Bamboo Playground Equipment Innovation f

8/16/2019 Bamboo Playground Equipment Innovation f

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Bamboo Playground Equipment : Innovation for Healthy

Early Childhood

Vacharee Vacharasin, Assoc, Prof., [email protected] Department of Architecture,

Faculty of Architecture, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology a!kra"ang

A"stract#

I ha$e e%perimente! &ith !esigning an! pro!ucing "am"oo playgroun! e'uipment for chil!ren

in three remote communities. The installation of these playgroun! items ma!e lasting

impressions on me( foremost among them the !elight of a!ult community mem"ers &ho

participate! in making gifts for the chil!ren an! the pleasure an! )oy of the chil!ren e$i!ent on

their smiling faces an! happy laughter as they use! the "am"oo s&ings, the see*sa&, etc. +$en

though no attracti$e "right colors ha! "een use!, all the pieces &ere of contemporary functional

!esign. +ach set is "uilt "y the tra!itional tenon an! tie! rope metho! in &hich no nails are use!.

The creati$e i!ea &hich un!erlies the construction of these playgroun! sets com"ines the use of

"am"oo, &hich is an en$ironment*frien!ly material an! locally a$aila"le in all regions of the

country, &ith the tra!itional skill of local "uil!ers. This pro)ect is a realiation an! a testimony to

the practicality of -is Ma)esty the King’s self*sufficiency/ principle, an e%cellent gui!ance for

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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the people . All sectors of Thai society shoul! try to !o their "est to achie$e sustaina"le

!e$elopment that &ill strengthen our i!eal of self*sufficient communities./

Key&or!s#

playgroun! e'uipment, "am"oo, inno$ation, health, early chil!hoo!

1. The story of the bamboo playgroundset design

The "am"oo playgroun! set &as first

!esigne! an! "uilt in 0o$em"er 1223 as a

sample of a green pro!uct/ to "e sho&n in

the 14th annual fair of the Thailan!Decorati$e Plants 5ociety.

The secon! sho& &as in Decem"er 1223 in

the 67th annual flo&er fair of the 5uan uang

8ama I9 Park.

The thir! sho& &as in :anuary 122; at the

Architecture Faculty of KMIT for a

&orkshop title!


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Picture ". Bamboo playground set at the #or!shop

site

Picture $. Bamboo playground set installed at Ban

Tap Ta#an community

2. Rationale

?oung chil!ren of the same age group may

ha$e !ifferent muscle !e$elopment. Playing

&hich inclu!es clim"ing, hanging an!

s&inging is an important acti$ity &hich

"enefits the !e$elopment of a chil!’s ma)or

muscles an! minor muscles. They shoul! "e

pro$i!e! &ith in!oor an! out!oor acti$ities

&hich gi$e them e%periences that promote physical "alance, flui!ity an! coor!ination.

Play e%perience also promotes personality

!e$elopment an! social !e$elopment &hich

may "e an inner process &hich cannot "e

seen, or a physical !e$elopment &hich can "e

seen.

The most important consi!eration or the

essence of the !esign is to pro$i!e play

e'uipment &hich accommo!ates chil!hoo!

!e$elopment. Attracti$e colors to hol! achil!’s attention is secon! in importance.

The choice of "am"oo as construction

material is en$ironmentally frien!ly. It is

a$aila"le in all regions of the country. Its

process of gro&th an! !issolution is

ecologically soun! unlike synthetic material

or some irreplacea"le natural material. >sing

"am"oo helps to re!uce an! a$oi! the

!egra!ation of natural resources an! the

en$ironment &hich has great impact on the

health an! life 'uality of people. This is in

accor!ance &ith the first principle of

ecologically soun! !esign.

@hen the a!ult community mem"ers can

maintain an! repair the playgroun! set, an!

a!! their o&n creati$e touch, the promotion

an! !e$elopment of chil!hoo! health can

really "e sustaina"ly esta"lishe!.

