Luniko Children’s Play Park Is On The Move
Cath Hempel and Shena Ruth’s vision of a play park for children in Sea Vista has taken another step forward. A team of volunteers, partnering with the Kouga Municipality, cleaned the vacant land opposite the Sea Vista Community Library and laid an extensive concrete cycle track and planted trees. Now, more activity for the children is needed.
The wide spaces on the cement cycle track also provided the ideal place to paint playground games, which provide great fun and entertainment whilst also providing significant educational value.
An energetic and enthusiastic team made up from DA Activists and participants in the Masinyisane Career Guidance Programme, spent two Saturday mornings painting five different games onto the cement surfaces. We were also helped by Kouga Municipal Law Enforcement who secured the area during the painting exercise to prevent exuberant children and local dogs from walking across the wet paint.
Painting team at work!
The Play Park now has four Hopscotch games, a 4 Square Ball game, Hand Tennis, 16 Square and an Activity Circuit. There is also an area designated for skipping games as well for Road Safety Education which still needs to be included.
So where to from here? Whilst a brochure that includes the rules for all the games has been compiled and will be available at the Library, the children will be encouraged to make up their own games and rules – as one can see above, it is already happening! Then a “workshop” will be held at the Play Park where the games will be explained to older primary school children who can then teach younger children. The painted games are appropriate for children from Grade R to Grade 7. Teachers and interested community members will be encouraged to attend.
Funding is required to fence the play park with a gate and the name of the Play Park. The Park is on a busy road so the games need to be contained in a safe area.
To Make the Play Park Come Alive!
There is some ground next to the painted playground games that has been earmarked for a court type construction. This area of approximately 200sqm can be covered with a cement surface to accommodate a half netball court, a tennis wall, basketball and even a Pickle Ball court. This will also require further funding.
This is the first place in Sea Vista, at present, which can provide a safe area for children to play. Shena Ruth’s vision, upon being elected as a Councillor to the Municipal Council, included looking at answers to the fact that no safe and stimulating spaces for children to gather existed in Sea Vista. The space provided the opportunity, across the road from other community facilities – the clinic, the library, the community hall and a Church and around the corner from the sports field. The timing was perfect when Cathryn Hempel approached Shena with a request for space for a bike park. The idea grew, they recruited volunteers for designing, surveying, drawing up specs and building the park. The initial idea included teaching road safety in the way that the space was constructed.
Hopefully, with further funding from donors, Luniko Play Park will be a much- valued resource and provide for many of the recreational needs of the children.
Here’s to the future of Luniko Play Park!
Submitted by Darryl Smith who is coordinating the Painted Playground games project.
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