Imagine a time when kids played safely in the street with a sense of freedom to enjoy imaginative adventures. Some might bike or skateboard while others might jump rope, play hopscotch or kick a ball around.
For some of us, it brings back memories from a fun-filled childhood. But many of today’s children have had few opportunities to enjoy the experience of playing safely in the street.
In Stonewall, local kids might have the chance to enjoy several hours of unstructured outdoor play on a June afternoon if council decides to approve a requested street closure.
Dr. Kelly Andrushko, an instructor in the Early Childhood Education Workplace Program at Red River College Polytechnic, spoke to council about the Play Streets project and requested an opportunity to host an event in June.
“Play Streets are a neighbourhood-led short road closure that allows a safe place for children to play. But it’s not just about the kids; it’s about families. It’s about bringing the community together.”
She also stressed that Play Streets is different from a street party.
“It’s about children being able to play in an unorganized fashion, which is incredibly beneficial. It’s really about helping children to engage in unstructured free play, which benefits them holistically,” she said.
“Play Streets really impacts the whole child.”
Children benefit from opportunities for vigorous physical activity, which impacts cardiovascular development and health. At the same time, children can experience positive impacts to their mental well-being by bolstering feelings of belonging and community connection — all while enjoying some fresh air in the great outdoors.
It’s particularly important for kids to engage in outdoor play, Andrushko added.
“Play is critically important because it does impact the development of the whole child, and we’re seeing a decline in play, especially outdoor play. I know that the Canadian Pediatric Society recently said that we need more outdoor play, especially outdoor risky play, but we’re still not seeing enough of it. In fact, there was a study done a few years ago in the United States that found that federal inmates had more outdoor time than children. That’s something we need to be thinking about,” she said.
“Of course, one of the reasons for this decline is fear for children’s safety. Where are they going to play where they can move their bodies in a natural way? Yes, absolutely there’s going to be bumps or scrapes. But in my experience, when they’re able to play in an unrestricted way and move in ways that are natural to them, they are actually safer.”
Andrushko asked council to consider temporarily closing a Stonewall street for an afternoon in June for a Play Streets event. In particular, she suggested they could close First Street West from Centre Avenue to First Avenue South on Tuesday, June 24 from noon to 4 p.m.
“I would love for you to temporarily close the street for a couple hours in an afternoon in June, thereby allowing the children to play outdoors safely and to bring the community together,” she said.
“We will be inviting children, families and community members from Stonewall and some of the surrounding communities to participate. This definitely includes the children and staff from Stonewall Children’s Centre, from Starting Blocks Inc. and also the students and teachers from RW Bobby Bend School.”
The ECE Workplace students in Stonewall would act as stewards for the event to active to supervise and facilitate play.
“These stewards are not present to teach or to coach. They might help children by helping them to skip rope. They might do some face painting. They might provide materials like sidewalk chalk,” she said.
“It’s about being child-led. It’s about letting them choose what they really are interested in — maybe something new, maybe something they’re familiar with.”
Kids might opt to bring their bikes, while the stewards would bring other playful items that the kids could use if they choose.
“We have something called loose parts where maybe we bring out some PVC piping and cardboard boxes and tubes. They can just play to their hearts’ content and use their imaginations,” said Andrushko, who also spoke to Rockwood council about the possibility of a future Play Streets event Stony Mountain.
“We would also encourage things like hula hoops, ribbons, stepping stones. These would all be accessible.”
The organizers could likely borrow some materials from RRC Polytech’s Notre Dame campus, and Andrushko said they also plan to apply for a community grant to cover additional costs.
“This is about just bringing people together, spending time together playing and getting to know your neighbours,” she said.
“Overall, we would love for you to consider and accept our request. We think this is a really beautiful way to promote the importance of play and to promote the importance of bringing community together.”
Coun. Walter Badger expressed interest in the idea.
“It sounds like it’s going to be a fun day,” he said.
Mayor Sandra Smith said they’d consider the information from the presentation and bring the topic back on the agenda of an upcoming council meeting.
“This sounds like a wonderful idea,” Smith said. “It sounds very exciting.”
