ACE Leadership High School and the New Mexico Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects held their third annual Pop Up Playground (PUP) on Saturday, November 11, 2017. The PUP attracted over 200 kids of all ages including many returning participants from last year’s event.

Groundwork Studio’s (GWS) Amy Bell brought New Mexico its first Pop Up Playground in 2015. It has since grown with a second event at ACE Leadership High and another popping up in Bayfield, CO as part of GWS’s research for Bayfield’s Parks and Rec Master Plan. Pop Up Playgrounds are events that encourage children to create their own playground with materials, tools, teamwork and space. Using cardboard, tissue paper, duct tape, pallets, PVC pipe and other loose parts, children work with families and new friends to build and paint forts, catapults, costumes, cars, ships and whatever their imaginations inspire.

Groundwork Studio’s ongoing collaboration with ACE Leadership High School is integral to PUP’s continued success and supports hands-on learning with design and construction projects as a part of a curriculum. Pop Up Playgrounds allow students and teachers to extend this hands-on learning to friends, families and the larger community.

We look forward to another successful event in 2018!