From original drafts to nailing and painting, the students are building a play area to include a choo-choo train that doubles as a theatrical stage, a sand and water tower that looks like a tugboat, theme gardens, a trike track, a tunnel dug through a hill, a playhouse, a play store complete with drive-up window and a hands-on art gallery.

All of this is for children at the Ball State Child Study Center, a lab school for infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers ran by the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.

"The students have been encouraged to be imaginative, and they are confident about their designs," said Pamela Harwood, assistant chair of the Department of Architecture and professor overseeing the project. "These structures won't be something you can go and buy at a hardware store."

Taking their research beyond just what makes a good structure or design, the architecture students have also researched early childhood learning environments. The goal is to have a safe and age-appropriate play area to promote the children's cognitive, physical, social and emotional development.

"They have learned a lot about play behavior," said Harwood.

The Ball State students appear to be right on target with their designs, says Robin Box, director of the Child Study Center.

"Research has shown that children play less aggressively and with less separation of genders in a naturalistic environment, such as they are building," Box said.

Students are also learning about working with a tight budget. Ball State's facilities planning and management staff members are providing advice on building in a way that the area can be easily maintained, as well as providing equipment and materials.

"I've learned so much about construction and building," said Taryn Vrane, a fourth-year architecture student from Griffith, Ind. "It's so hard to get that in a classroom setting."

The play area is being constructed in three phases and should be complete by next summer. Progress is reported at a Web site maintained by the students at www.bsu.edu/classes/harwood.

By Nancy Prater, Web Editor

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Pamela Harwood at (765)285-1916 or Robin Box at (765)285-1987.)