Play is not a dirty word at Wentworth.

There is, in fact, increasing evidence of the tremendous educational value in thoughtfully designed games that help students explore and develop curricular core competencies. One of the really great examples of where play intersects with curricular goals is at the Wentworth low ropes course. Across all grade levels at Wentworth, there is a wealth of multi-disciplinary learning that is happening with the help of this innovative learning tool.

For instance, while Gr. 1 students are learning about bees, teachers use the low ropes course to help strengthen students’ understanding of the various roles in the hive and the concept of pollination. Students play a game where they work together to pull each other across a span while collecting items for the hive and “pollinating” various spots in the forest on the rope course route. Along the way, students build their critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork skills.

During Gr. 6 and 7, there is an increased focus on social-emotional learning as kids begin to approach their teenage middle school years. Teachers use a variety of challenge games on the low ropes to help students build their communication and teamwork skills, with an emphasis on empathy, inclusion and respect for others. Mixing up the groups is always important to ensure that students are working with all sorts of other kids, not just their friends.

One of the most valuable learning opportunities provided by the low ropes course is how it forces students to confront risk. While the course is just centimetres from the ground, and students are not exposed to any real physical danger, there is an increased perception of risk that comes with the potential of someone touching the ground during the activity. This helps students learn how to evaluate and manage risk while reinforcing the idea that both individual and group actions have potential consequences.

These challenge games essentially serve to concentrate team-building exercises. This is why Collingwood’s Senior Girls’ basketball team travelled to Wentworth last season to participate in a variety of low ropes course exercises designed to help bond the team through the building of trust between the individual players. One of the highlights from this experience was when the team took on the delta challenge. In this game, teammates are perched on platforms in each corner of a triangle of raised cables. The objective is to help each other move to a different corner without anyone falling. The Senior Girls’ Basketball team had a great time bonding at the Wentworth low ropes course and believe this was an important step in building such a positive team culture and season.

So while the playing and learning that occurs on Wentworth’s low ropes course might involve some actual dirt, play is definitely not a dirty word.