". The Ob%ecti&e of the 'esign

It is to set an e%ample for the community to

use material a$aila"le locally to make play

sets for the healthy !e$elopment of chil!ren.

The aim is also to gi$e un!er*pri$ilege!

chil!ren the opportunity to ha$e acti$ities that

are fun an! healthy.

$. 'esign (oncepts

3.6 The playgroun! set’s form an!

composition are suita"le for early chil!hoo!

!e$elopment.

3.1 The creati$e i!ea is "ase! on chil!ren’s

play in "oth local an! contemporary conte%ts.

3. Material for the "asic structure must "e

en$ironmentally frien!ly.

3.3 The playgroun! set must "e attracti$e in

form an! image.

3.; The playgroun! set &ill incorporate the

characteristics of in!igenous "uil!ing

techni'ues.

3.B The set &ill ha$e strong )oints in e$ery

!etail, using tra!itional tenon an! tie! rope

metho!s, no nails.

3.7 The set can "e !isassem"le! an!

reassem"le! piece "y piece.

). Physical 'e&elopments of *lementary

+chool (hildren

+arly chil!hoo! means chil!ren "et&een the

ages of 3 C 6 years from kin!ergarten to

gra!e B. =hil!ren in this age group ha$e a

high rate of physical gro&th compare! to

their emotional, mental, social an! intellectual

!e$elopment. The physical gro&th is apparent

in &eight, height an! lim"s. The !e$elopmentof muscles is clearly seen in the capacity for

gross motor coor!ination an! fine motor

coor!ination.


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;.6 The capacity of gross motor coor!ination

are seen in the follo&ing#

;.6.6 The a"ility to stan! on one leg or to

stan! thus &ith eyes close! for more than B

minutes.

;.6.1 The a"ility to &alk on a single 3*B

centimeter &i!e plank &ithout falling.;.6. The a"ility to run the !etermine!

!istance &ithout falling.

;.6.3 The a"ility to )ump from the tip of the

toes up to at least 61/ high.

;.6.; The a"ility to kick a "all.

;.6.B The a"ility to clim", to !angle an! to

s&ing using their arms.

;.6.7 The a"ility to catch an! to thro& a "all

&ith arms hel! high.

;.6. The a"ility to &alk upstairs alternating

left an! right feet.;.6.4 The a"ility to ri!e a "icycle, etc.

Picture ). A young child learning to ride a bicycle

Picture ,. (hildren on a see-sa#

Picture . (hildren painting a plaster figurine

Picture /. A child building a sand hill

;.1 The capacity of fine motor coor!ination are#

;.1.6 The a"ility to !ra& pictures accor!ing to

e%ample.;.1.1 The a"ility to !ra& !ifferent types of

lines.

;.1. The a"ility to color an! paint &ithin

"or!ers.

;.1.3 The a"ility to cut an! fol! papers along

marke! lines.

;.1.; The a"ility to string "ea!s.

;.1.B The a"ility to "utton up an! ip up.

;.1.7 The a"ility to "uil! forms from !ifferent

materials, etc.

,. Promotion of Physical 'e&elopment

In essence, physical !e$elopment is

stimulate! "y e%periences that strengthen the

gross motor coor!ination an! fine motor

coor!ination of the muscles.

Erganie! playing to pro$i!e e%periences for

chil!ren shoul! inclu!e out!oor an! in!ooracti$ities.


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To encourage chil!ren to use their senses,

namely seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, an!

touching is to stimulate the motor center of

the "rain to gro&.

. The benefits of play

Playing in!uces learning &hich lea!s to

personality !e$elopment an! social

!e$elopment.

7.6 Personality !e$elopment is the inner

process of gro&th in thoughts an! emotions

&hich lea! to more self confi!ence, trust in

others, goo! "eha$ior, integrate! thinking,

un!erstan!ing of se%ual role, an! the a"ility

to control emotional e%pression such as fear,

anger, repentance, )ealousy an! pri!e.

