Children's shipbuilding team christens the new climbing ship ‘Arche’

A new play area, the Ark, has been created in the open space of the children's day care centre. The shipbuilder is Mark Röder, play space designer and nature enthusiast. His development and construction team were the children and parents of the children's day care centre, which is home to the Amos Comenius day care centre, the Montessori children's house and the August Hermann Francke after-school care centre. ‘I do this every day now!’ exclaims a girl enthusiastically at the test and launch and jumps off the boat into the water (into the sand).
 
The project started with a workshop. The symbol of the 2001 theme year on the subject of religion was getting on in years and needed a complete overhaul. Children, parents and educators were not only actively involved in the development, but also in the realisation. The new ark was to ‘swim’ on a water playground and provide space for climbing and free play, rest and experience. ‘Children are looking for challenges that they can master,’ is Mark Röder explaining his basic idea. During the construction period, the teachers and children played on site on a trial basis and tested the individual construction steps together with the playroom designer. They also lent a hand with the woodwork themselves. As soon as you enter the new playroom, marked by thick wooden trunks, you can see the children's first carvings and paintings.
 
We are very grateful to the Friends of the Francke Foundations for their support in realising this project.