Progress on the playground/outdoor classroom renovation continues. Kris Doder and Sr. Bridget have submitted two grants to secure money for the poured-in-place surfacing and play equipment. Kris and Sr. Alice have met with companies to aquire bids on new fencing between the two playgrounds. Things are progressing well, we are just patiently waiting to hear responses regarding the grants.
We are now focusing on other areas of the outdoor classroom which need renovations. Each of these will be DIY projects. First, is the "outdoor kitchen," a well-loved space that needs to be rehabbed. The children love to pretend to prepare meals with the outdoor ingredients for their friends and teachers. Years ago, a parent in the middle school made the current kitchen from wooden pallets. We have a great double stainless-steel sink that we can reuse. We are looking for parents or grandparents who are willing to take on this DIY project. We have lots of ideas, including installing a "stove" and storage space.
The second DIY project is to create a lean-to bike-port (like a car port but for tricycles). We have a shed where we store the bikes, but they are not easily accessible for a child. Creating a bike-port will enable us to keep the bikes outdoors and somewhat protected during the week so the children can easily pick out a tricycle and helmet and be on their way across the playground.
The third DIY project is the removal of the stage in the toddler's play space. Once removed, we plan on putting in a balancing area with tree stumps and cut log beams donated by the St. Louis Department of Forestry.
If you are interested in helping with any of these projects sometime over the next four months, please contace Kris kdoder@sacredheartvilla.org. We appreciate any help we can get to help make our renovations happen this summer.