Branching Out

The Lower School playground is always a happening spot on campus — a place where our youngest Spartans explore the joy of play. 

Lower School Innovation Specialist Suzanne Casey said, “Outdoor play sparks children’s imaginations. It allows for the development of problem-solving, collaboration, and risk-taking. Time outside creates wonder at the natural world and provides opportunities for physical activity that lead to self-regulation. There are so many benefits to spending time outdoors in a state of play!”

A recent upgrade is giving a fresh twist to a longstanding Lower School playground feature called a twigloo. 

Built from twigs from a Willow tree “planted” in a circle on the ground and twisted together, a twigloo is a deciduous, domed shelter tailor-made for play and imagination. In 2016, Jane Covington (former second-grade and fifth-grade Steward teacher) and the late Ingrid Moore decided to add a twigloo to the playground. Mrs. Moore ordered a willow structure kit from a nursery, and fifth graders led the installation, taking measurements, digging holes, and inserting willow rods into the holes to anchor the twigloo. Over the years, countless Lower Schoolers have enjoyed the twigloo, engaging in creative outdoor play. 

Ms. Covington recently returned to campus to give the twigloo some much-needed TLC. Ms. Casey, who worked alongside Ms. Covington to spruce up the structure, said, “When Ms. Covington taught at Steward, her fifth-grade students helped build the twigloo, and now those students are seniors! Two of them — Jack Jordan ’23 and Katherine Romero ’23 — helped Ms. Covington give the twigloo a boost, and our Lower Schoolers are really enjoying the renovation of this natural playspace!”