Gateway school gets creative with playtime

Maintaining single-file lines, a group of Gateway elementary students peered into the gymnasium at odd, blue shapes with which a teacher said they could play.

“You’re the first group,” said Emily Levine, a Cleveland Steward Jr. Elementary School third-grade teacher. “Be creative. You can do whatever you want.”

At that, the students darted and began connecting, building, swinging and kicking the big, blue foamy blocks, also known as the Big Blue Blocks Set by Imagination Playground.

Levine saw the blocks at a museum and thought they would be a good addition to the school. So she reached out to the community through social media and quickly raised the money. The set was delivered in May.

The first students to play with the blocks quickly divided into smaller groups to build structures and contraptions.

“This is a robot,” said a student while connecting an arm to the robot’s body.

Another group built a “giant throne” that, within minutes, was transformed into a three-wall fort.

Others used “robot arms” as baseball bats to hit beach balls.

“This is tremendous,” said Michael Jack, the school’s principal, as he stood at the doorway watching the children play. “Our playground right now isn’t much – just a slab of concrete and not much else. This lets them be creative.”

The 105 pieces cost about $5,500, which was raised through Levine’s online fundraiser. The pieces eventually will be stored in a shed outside and be an addition to the basketball hoop, balls, hula hoops and occasional sidewalk chalk used during recess.

“They’ve definitely had to get creative at recess,” Levine said. “When I saw these, I thought ‘Wow, what a great thing for creative play and cooperative playing. And these are sturdy. They’re going to survive the wear and tear.”

Those who donated included parents and local business owners, such as Moe’s Southwest Grill franchise owner Mike Geiger, who sent representatives to witness children playing with the blocks.

Geiger said the restaurant donated $700 through its Community Support Program.

Geiger said he wanted to get back to his roots by giving back to the community, so he decided to allocate $200,000 from the restaurant’s marketing budget to provide grants to schools and nonprofit organizations through an application process.

He said he feels it is his obligation to support such efforts.

“This is the way businesses should interact with the community,” Geiger said as he watched the children play.

As school winds down for the summer, Levine said the blocks will be stored inside until the fall, when they will be taken outside for the school’s approximately 320 students to enjoy.