Early Childhood and Elementary

Playscapes designed to address the unique needs of early childhood and elementary-age students require multiple areas for physical play that are inclusive yet challenging. Early elementary play can be more focused on motion and spinning, which provided positive, vestibular stimulation for brain development. “Spinning is an important form of sensory input that the brain takes in and processes that can help with balance, decision-making, and even attention span,” says GMB landscape architect Dana Hernalsteen. “Incorporating different areas of play also gives students a choice in how they want to explore and engage with their surroundings.” For example, pavement activities can take many shapes and promote different types of play, from group games like foursquare, to active learning from painted maps or solar systems, and social emotional needs like peace paths and buddy circles.

Ludington’s new elementary school aimed to create meaningful connections to the outdoors, an important initiative for the district. All the classroom wings connect outside through covered outdoor learning areas to playgrounds that encourage both outdoor learning and play. Multiple playgrounds address the needs of students from kindergarten through 5th grade on one campus. Broken down into distinct age categories, each playscape was designed to create meaningful play as students grow. For the youngest learners, areas that promote balance, like spinners and climbers, and creativity, like chalk and sandboxes, were included. For the oldest group, more challenging spaces for parkour and rope climbing encourage strength building, teamwork, and competition.

Special Education and Accessibility Needs

Creating an inclusive and accessible playscape presents students with many opportunities. Completely barrier-free design, with compliance for national standards, can be just as fun, intentional, and creative as traditional play areas. Incorporating the necessary signage, railings, fencing, and transitions into the natural surroundings where possible makes the accessibility requirements feel like just another part of the design. At Hamilton Community Schools, a special education wing’s new playground provides accessible play for all students. An ADA accessible ramp into the rubberized surface area for wheelchairs is the first impression of accessible use. The playground also includes equipment that can accommodate wheelchair users plus their adult paraprofessionals. “Incorporating different kinds of sensory elements from texture, sound, height levels, spinning, and signage gives the playscape something for everyone,” said GMB landscape architect Chris Markham. “Multiple zones throughout the area and the new equipment allow kids of different abilities to interact and play together without physical constraints.”

Serving Multiple Age Groups

At schools where multiple age groups share a single campus or facility, outdoor spaces can be creatively utilized to address the needs of multiple age groups. By blending programs together in flexible spaces that promote both play and learning on a smaller footprint, yet intentionally separating age group activities, districts can accommodate outdoor play for any age group. Potterville Public Schools is utilizing their shared campus to create outdoor areas that fit students from kindergarten through high school. Similar age zones are placed near each other to create the appropriate separation of activities while maximizing their square footage. The youngest group’s play area is enclosed in a courtyard and requires the least amount of space, while the middle school group will have play structures of varying scale and opportunity for free play. High schoolers will be able to physically exert themselves on play fields if they choose or can utilize seating with shade to read, study, and converse.

What is Experiential Graphic Design?

Experiential Graphic Design is the integration of brand and message within physical spaces, transforming how individuals interact with and perceive their environment. Unlike its previous name indicates, Environmental Graphic Design, the term Experiential Graphic Design was adopted over ten years ago to better represent the focus on creating immersive and meaningful experiences rather than solely implying environmental sustainability.

EGD combines various elements such as signage, maps, symbols, colors, and other communication materials to guide individuals through the built environments. This approach not only complements architecture, interior design, branding, landscape, and furniture but also creates a cohesive and engaging spatial experience. Today, EGD can also leverage digital spaces to present dynamic content through motion or interactive graphics, allowing for rich interactions between building users and the presented information.

From the moment students approach their school, experiential design can create a welcoming atmosphere. Exterior signage and wayfinding systems, designed with thoughtful typography, color schemes, and imagery, help students and visitors navigate the campus with ease. These elements not only provide essential information but also establish a sense of place and belonging.

Interior spaces can further enhance the student experience by incorporating graphics that complement the curriculum. Wall murals, informational displays, and interactive installations can make hallways, classrooms, and common areas more engaging and inspiring. Digital displays and motion graphics can present dynamic content, making lessons more engaging and accessible. By creating visually stimulating environments, EGD helps maintain students’ interest and enthusiasm throughout their educational journey.

Additionally, EGD can create themed environments that align with specific subjects or educational goals. Edgerton Trails Elementary School’s colorful interior is inspired by the district’s elementary science curriculum, with each grade level housed in distinct neighborhoods that reflect local habitats. The neighborhoods — The Pond (DK), The Woodlands (K-1), The Lakes (2-3), and The Dunes (4-5) — provide age-appropriate and fun environments that connect back to what they are learning. Students can feel emotionally and physically safe as the layout ensures they interact primarily with their peers in spaces designed specifically for their developmental stage. These immersive environments stimulate curiosity and creativity, encouraging students to explore and engage with their subjects more deeply.

