Natural Outdoor Playspaces
Former Calfee Training School students remember their unstructured outdoor recess time fondly. They tell stories about how the “little kids” played on one side of the yard while the older children played on the other. They made do with extremely limited resources and many attribute their happiness and success today to their experiences then.
The natural outdoor playspaces foster creativity and an appreciation for nature and the outdoors. The 3,000 sq. ft. space for infants and toddlers and the 5,000 sq. ft. space for 3, 4 and 5 year olds incorporate water features, gardens, and natural and recycled materials. Pulaski County currently has no publicly accessible natural playgrounds. These playspaces are open to the public outside of childcare center operating hours.
Pulaski County High School welding students created “hobbit houses” for the outdoor playspaces. The recycled tires create small gardens for children to plant native plants.
The water sluiceway is a celebration of the historic millrace that was on the Calfee Training School property as well as an feature that allows for creative water play.
Pulaski County High School building trades students built a boat that is being used as a sand box.
Wooden builder boards provide hours of creative play.
Renderings of Natural Outdoor Playspaces
Rendering of the two outdoor playspaces as envisioned by the June 2021 visioning session participants.
Rendering of the outdoor classroom as envisioned by the June 2021 visioning session participants.