7.6.1 5ocial !e$elopment is the a!aptation of

self in or!er to "e &ith other people &ho are

not family mem"ers. A chil! learns to "e

compassionate, to share, an! to o"ser$er rules

an! manners.

/. Traditional Bamboo Toys and

Playground +et

There are tra!itional "am"oo toys that ha$e

"een passe! on from generation to generation

an! are foun! in e$ery region of the country.

/.1 The 0ratae ian3 is a trainer for ato!!ler &ho is learning to &alk. It is stuck

into the groun!. This is the !escription gi$en

"y the 8oyal Institute Dictionary of Arts# It

is ma!e of a "am"oo tu"e &ith a no!e

attache! a"out 1/ in !iameter. A horiontal

stick is inserte! into the top en! !iameter

a"out 6/G, long enough for a to!!ler to hol!

on to. The $ertical tu"e fits o$er a ;2

centimeter stake !iameter a"out 6.;/G stuck

into the groun!./

/.2 The 0Bamboo Top3 is a toy ma!e "y

people of the northern region calle!


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http://sriphanwong.multiply.com/photo

s/album/25#20

Picture 16. A &illager7s shop selling bamboo tops on

(hiangmai7s al!ing +treet

www.cnxwalkingstreet.com

Picture 11. +ing antarit5 special conser&ationist

(hula !ites5 +amut +ong!ram Pro&ince

www.maeklongcenter.com/maeklong/i

mages/kite.jpg

Picture 12. A child #al!ing #ith stilts

Picture 1". A s#ing for Thai hill tribe children

Picture 1$. A s#ing for children in (hieng Tung

Picture 1). A s#ing for 8ietnamese hill tribe

children

/.$ The 0+tilt-#al!er or 9igh-al!er3 is a

toy that contri"utes to "alancing skill. It is

calle! Kha Thoke Thake/ in the north

eastern !ialect.


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the $illage entrance, &hich is their

!istinguishing characteristic. It is "uilt to

&orship the go! &ho "esto&s fertility to the

$illage. +$ery year "et&een the months of

August an! 5eptem"er there is a tra!itional

rocking of the s&ing ceremony for the &omen

of the tri"e communityG. The men ha$e their

o&n Top Cplaying ceremony. The &omen!ress up in their special ne& clothes an!

finery &hich ha$e taken them the &hole year

to prepare. The 3*!ay festi$ity is full of group

singing an! playing on the s&ing.

En the first !ay there is a ritual to offer foo!

an! homage to ancestors. The &omen fetch

&ater from the $illage’s sacre! &ell to soak

sticky rice &hich &ill "e poun!e! an! ma!e

into Khao Pook/ for the ceremony.

The secon! !ay sees the communal effort toraise a huge s&ing. There is no killing of

animals for foo!. ?oung people gather to sing

an! to ha$e fun &ith making "am"oo

rhythms.

The thir! !ay is the 0e& ?ear !ay &hich is

the !ay of "ig ritual an! festi$ity. There is the

slaughtering of pigs an! chicken, an! li'uor is

"rought out to feast the &hole $illage an! all

guests.

There is no ritual on the fourth an! the last

!ay# only young girls an! "oys an! chil!ren

playing at the s&ing all !ay.

The s&ings of !ifferent hill tri"es in !ifferent

regions ha$e similar characteristics in that

they are $ery "ig. The frame is ma!e of B

"am"oo poles arrange! in t&o groups to

support a horiontal pole from &hich a s&ing

is hung. The strength an! security of each leg

is achie$e! "y positioning each pole at the

points of a triangle.

4. The :astening Techni;ue in Traditional

9ouse Building

8uen Kreung Phoog/ is the most ancient

type of tra!itional local houses. The structure

is hel! securely &ithout the use of any nails

"y three "asic techni'ues# tying, "e$eling,

an! hole*!rilling.

4.1 Tying is the essence of assem"ling the

structure. It can "e use! in any situation

&here a nail is nee!e!. This particular knot is

calle! "in!ing a chicken’s neck./ In some

cases &here tenons are nee!e! to strengthen

the hol!, a knot calle! Kapong’s ear/ is

use!.

