Playful Learning
Playing and learning go hand in hand.
Playing supports learning because it stimulates the entire body, and it leaves a memory of the learning experience in the nervous system. Physical activity, while playing stimulates memory and teaches creative thinking. “Playing is a method for children to process and apply what they have learned before. Play is about using imagination and understanding patterns and causalities. Play is an arena for creative thinking, for leaving routines behind and finding new solutions,” says educational researcher and lecturer Pirkko Siklander from the University of Oulu. An excellent example of creative thinking is children’s ability to adapt their environment to any game they have in mind. Playing also teaches children the laws of physics and basic everyday skills.
Playing is a way to learn about society.
“Playing helps children develop emotionally, for example, by teaching them to recognize and master different feelings. Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills also develop when you have to think about moving the game forward. By thinking about individual situations and deciding, for example, whether more toys are needed,” explains Siklander. Research shows that roleplaying games are significant for learning. Playing allows children to take up reciprocal positions and look at things from the leader and the follower’s perspective. “Even planning the scenario and roles is a learning experience, as the children have to use previous experience and their understanding and knowledge of the subject. The game itself is an opportunity to accumulate new knowledge with the help of others,” says Siklander.
Playing is an active form of learning.
The physical aspects of play challenge both body and mind, and children get natural feedback on their stamina and skills. Playing offers children the opportunity to learn new things. “Play is an active form of entertainment for children. Watching television, for example, is not the same as playing. When playing, children receive impulses that stimulate them and keep them motivated”. Brain research shows that people function holistically and that physical activity also stimulates the mind. Therefore, the importance of movement can not be overestimated and should be integrated into the learning process. “We all know how a little exercise can help to suddenly find a solution to a problem that one has been dealing with for a long time. The brain needs time to process new information, so it is important that the entire body remains active, either during the learning scenario or shortly afterward,” says Siklander.
We should be practicing physical distancing instead of social distancing. We’re here to answer any questions! Let’s talk! Contact us at info@eliteareas.gr .
- Published in Technology, yalp
Health facilities and digital transformation
| Small innovations – Big gains
Healthcare and health institutions have been on everybody’s mind in 2020 and with the pandemic still taking its toll on our everyday lives, this is not likely to change in 2021. Digital transformation of health facilities can improve the overall satisfaction and provide a better experience for their patients, employees and visitors.
The increasing competition among healthcare providers and tightening budgets drive the need for innovation. Healthcare does not finish, nor starts in the hallways of the hospital. Small improvements go a long way!
The main goal of digital transformation through implementation of smart street furniture is to introduce an added value to the essential work that healthcare facilities provide and offer easily accessible information or raise awareness of an important health related topic.
In the early 2020 we partnered with Roche, the world’s second largest pharmaceutical company from Basel, Switzerland.Together we installed Smart Benches in 2 major health institutions in Serbia. The goal was to raise awareness on the occasion of World Cancer Day, so the Smart Benches info-portals were equipped with valuable information about cancer, survivor’s stories, help lines etc.
A year before, a clinic from Skopje, Macedonia installed Smart Bench Mini in front of their main building.
Another Smart Bench in front of the Clinical Centre of Serbia was installed this February and is provided by The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. Janssen wanted to make a difference for patients and visitors of Clinical Centre by gifting them a smart spot to charge phones, use free WiFi, and the opportunity to learn more about the diseases through J4P website.
Each new Smart Bench installed in front of a health facility instantly becomes a part of a wider Smart Bench network. Since this is an ongoing project, we plan to cooperate with more companies and brands from the health and pharma industry interested in innovation and smart city solutions.
Here are the most important insights we gathered from cooperating with health facilities and brands from health industry all around the world:
1. Smart Bench provides a small relief, a relaxing and educational point. Patients, visitors and family members can use the free WiFi and charge their phones. This is especially important for out-of-town patients and families, as they might not have other options for internet and power available.
