Imboden Area Charter School Expands Playground

The Imboden Area Charter School students have lots of decisions to make during their outdoor activity
periods. Federal money provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was the source
of the funds used to revamp the entire playground and provide for additional equipment and a large
playing field. We know that exercise helps students with academic functions such as attention span,
critical, thinking, and memory, which contributes to necessary skills for success in school and life. Put
simply, physical activity primes the brain for learning.

Equipment purchased was a large wooden activity play center; fitness equipment, including uneven
bars, parallel bars, balance beam, and chain ring ladder; and a climbing structure called “Stanley
Stegasaurus.” “S”-shaped monkey bars and tetherball round out the array of equipment. The school,
with help from our parent volunteers, also removed rock and added topsoil to provide for a large sports
playing field, which doubled the size of the original playground. Students were very excited about the
new equipment. Here are some of the comments made by students:

Kindergartener Summer, “I like everything about it, but I really like the huge slides.”
First grader Zoe, “ I like the thing that looks like a dinosaur.”
Second grader, Abby, “ The bridge on the jungle gym.”
Third grader, Luke “The whole jungle gym.”
Fourth grader, Logan, ”Good to play tag on.”
Fifth grader Skyler,” You can climb and slide.”
Eighth grader Ruby added, “ I like the fort.”