Otoe-Missouria Daycare Center
About this project:
The Otoe-Missouria tribe of Oklahoma partnered with Good Fieldwork to transform an existing neglected playground into new outdoor classrooms for two different age groups. The design and structures are primarily focused on infants/toddlers and Pre-K but include some elements that older children can enjoy during after-school care.
Tribal imagery is incorporated throughout the outdoor learning environment to instill the tribe’s culture and creation story in its youngest members. We were honored to work with such an important request and created seven unique areas defined by the associated animal.
The areas include a bear den, a pigeon perch climbing feature, an eagle's nest, an owl's reading nook, a beaver dam log climber, a buffalo grassland prairie gardening area, and an elk rack climbing element. We also built two miniature ancestral homes made of black locust poles, cedar walls and a grassy roof.
