The goal for SSP was to create a rich, outdoor-like space for ages 3 & under based on cutting-edge research showing very young children are far more capable than we knew. We worked with the Wonderlab team and IU Neuroscience professors, including nationally known Bennet Bertenthal, to determine experiences that would reinforce important experiences like object permanence, and push the boundaries by adding experiences in physical science and gross motor skills often considered for older children.  During the process we added a small programmatic lab space for sensory experiences for this age range, and additional experiences for older preschoolers.

 

Design was crucial for this small space, as was the exact size of each element based on the age range so prototyping was part of the process as was establishing clear goals.  We divided the space into zones, one for infants, another for crawlers, one for toddlers just starting to walk, and a third for older twos and threes that included a larger treehouse and climber to develop spatial sense. 

 

Activities include an Infant Pond, a crawler nook, a reading/ nursing Gazebo, a Toddler Birdhouse with worm crawl and log slide, log tables for building, birdhouse ramps, an Air Tube table, a tree fort and Wiggle Woods Climber, a parent “What babies know”  video playback, Sprouts Lab, all surrounded by an artistic barrier with see through sections and nature patterns.