Supporting Mental Health and Well-Being

The design of educational spaces can have a significant impact on students’ mental health and well-being. Experiential graphics can contribute to creating a positive and supportive atmosphere by incorporating elements that promote relaxation, focus, and emotional comfort. For example, calming color palettes, nature-inspired imagery, and thoughtful spatial layouts can reduce stress and anxiety, fostering a sense of calm and security.

EGD can also promote social interaction and community building by designing spaces that encourage collaboration and connection. Interactive displays, communal areas, and shared information boards can help students feel more connected to their peers and institution, enhancing their overall sense of well-being.

To embrace the student and school connection to the Shelby community, each academic wing at the Shelby Elementary School was given an identity from elements found in the natural environment that include an orchard, forest, and lake. Bright colors and illustrations are infused throughout the facility with experiential hallway graphics and flexible furniture. Shelby has a large population of students who speak English as a second language, so each graphic in the school is represented in both English and Spanish to create an inclusive environment.

Guiding Student Focus and Learning

Experiential graphics can also play a supportive role in guiding student focus and enhancing learning environments. Creating personalized spaces, like built-in nooks, can offer calm areas for individual reflection or focused work, and can promote a sense of ownership and comfort. Enhancing these areas with dedicated graphics, schools can support students in finding their unique place, fostering an environment that positively impacts well-being and individual growth.

Additionally, EGD that incorporates place-based learning concepts into the design and application can inspire students to engage more deeply with their everyday surroundings. EGD, when thoughtfully integrated, can transform ordinary spaces into interactive learning environments that stimulate curiosity and creativity. This approach not only enhances the educational experience but also propels schools and universities towards innovative and effective learning strategies.

At Ludington Elementary School, inspired by the school’s land and its connection to Native American culture, each grade-level neighborhood has an identifiable animal (like an owl, wolf or bear) to connect to and identify with. Each animal was chosen specifically through feedback from the local indigenous tribe. This strategic use of coordinating displays creates a feeling of belonging for young learners and fosters student connection to the physical environment.

Interacting with Digital
Designs

Digital technologies play an increasingly important role in experiential graphic design. Interactive kiosks, digital signage, and learning-centered motion graphics can present dynamic content that adapts to the needs of students and visitors. These technologies allow for real-time updates, personalized information, and interactive experiences that enhance the overall environment.

The open lobby at Calvin University’s new School of Business facility features a digital running stock ticker so that students feel continually immersed in business culture. A large video wall showing the active stock market, market highlights, or campus news in the same space complements the feeling of learning in a real, global business setting.

Place-based learning has been defined by the Center for Place-Based Learning and Community Engagement as an immersive learning experience that “places students in local heritage, cultures, landscapes, opportunities and experiences, and uses these as a foundation for the study of language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and other subjects across the curriculum.” Think of a family-run farm that teaches the next generation of family members by daily observation and hands-on participation – that is place-based learning in action. Similarly, taking a trip to the beach, hiking in the woods, or visiting a museum creates the opportunity to immerse yourself in an educational experience centered on place.

Place-based learning can happen on any scale, from singular classes within existing curriculum to entire schools dedicated to the practice. Examples of place-based education learning models may look like:

• Experiential Learning
• Project-Based Learning
• Social & Emotional Learning
• Career-Technical Education

Whether presented in a formal or informal manner, there are many benefits to consider in support of place-based education.

Educational design that incorporates place-based learning concepts can inspire students to engage with their everyday surroundings. The Little Hawks Discovery Preschool, a nature-based learning center in Holland, does just that. Little Hawks use their unique site to create an outdoor learning-based curriculum where students engage the natural surroundings to foster learning. Located on the Outdoor Discovery Center’s Nature Preserve, both the site and the building work together to reinforce the students’ exploration of the natural world. The building is designed to support a curriculum that primarily takes place outdoors, while the preschool building plays a secondary role. In this environment, children are encouraged to ask open-ended questions, work in groups, observe nature around them, and experiment.

In Comstock, current STEM Academy students participate in a variety of hands-on, enriching science projects including a flagship program for the third-grade class. Their Maple Tree Tapping Unit teaches students the entire process of creating maple syrup – from tapping the trees and boiling the sap, to enjoying the final product. The district’s new STEM academy, currently under construction, will even feature an on-site sugar maple grove for this specific program, truly integrating the program’s curriculum into the school design, exemplifying place-based learning

Even when full immersive experiences are not available, building design can complement place-based learning models and connect students to their local environment. At Shelby Public Schools new elementary school, it was important that the design fit into the culture of the surrounding community, with special attention being paid to the local agricultural landscape and aesthetic. The design sets the facility’s three classroom wings into the landscape to resemble barns in a field. The exterior and interior design intentionally reflects the demographic and agricultural industry, reflecting nature from the local region to make students feel more comfortable and welcome. Graphics throughout the school also considered the area’s multilingual community, giving all students a chance to engage with English and Spanish languages.