Environmental Experiences and Children's Drawings

Abstract

Several years ago, the Parent Teacher Organization of a small primary school in central New Jersey decided to construct atire playground on the asphalt surface that was then serving as the schoolyard. A playground designer was commissioned to plan the playground and to supervise its construction by parents and community volunteers during a single spring weekend. The construction of the tire playground provided a unique opportunity to document children's behavior in two very different play environments (Weinstein & Pinciotti, 1988). Data collection involved observing children's free play, administering questionnaires, and conducting interviews. In addition, we asked the children to "draw themselves on the playground." These drawings became a primary source of information about the children's attitudes toward free play and their preferences for various activities (Pinciotti & Weinstein, 1986).

As we examined the drawings, we were repeatedly struck by the apparent differences between those completed before the construction of the tire playground and those completed afterwards. We found ourselves using descriptors like "fresh" and "expressive" and "imaginative," and we became convinced that these post-construction drawings were somehow more "artistic." Consequently, we decided to pursue this idea in a systematic fashion. The present paper reports on this exploratory venture into the world of children's drawing.