Dive Brief:
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Children in New Orleans are learning about home building on a construction-themed playground that teaches them about architecture, problem-solving and design.
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PlayBuild is a “construction-toy playground” on a vacant lot that school groups can reserve for educational play. Using oversized, interlocking blocks, magnetic tiles, and other “building products,” the grade school-age kids build miniature houses and other structures. They also attend classes on architecture and history.
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In the year since introducing the portable playground, which the owners also take to some schools, farmers’ markets and neighborhood events, organizers have worked with about 1,000 children.
Dive Insight:
Creators Angela Kyle and Charlotte Jones have said the children have grown up in a city that has constantly changed since Hurricane Katrina, so learning how to build connects them with their communities. "I think it's good to teach kids that they can think from a city planning perspective," Jones said. "It really helps with community mindedness."