A Study on the Development of Design Guidelines for the Outdoor Play Settings in Child Care Center

아동보육시설의 실외놀이 환경 디자인지침 개발 연구

The purpose of this study is to suggest a guideline for outdoor play settings in child care centers. From March to July, 2005, data were collected from 223 directors at child care centers through a structured questionnaire, field measurement survey and non-participatory observation in seventeen child care centers in Seoul and Daejeon. The statistical methods for analysing data were frequency, percentage, mean, $X^2$ and F-test. The results showed as follows: 1)the existing outdoor playground area in child care centers should be expanded more than $4\;m^2$ per child. 2) Outdoor play facilities should be equipped with two structured play sets, a play facility for unstructured play and an adventure facility to make child's various activities possible and to promote child development. 3)flooring materials for outdoor playground should be required to use more than three kinds such as solid coverings (cf. asphalt, standard concrete), wood, lawn, soil or sands. 4)to let children enjoy various activities, outdoor playground area should be composed of various play facilities like indoor play gyms and should be independent but have good connections between play facilities depending on characteristics of play activities. 5)Play spaces of outdoor playground should be composed of physical play space, unstructured and dramatized play space, rest space, space for nature and adventure space. In addition, appropriate play equipments should be provided in respective play space.