2014 Playground Arts Village

Goodstart Early Learning Kindergarten Program,

Proposed by Renee Dikeni, Early Childhood Teacher.
Project Overview:
This is a projected three stage project involving a number of community stakeholders. The end result
will be the evolution of the Kindergarten playground (approx. 6 meters by 20 meters in length) at the
back of the building into a mini environmentally sustainable mud hut village housing an art studio. The
second stage of the project will be to create a butterfly garden/ edible garden with the help of local
permaculture landscape designer/ ecologist. This will include incorporating the exiting worm farm and
composting system into the design. The final stage will be to invite two local artists, local indigenous
artist to aid the children in creating and designing a garden sculpture. While the second Mosaic Artist,
Sandy from Oz Mosaics to aid the children in creating a sundial.
Throughout the project will be photographically documented to capture the project through the
childrens eyes. A local photographer will conduct a workshop with children. A final collection of
photographs by photographer and children will be used in documentation process.
We will extend an excursion invitation to the surrounding regional Goodstart Early Learning
Kindergarten Students to participate in all stages of the project. There are approximately 10 Goodstart
Early Learning Kindergartens in our local area, and up to twenty in the wider Logan catchment area.
Thus conservatively up to 300 children will have the opportunity to participate throughout the project.
Stage One: Mud Hut (Two Week Timeframe)
Award winning environmentally sustainable architect Erwin Weber and wife and designer/ social
ecologist Adrienne Weber will aid and lead the first stage of the project. Locals from the Ghanaian
Queensland Community will be invited to help with the building process to share ideas common in
their West African village communities.
During this stage we hope to construct a cob (traditional mud and straw material) pentagon in shape
art pavilion. This will become an art studio. Please note that we will house our art supplies in the
existing outdoor storage shed. The studio will be made completely (or to the best of our ability) of
natural, nontoxic, ecological and sustainable locally sourced materials emphasising natural building
methods to children and broader community.
Initially the children will collaborate with the Webers to design and miniature model. Parent input will
then be invited. Input will be considered and incorporated into design.
Building Process: Local Ghanaian Community members, parents, teachers, Browns Plains road
Kindergarten students, and in kind help will be invited by Webers and Browns Plains Road
Kindergarten staff to participate in rendering the walls with mud mixture after labourers have
constructed necessary initial structure.
The Children will then have the opportunity to design and create 3 faades of play mud/ cob
buildings approximately one meter wide to chest height to create a mud brick village (shop or dentist
etc).
Erwin Weber Building design/specification/quantities documentation 5 hoursx$70 = $350
Labour/ Site Supervision 16 hours x $70 = $1120
Workshop and surveying site= 4 hours x $70 = $280
Sourcing recycled materials 4 hours x $70 = $280
Adrienne Weber Conducting workshops with children- 3 hours x 3 mornings= $50x 9 = $450
Labourer Preparing site: 5 hours X $35 = $ 175
Aiding Erwin and sourcing materials 20 hrs. x $35 = $350
Material Costs
for Art Studio
An estimate, by Erwin Weber of $4000 has been allocated for nontoxic,
recyclable, local materials including recycled materials and safety equipment.
Site preparations, Footings and structural base: Prepare work site/ earthworks, safety fence and
sign. Galvanised iron post stirrups, bolts and washers cast in precast concrete post pads, crusher
dust. recycled house bricks and or paver bricks, waterproof polyethylene membrane, ant capping
strips to wall bases.
Plinth, walls and associated frame: Sustainably sourced eucalyptus hardwood framing and bench
seat timber including poles, natural edged slabs and square framing, also clay, soil, straw bales, wall
ant capping, chicken wire.
Roof: Recycled or new colour bond or galvanised iron roofing; corrugated sheets, ridge capping and
apex capping. Galvanised iron angle brackets and roof crown. Sustainably sourced eucalyptus
hardwood framing.
General: Galvanised; cyclone bracing materials, connector bolts, coach screws, cyclone screws.
Washers, other fasteners. Also natural finishes, natural earth stabilizer and other incidentals.

Play Faade $400 is allocated for needed materials including chicken wire, mud, linseed oil
etc.

