Playful Learning Illinois has unveiled two new playful learning installations in the greater Chicago area, and there are more to come! Located in a local laundromat, the first project in Little Village, Chicago, connects early math skills to what children and families see around them at the laundromat. There is a table for sorting clothes and space on the wall to create patterns with laundry detergent lids. The installation capitalizes on time that families spend at laundromats to promote interactions between children and caregivers while also utilizing playful learning to engage those early math skills.
More recently, Sidewalk Math opened in Aurora, Illinois, just an hour away from Chicago. This installation transforms a sidewalk into a space for playful learning! Located next to a local playground, these sidewalk games offer a space for younger children and their caregivers to jump through patterns, exercise their cognitive skills in a reverse form of hopscotch, or explore numbers through a winding path. These activities help develop early math skills in young children and are fun at the same time.
These installations are two of many that Playful Learning Illinois hopes to complete in upcoming years. Their next projects turn their focus towards early literacy skills.
To learn more about Playful Learning Illinois, check out their website: https://playfullearningillinois.org/