2. Information and education. Smart Bench info portal is an easy way for people to get important information on different health issues, while their device is charging safely.
3. It is a great way for hospitals to increase the overall patients’ satisfaction.
4. An interesting and non-aggressive way for companies related to the health/pharmaceutical sector to promote their brand.
We hope that Smart Benches become a standard in front of and inside health facilities (we also have an indoor version!) Great health care begins with education, connection and commitment. We think Smart Bench is a great way to start.
Health is topic no.1 — is your brand a part of the conversation?
With the global health crisis on our hands, finding an affordable marketing opportunity and simultaneously doing something good for the people in need is the true sign of a successful and smart leadership.
If you’d like to know more, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@eliteareas.gr .
- Published in smart, strawberry
Out in the open
|Digital Transformation and opportunities for growth
Spring is finally here, and unlike in the spring of 2020, the global situation looks a bit more optimistic. It seems that we have learned to live with the uncertainty of covid-19, post covid health crises and finally decided that life needs to move on.
We already know the impact that pandemic has had on some major industries, but what is the data on the behaviour of the general population, their habits and newly acquired lifestyles during COVID-19?
When it comes to smart street furniture market, we have some good news:
Continuous lockdowns and limited movement have made people appreciate the parks and open public spaces again!
According to Google’s COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports the world has seen a huge increase in popularity of Open Spaces like plazas, public gardens, parks, and squares in 2020, compared to the average attendance at these outdoor spaces before the pandemic. The newly collected data span from November 2020 to the end of March 2021 and show a similar trend:
It is clear that with more sunny days, people are starting to flock to open spaces at higher rates.
What does it mean for companies, brands, small businesses and local city governments, in terms of answering the needs of their customers and citizens?
Basically, the data say that local governments should level up the open public spaces ASAP and prepare them for the influx of people eager to spend more time in the fresh air and recuperate from the toll that being confined at homes have had on their mental and overall health.
Brands, local businesses and companies in general, have relied heavily on social media and online marketing especially during the first several months of the pandemic in order to reach their customers.
This new data should be read as a memo to their marketing departments:
Your consumers went outside! Is your brand going to follow?
When it comes to trends on the real estate market, and proptech, the general opinion is that the real blow that pandemic has dealt is yet to be determined, but we know already that it is a heavy one.
According to experts on the topic of proptech and real estate quoted in the Forbes article “… as a society, we will have to adapt to new forms of daily life and business and we will see more rapid adoption of many technologies…
“…Covid-19 has accelerated a lot of the changes within the real estate world that were happening anyway; the digital genie is now completely out of the bottle…”.
Among the other lessons that pandemic has taught us, the important memo for property developers in 2021 is:
Mind the exteriors of your real estate!
Provide connectivity and implement sustainable, easy-maintenance solutions in order to lower the need for additional manpower.
It’s what future residents and leaseholders would want to see.
We can proudly say that our solar Smart Bench checks all the boxes in your 2021 open spaces innovation book. Here are some of the features that stand out and substantially elevate any open public space:
☑ Smart Bench is sustainable: solar energy generates power
☑ Free WiFi for everyone in the vicinity of the bench
☑ 2 Wireless phone charging points and 2 slots for cable charging
☑ Branding surface for brand’s logo or city flag
Pandemic is changing the ways people interact, do about their daily business and relax. We designed a product that answers all the needs of contemporary city dwellers, like connectivity, power and information, in a sustainable way. Smart Bench is unique, modern and universally loved!
It is a chance for companies and brands to associate themselves with a beneficial, sustainable and innovative product and open a new promotional channel in the uncertain times.
It is a chance for local governments to show they care for the environment, for the safety and comfort of their constituents and make the public spaces more adapted to citizens’ needs.
We believe that Smart Bench is a good starting point.
There are 4 different Smart Bench designs and they are all super easy to install and maintain!
We’re here to answer any questions! Contact us at info@eliteareas.gr .