Picture 1,.


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Picture 14. Photograph of the 09oo apong3 !not

4.2 0Be&eling3 is use! in cases &here more

strength is nee!e! in the $ertical structure to

"ear loa! from the horiontal structure, such

as posts carrying "eams an! tie "eams.

Picture 26. 9o# the top of the post is be&eled to

hold the cross-beam

4." 0Boring3 is !one in cases &here tenons

are nee!e! to anchor tie ropes, an! in cases

&here it is necessary to hol! "am"oo poles in

the same plane &hile allo&ing for angle

a!)ustment as in rafters, strips of &oo! to tieroofing material to, an! en! planks.

Picture 21. Rafters are held in place #ith rope and

tenon

16. >on-(hemical Preser&ation of Bamboo

for


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Picture 24. Perspecti&e dra#ing of s#ing set

Picture "6. (ross-section dra#ing of s#ing set

Picture "1. :rame for s#ing set

Picture "2. Builders assembling s#ing set

Picture "". Doung children5 amapado 8illage

Picture "$. (hildren playing on the finished s#ing

set

Picture "). :rame for see-sa# set

Picture ",. Builders assembling see-sa# frame


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Picture ". (hildren testing the strength of the

structure

Picture "/. A finished play set

2.2 +ee - +a# set

Picture "4. Perspecti&e dra#ing of see-sa# set

Picture $6. (ross-section dra#ing of see-sa# set

2." ungle =ym #ith a Roller Board


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Picture $1. Perspecti&e dra#ing of the %ungle gym

Picture $2. (ross-section dra#ing

Picture $". Builders assembling %ungle gym set

Picture $$. Attaching Emon!ey7 ladder to the

structure

Picture $). The finished %ungle gym


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Picture )1. A length-#ise cross-section dra#ing of

the combination set

Picture )2. A #idth-#ise cross-section dra#ing of

the combination set

".2 9appy =lobe +et. The !esign &as

inspire! "y the $illage chicken coop form.

The !ome shape! interior is &i!e enough to

accommo!ate a play set that helps to !e$elop

fine motor coor!ination in small chil!ren, an!to encourage them to imitate a!ult !aily

acti$ities. The interior space is suppose! to

"e a chil!’s &orl! &here they e%perience an!

learn a"out light an! the sun’s mo$ement

from the skylight. The soun!s from the

hollo&e! out "am"oo stalks insi!e gi$e them

another !imension of learning.

Picture )". Proportional dra#ing of the 09appy

=lobe3

Picture )$. Perspecti&e dra#ing of the 09appy

=lobe3

Picture )). +!ylight at the top of the globe structure

seen from inside


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Picture ),. A child learning about light

Picture ). +pace inside the globe

Picture )/. Interior light

Picture )4. A child hanging from an inclinedbamboo pole

Picture ,6. A child on a bamboo slide

Picture ,1. A child sliding do#n an inclined roller-

board

Picture ,2.


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Picture ,". 'ra#ing of the ladder combination set

Picture ,$. 'ra#ing of different le&els of up-and-

do#n ladders

11. (onclusion

The concept an! metho! of !esigning the

playgroun! e'uipment presente! here is not

Jfantastic’ !esign to e%cite an! to impress.These creations reflect a !esigner’s thoughts

an! a&areness of the role of creati$e !esign

in agreement &ith glo"al organiations on

the a&areness on conscious !esign for

en$ironmental preser$ation/ or reen

Design./

It is &ell kno&n that at this present time

population gro&th an! economic

!e$elopment increasingly generate acti$itiesan! ne& pro!ucts to satisfy nee!s an! to

facilitate "etter life style. All these take a toll

on our natural resources an! en$ironment,

&hich in turn affect people’s health an! life

'uality, especially that of chil!ren.


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Bibliography

The e!itorial section of the Agriculture

ra!uate Volunteer roup,

Bamboo Playground Equipment Innovation f

Documents

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