Mission 20
Design a Playground
The empty lot on Juniper Street is going to be a playground, and Mr. Bashir the builder wants the children to plan it. Fit each piece into its space, pace out the ground, draw the plan on squared paper, and leave clear room around the swings and a path that everyone can use. Then make the hard choices: what fits, what it costs, and what has to wait.
- 5 parts
- 15 to 20 minutes
- Grades 6 to 8
Who is playing?
Each age gets its own version of the story. Any of them is fine to play.
Grades 6 to 8
The Wish List and the Budget
The job: Help Cleo turn the neighbors' wishes into a playground that fits the lot, the fund and the safety rules, and say what had to be left out.
- The Wish Cards With a PlayOwl plan
- As Many Wishes as Possible With a PlayOwl plan
- A List Is Not a Plan With a PlayOwl plan
- Five More Coins With a PlayOwl plan
- The Lot on Fig Street With a PlayOwl plan
For grown-ups: what this mission practices
Matching and comparing shapes and sizes, measuring in steps and then meters, counting squares to find area, perimeter and the length of a fence, areas of rectangles and L-shapes on a scale plan, spacing things by a stated rule, and planning access for a wheelchair user. Older children weigh space, cost and the wishes of different ages, and justify what they left out.
- Ages
- Five versions, from Preschool to Grade 8. They are different designs, not the same task with other numbers.
- How it is checked
- Every answer is checked by rules the child can see at work on the screen. Any answer that meets them is right.
- Help
- Olly can read any line aloud, give a hint that points at where to look, or show one way. A report says where help was used.
- Time
- Nothing is timed. A part takes a few minutes and progress is saved after each one for a signed-in child.