Stage Two: Native Butterfly Garden/ Food Garden (One week timeframe)
Under Estelle Webers guidance we will discuss with the children the importance of the natural eco
system and why it is important to the local wildlife. This will be an extension on the discussions
already taking place in the classroom about growing real food and not eating packet food and the
already established worm farm and compost. Estelle will work alongside the children in morning and
labour independently.
The children will be consulted in the design process (including pathways and planting positions),
growing of native seedlings, digging holes and in general getting dirty.
Estelle Weber: 12 hours of labour x $40 = $480
10.5 hours of workshops with children X$40 = $420
Nursery Plants $1500 of native plants and seedlings
Landscaping Supplies $500 of recycled landscaping supplies

Stage Three: Indigenous Arts sculpture project. (One Week timeframe)/ Mosaic Sun Dial
Local Greenbank based artist Jessica McKinnon Skeen will then be invited over a series of
mornings to develop a permanent exterior sculptural project with children to sit in the village
landscape. The sculptural project will be based around a local indigenous totem and story. The
children will then have the opportunity to create a canvas painting telling our story with Jessica using
the indigenous design skills to incorporate in the kindergartens foyer.
Secondly Sandra Robertson of Oz Mosaics will be invited to create a mosaic sundial (stemming from
recent interest in sunrise/ setting) with the children to set within our village setting. The first day the
children will design and glue while Sandra will touch up on the finishing pieces.
Jessica McKinnon 9 hours of workshop (over three mornings) x $60 = $540
Art Materials Including hardwood poles, paint, paintbrushes and incidentals = $600
Canvas Painting Labour and Materials $ 1200
Sandra Robertson 2 days of workshops 2x $440 = $880
Mosaic Materials Mosaic Materials = $1000

Photography: Brisbane Based Photographer Samarah Wood. (Throughout project)
Due to the digital age young children are exposed to many electronic devices. Recently the
Kindergarten children have been showing signs of interest in digital photography in the classroom
borrowing our classroom camera. We will invite photographer Samarah Wood, of Black and Light
Photography to conduct a hands on workshop on framing, and capturing aesthetically appealing
photos. She will then return over three mornings through the duration of the project to capture the
project through the childrens eyes and the learning that occurs throughout the project.
Samarah Wood 6 mornings at 3 hours (18 hours) x $40/hr = $460
Photographic Printing Professional Quality Prints including photo books x 20 (for each
kindergarten class that participates) in project and project and
educational significance. $ 800
Cameras (Property of
Kindergarten)
10 digital cameras to share amongst up to 20 children 10 x $800=
$1000
Final Phase: Art Supplies
Visual Art
Materials
As the children have developed visual literacy and design skills we hope to keep
this creative process going through topping up depleted art supplies. Materials will
be natural, open ended quality materials including clay, nontoxic paints, pastels,
easels, pigments and dyes, pencils etc. $3000
Total: 19785
Summary:
This project is a multifaceted concept that will extend over a minimum period of 25 days, pending
construction process. Evidently it is hands on messy process young children love, heavily based on
the arts, design, ecology and sustainability, indigenous and African culture and will also touch on
math and science concepts. Additionally the children will engage in fine and gross motor skills, build
social skills, independence and most of all a love for learning and the investigation process. This
project has the potential to cover all areas in the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Framework.
Appendix:
Artistic Expertise:
Erwin Weber B.Arch. (Hons), M. App. Sc. (Design Research) :is an award winning Ecological
Sustainable architect and Artist that has been pushing boundaries in the field for the past 30 years.
For further information on his architecture and environmental influence please refer to the following:
http://solarhomedesign.com.au/links.htm, http://eprints.qut.edu.au/52771/1/Erwin_Weber_Thesis.pdf
Adreinne Weber Dip Interior Design, M. App. Sc. (Social Ecology): is an interior designer, social
ecologist and adult educator that has been working alongside Erwin at the forefront of the Sustainable
design, living and permaculture for many years.
Estelle Weber (B. Environmental Science): is a local ecologist and artist whom has worked on similar
education projects with children before through UQ. http://wilsonconservationecology.com/past-lab-
members/estelle-weber/ .
Jessica McKinnon Skeen: is a local indigenous artist based in Greenbank whom has been learning
to recreate indigenous culture through painting for the past 25 years. This knowledge has been
passed down from her father Joe Skeen Snr. Jessica enjoys passing her knowledge through local
community projects. Her work can be currently viewed at USQ. Her work is also sold through
Murraaolka.com.
Sandra Robertson: Sandra is a locally based mosaic artist that has worked around Brisbane working
on commission pieces and educational projects for the past fourteen years. Please refer to
http://www.ozmosaics.com.au/mosaic/en/ to gain a greater understanding of her work.
Samarah Wood: a local Brisbane based photographer is known for her genuine nature and eccentric
take on photography. Her work can be viewed through
https://www.facebook.com/blackandlightphotography.