels' Place are being
raised by single parents who are currently in school, and many have no access to green space beyond the small patch of grass they find at the center. Until now, though, a lack of funding kept development plans on hold.
"We've had a lot of ideas of what we'd like to do with it," says April Scassera, director of family support at Angels' Place, of the playground area. "But in these economic times we've just focused on staying open."
That's all due to change this year: Several months ago, the Mt. Lebanon Junior Women's Club (MLJWC) contacted Angel's Place, offering to help raise funds for a fully developed green space at the center's Brookline location. The event they've planned, called "A Night at the Museum" and slated for Mar. 6 at the Heinz History Center, will raise funds for a renovated playground and outdoor classroom.
Access to a natural environment offers "physical health and mental health benefits" to children, Scassera says. "There's a lot of research out lately about the benefit of nature for
children and how much better it is than the old plastic and metal
equipment" traditionally found in playgrounds, she says.
One these funds are raised, the old plastic climbing equipment at Angels' Place (see pix above) will be replaced by a "natural playground." Scassera says plans include a focus on getting kids involved in watching things grow. "We can do lots of planting with seeds," Scassera says, "and then keep track with charts of how things are growing."
Other plans include "a lot things that reach the senses," such as sand and bushes with different textures, an herb garden and a barrier made up of flowers such as morning glories, which open and close at different times during the day.
Writer: Melissa Rayworth
Source: April Scassera, Angels' Place
Image courtesy of Angels' Place