Schoolyard Geographies: The Influence of Object-Play and Place-Making on Relationships

Abstract

The exploration of relationships between the physical characteristics of place and the activities that occur there is a fundamental question for geography (Patton 2002). This report is part of a larger case study documenting how the places, objects and practices in a naturalized primary school playground influenced a newly enrolled student’s participation in creative play, social interaction and learning. Using natural and non-prescriptive schoolyard objects is shown to have helped the student negotiate and maintain satisfying relationships with people and places and to have been supportive of identity development. A three-phase model is proposed that conceptualises constructing and playing in cubby houses - also known as forts, tree houses, bush houses, houses and dens (Kylin 2003) - as foundational to the student’s social relations and positive disposition.