- Published in smart, strawberry
Touch-Free Play During the Pandemic
Written by David Flanigan, Director of Market Development at Yalp Interactive
It is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since COVID-19 changed all of our lives. Social distancing, mask-wearing, hand washing and work/school from home are the new norm.
Unfortunately, many playgrounds across the country were closed and fenced off. I know this was devastating for so many kids and families who looked forward to playing with their friends. It is disheartening to see your favorite playground fenced off and not be able to play with your friends and family. Of course, it is very important to ensure that everyone is safe and follows the guidelines for physical distancing and washing hands after touching surfaces. The good news is that playgrounds are starting to re-open with robust cleaning efforts underway and guidance on how to safely play.
The team at Yalp Interactive is focused on ensuring all kids can safely play, even during the pandemic. That is why we believe you can be physically distant on the playgrounds without being socially distant. In the summer of 2020, we created a document that highlights how our interactive playgrounds are essentially “touch free.” You can use your elbow to activate the games and all of the maintenance and settings for the playgrounds are done remotely through My Yalp user interface!
We are also very encouraged to see high levels of play on the newly installed Yalp Interactive Playgrounds. Recently, Kraftsman installed a Yalp Memo Interactive play pillars and Yalp Sutu Interactive ball wall at the Old Fair Park in Fredericksburg, TX. Since it was activated in December 2020, there have been a high level of use each day, further showing that safe play is able to happen even during the pandemic.
We should be practicing physical distancing instead of social distancing. We’re here to answer any questions! Let’s talk! Contact us at info@eliteareas.gr .
- Published in Technology, yalp
Bringing Musical Enrichment to the Everyday Life of Seniors
Music is a wonderful outlet that can lift spirits regardless of age, although there are a number of proven physical, mental, and emotional benefits specifically for seniors and older adults. Go a stage further, to making music and you will tap into a truly powerful tool that is able to help improve personal well-being, social interaction, and communication.
There is no denying the power of music, and as we age, music can play an increasingly important role in our quality of life. Retirement communities, assisted living residences, or nursing homes, looking at ways to innovate and enhance options for meaningful musical engagement, could consider the inclusion of outdoor musical instruments in a music garden, trail, or courtyard to easily incorporate music into the daily lives of residents for both cognitive and physical stimulation that engages the body, mind, and spirit.
Music-making in the great outdoors will enable enriching group musical experiences, foster connections, and support a holistic approach to caregiving. These instruments are enticing and will bring together residents, team members, families, and volunteers and will turn each day into an opportunity for seniors to engage, enjoy, express, learn, share, and laugh.
Outdoor Musical Instruments to Entice Residents Outdoors
Retirement communities and facilities will almost always have some type of outdoor space, and regular engagement of these spaces – where seniors are encouraged to step outside to participate in activities, enjoy the fresh air and sunshine and get mobile – will undoubtedly have a positive impact on mood, mental health, and physical wellbeing. Having the opportunity to be outdoors, even for those with more advanced health issues or limited mobility, is an important part of maintaining the quality of life, which all senior living residents deserve.
The many studies on the benefits of music combined with the research behind the benefits of time spent outdoors have seen a steady increase in the creation of music gardens and parks across the globe – with forward-thinking senior and assisted living residences as well nursing homes well on top of the trend!
Well-designed outdoor spaces should be safe and accessible havens where people want to spend their time. Spaces that should lift spirits and bring a smile to residents or guests each time they step outside. A music garden or courtyard will instantly enhance an outside space, creating a destination to entice residents, friends, family, and carers to venture out into the garden for some musical mindfulness. Easy to install, easy to play, and instantly gratifying, even just one instrument will uplift and transform an outdoor space.
Going outdoors is all about living in the moment, breathing in lots of fresh air, and feeling the sun or the rain on your face – add to this the liberating feeling and pure fun that comes from musical improvisation or expression and you will have a win-win situation.
