On Tuesday, March 10, district alderman Dennis de Vries and the Childrens District Council of Kanaleneiland will jointly open a new interactive play device in Anansi Playground. It is the Sona, an innovative dance and movement arch that encourages children to play, move, and discover. The arch was donated by the Foundation More Music in the Classroom and playground equipment manufacturer Lappset.
The Sona is the second interactive device of this type in Utrecht and the first linked to the Theater in the Open Air program. The interactive arch plays music, gives movement assignments, and lets children play various games: from Dance Battle to Codebreaker. Thanks to a camera in the arch and a free floor without sensors, multiple children can play simultaneously. Moreover, the play device is wheelchair accessible due to the flat floor and provides an accessible play area for all children.
Alderman Dennis de Vries: “Art and cultural education is not a luxury but a key to equal opportunities. It stimulates childrens creativity and self-confidence and fosters mutual connection. This dance and movement arch fits perfectly in Kanaleneiland. I am sure many children will enjoy it here – while also learning new things through play.”
Theater in the Open Air: getting to know theater and drama through play
To give children easy access to theater, the Foundation More Music in the Classroom and playground equipment manufacturer Lappset developed the Theater in the Open Air concept together. This consists of a Sona play device, a special theater game (to be added via an app), and additional teaching materials for schools. Children can create their own theater performance through three interactive stories – Image Museum, Middle Ages, and Space.
In Kanaleneiland, three primary schools, housed in Hart van Noord, embrace this concept. Together with Anansi Playground, they organize workshops where children get to know theater, dance, and culture through play. The workshops are guided by a professional from More Music in the Classroom. Thus, the device becomes not only a place to play but also to discover talent.
Play device won through national competition
The dance and movement arch in Anansi Playground was realized thanks to a national competition by the Foundation More Music in the Classroom and Lappset. An employee of the Municipality of Utrecht entered and won the competition. Together with Lappset, they found a suitable location in Anansi Playground. The Foundation More Music in the Classroom financed the play device. The Municipality of Utrecht provided the necessary conditions, such as electricity and groundwork.