Young Park Planners - Activities for Summer
Consultation has concluded
Our Ready2Play team created three activities for you to Design - Write - Explore during your summer. These activities are "responsive," meaning that there is an opportunity to share your final work with our planning team! Your shared products from these three activities will help inform DPR’s future planning for parks and recreation in DC and may be used in official DPR publications and featured on DPR social media and websites.
If you would like to share your final work, please take a picture of it or save it in word or PDF (if applicable to the activity) and upload it to the Ready2Play website as indicated in our activities or send it to ready2play@dc.gov.
Stay safe and have fun!
Activity #3: Explore your favorite park / open space in Washington, D.C.
Materials
- Camera
- Paper/notebook, pencil, pen
- Crayons, markers
Description
Explore your nearest park or open space and observe what you see! Take your camera or bring paper and writing utensils to record your observations. What types of things do you see in the park? Are there differences you notice from the last time you visited the park? How many people are there? What are they doing?
Make sure to maintain a safe distance away from others while observing.
Directions:
- Select a park to explore safely.
- Prepare your camera or drawing / notes tools to record your observations.
- Dress accordingly to the weather and wear comfortable shoes.
- When at the park, take your time to observe what happens. Think about the following:
a. Park items: Describe the built elements of the park (courts, playgrounds, benches, etc.). What is your favorite and why? What would you like to see more of? Anything you would like to change
b. Environment: Describe the natural elements around you. What is the weather like on the day you visit? What kinds of nature do you see in the park (trees, plants, grass, animals)? Do you have a favorite type of nature? Is there something that you really like about the nature in this park?
c. Social interaction: How many people are in the space? What are they doing? Are they wearing masks and practicing social distancing? How does this look compared to what you have seen in the park before?
5. Upload your observations to the Ready2Play website:
- Add to the map, the location of the park explored.
- Click on the (+) symbol in the top left of the map to “Add Pin”
- Drag the pin icon to the map and drop it in the location of the park or open space you visited. (You can also click the search tool in the top right of the map and search your park location by address).
- Select how you got there (walking, biking, metro, bus, car, etc.)
- Type your observations into the observations box (you can also take a photo of your written observations and upload as a photo).
- Upload any additional photos you took at the park.
- Alternatively or in addition, you can also send your observations and photos to DPR at ready2play@dc.gov.
