Kakträd och krokofanter : en sinnesstimulerande skolgård på Värmdö Särskola

Abstract: My final essay is a design proposal for a schoolyard that pertains to the senses. The proposal consists of an illustration plan and this paper. The design proposal takes start in sense stimulation to create a varied environment. The title leads to the concept "surprisingly predictable". The concept is two qualities I want for the schoolyard. It provides both sense stimulation and stimulation of fantasy as well as a feeling of safety. The paper describes different sense experiences that the schoolyard provides and it also proposes for how the yard can be used pedagogically. Functional disable children have reduced sensory ability. To wake up the senses is important because the interplay between different senses is required for the development of the child. Sense stimulating can be a lush verdure or illumination for the eyesight, wind chime and murmur of water for the hearing, hairy leaves and gravel for the feeling, honeysuckle and Katsura tree for the fragrance, fruit and berries for the flavour and roots and undulations for the balance. The children in Värmdö Särskola are between 7 and 18 years old. All of them have a functional disability but most important of all; they are children with the same needs as every other child. The content of this paper is to a large extant human universal. Great importance has been put in physical and psychological accessibility and it's important that the yard is accessible to all children and has a clear room structure. A great wealth in details is important to stimulate imagination. Clean spaces are also needed for those who have difficulties sorting the impressions. The schoolyard shall contain challenges for all children and give opportunity to different games and activities. This has formed a design with clear room structure. I divided the area in four parts. The front yard is the entrance and an asphalt area for ball games and group activities. The third part is the inner yard, it´s divided into smaller rooms bound together with a gravel path. It contains sense-stimulating objects, equipment for easy read activities as swings and shrubberies for more diffuse games. The fourth part is the classroom gardens. All gardens have the same ground structure and contain lots of vegetation. The training class gardens have lofty parts to make it easy for the children in wheelchairs to touch materials with their hand. The special class gardens have different themes, which give reasons to visit the other gardens. Another important aspect of the design is esthetic appealing, partly for the children but mostly for the teachers. The teachers inspire the children and if they like the outdoor environment they will influence their pupils a positive way. My intention is that the teachers will use the yard as an extra classroom. A sense stimulating schoolyard promotes the development and comfort of the children and it is a resource in the daily work.