Bamboo 101 – Children’s Bamboo Park
Ideas｜
- A park with bamboo toys created by children for children
- Let the children play under Nature and with Nature
- Let bamboo educate the young about environmental regeneration
- A unique venue for family enjoyment and cross-generation education
- Open for imaginative uses by other groups (e.g. patients and carers)
- The first of its kind in the world
- A must-visit destination for tourists – local and overseas
Basic Facilities｜
Barrier-free facilities for all ages and abilities
- Bamboo toys designed & created by older kids/teens for the enjoyment of younger kids
- Herb garden around the park with bright & vibrant colours
- Camping facilities for children (and families)
- Overnight-staying units (Fairbnb)
- Bamboo architectural features
- Maker room with tools and video-based training
Bamboo Park – suggested toys｜
Maze
Climbing blocks / walls
Slides
Covered walkways
Tree house
Bridge
Tower & Tent
Walking flyover
Hanging ladder
Swing
Hammock
Bamboo skateboard
Bamboo bicycle / tricycle
Football / Basketball ground
Musical instruments (African drums, piano, etc.)
Performance stage
Photography area
Prize stand … etc
More than a Park
It’s a movement to Build a Bamboo Generation – Using bamboo as the entry point for play, fun and learning to educate the younger generations about the imperative of caring and regenerating the natural environment.
- Bamboo is a renewable source of natural material which could be harvested without deforestation
- Bamboo produces more oxygen and absorbs more carbon dioxide than trees – “I would rather eat without meat than live without bamboo” as one famous Chinese poet put it
- Bamboo is a material that could be a substitute for plastics, wood, and metal and hence far more environmental friendly
- Bamboo has been recognized by architects and designers as a unique material for a great variety of contemporary uses
- Growing and transporting bamboo is highly cost-effective
- Working with bamboo could nurture a maker mindset and hands-on skills.
Relationship to other movements｜
1/ ReWirement
The Park is located inside the ReWiremnt Village (全齡村) testifies to our aspiration “to live forever” by connecting to younger generations. Yet, the Park’s operation may create job opportunities (full time, part-time, or freelance) for ReWirees – Income with Impact.
2/ Growth Mindset
Toys and games at the Park could be designed to foster and strengthen the Growth Mindset of the children involved without even mentioning the term. As some of the activities may have parents participating, there is a good chance that we could introduce the Growth Mindset idea to them.
3/ Reinventing Tourism
The Park will be the first of its kind and will be particularly attractive for family visits. Leveraging on the Park will be other opportunities for visitors to come to the site for other forms of enjoyment, such as hiking, organic farming, relaxation, bamboo craftmanship, etc.
4/ Caring for chronic disease patients and their carers
The Park could serve as a unique venue for visits by chronic disease patients and their carers. We are inspired by the Dementia Village in the Netherlands, which offers an alternative to hospital care and creates an environment for dementia patients to live a normal life.
Making it happen｜
We have now a “connected crowd” who would be the key supporters of this initiative. Some of them will be ‘super-participants’, meaning that they would be contributing more to make things happen.
Impact Partners will be the “platform owner” and there will be a core team steering and driving the movement.
As of 5 December, 2020, we have identified the following immediate tasks to execute:
- An MVP of Bamboo Scaffolding Workshop (full day) of adults designing and creating bamboo toys for children under 10
- Another MVP inviting teens between 10 and 20 to attend (full day) – to test if they could design and create bamboo toys for children under 10
- Approach architect & friends to explore build a bamboo architectural feature on the ground of Wu Kau Tang site
- Young people to camp on site – with or without attending a Bamboo Scaffolding Workshop
- Senior citizens to visit the site for relaxation
- Planning for building the Herbs Garden
- Explore funding options from foundations or corporates
Dated: Nov 2020