Duluth Edison Charter School breaks ground for new outdoor playscape Saturday

DULUTH, MN. (Northern News Now) - Duluth Edison Charter School held a groundbreaking and community work day for a new outdoor playscape Saturday.

The school received a $20,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Education in May to build the play area.

The kindergarten through fifth-graders will all be able to use the space during the school year which will include everything from a sandbox to hammocks.

S.T.E.A.M. Specialist at Duluth Edison, Katie Ruhland, said the area will be used for more than just recess for the kindergarteners.

“Especially post COVID, we’ve found that, and this is statewide and nationwide, you know, that kids just really have been struggling to do school and do kindergarten,” Ruhland said.

A play-based curriculum eases the transition for kindergarteners to a more structured learning environment so the school plans on having at least the first quarter of kindergarten be entirely play based.

“They’re five years old. They’re not able to sit and listen. So they’re like working in the mud kitchen while they’re listening to what the teacher is talking about,” said Ruhland.

Students at the school are excited about the new playscape and are grateful that it is being built.

The playscape will be ready for play this fall.

According to Duluth Edison, they will do as much as they can with the grant money and will continue to add to the space as they get more resources.

Click here to download the Northern News Now app or our Northern News Now First Alert weather app.

Copyright 2023 Northern News Now. All rights reserved.