Outdoor Musical Instruments for Music Therapy in Nature
When we think of the great outdoors, we do not often think of music therapy – but we can, and we should. Moving patients away from stuffy indoor settings and using outdoor musical instruments can introduce nature as a ‘co-therapist’.
The sounds and sensations of being in nature can be beneficial mentally, physically, and emotionally. Participants are often more relaxed outdoors -finding the natural surroundings relaxing, health-fostering, and recuperative – easing anxiety, eliminating fear, and encouraging ‘being in the moment’.
Music therapy in groups using an outdoor musical ensemble will bring social opportunities and enjoyment to older people who are not necessarily cognitively impaired but who may have reduced mobility.
Physical exercise is one thing, but there is also an emotional and mental relief that comes from being outside in the symphony of nature and music has the same impact. It stimulates the sense of reward and increases the production of the feel-good chemical serotonin, which can instantly lift our mood. Music-making reduces stress, enhances joy, leads to heightened positive emotion, modulates blood pressure, muscle tension, and a sense of well-being.
For those offering a holistic approach to senior care, music therapists in senior living communities can use the outdoor musical instruments to enhance the range of specialist care available for seniors living in their facility.
Outdoor Music Making for Socialization & Community
Music has been used for generations to bring people together. The positive effects are simply enhanced when we make music in a group setting – the energy created while making music with other people is shared and magnified.
Spaces for outdoor music activities such as a music garden or park will make it easier for seniors to stay active and be part of a musical community. It will help avoid social isolation by providing them with opportunities to have fun, learn something new, support each other and make friends -cultivating engagement and giving an enhanced sense of belonging.
Musical performances, drum circles, and sing-alongs could all be hosted outdoors in the ‘music space’ and retirement communities could be encouraged to invite the wider local community along to get involved, increasing awareness of the facility, breakdown barriers, expanding social connections, and drawing the benefits of multigenerational interactions.
Playing music with someone can create a very special bond, and an outside music space will offer somewhere new and exciting for visiting family and friends to go with their loved ones, leaving the confines of their room. A change of scenery and different sensory experiences can often stimulate conversation and help provide topics for reminiscence.
Inviting outdoor music spaces will encourage seniors tο:
Discover or reignite a connection to music
Stimulate active participation in communal music-making
Foster positive social interactions in the fresh air
The simplicity of the instruments and instant musical success will improve self-esteem and offer a sense of accomplishment.
Outdoor Musical Instruments for Winning Curb-Appeal
Running a retirement community is also a business, and retirement homes, assisted living facilities and other senior living options need to appeal to potential residents and reassure them that they provide the services and amenities required for seniors to live a healthy, happy life as they age.
When selecting a senior living community, people are likely to seek a well-rounded facility that emphasizes health and wellness and offers myriad opportunities to stay active. Attractive, creative outdoor activity spaces with outdoor musical instruments included will give a good visual ‘first impression’ to potential residents and their families who may visit several facilities before deciding which is a good fit for them. They will showcase the culture and sense of unity a senior living community has to offer.
Demonstrating the importance that music and music therapy has to the range of services offered will make a community or home stand out as engaging in current best practice in the care of senior adults. This will foster trust with seniors’ families possibly struggling with an emotional decision, help alleviate some of the fear that their parents may have and promote the value and advantages that come from living in a senior living community.
- Published in percussion-play
Prep your properties for spring🌱🔆
Can you believe March is almost over?
Spring is here and that means people will spend more time outdoors! Surely, we all need it after lockdowns, working from home, COVID anxiety and overall uncertainty!
Now is the time to prepare your local green areas for the upcoming season!
Digital transformation of the open spaces is the booming business opportunity/ trend you might not have considered before but rest assured that your consumers/ clients are embracing the change and they’d like to see it when they go out this spring!
Data from last year showed a significant increase in the popularity of Open Spaces (public spaces like plazas, public gardens, and squares). This spring will be no different. Expect even more people that have spent several months limited to their houses to now frequent more open spaces. That’s where the opportunity for your brand/your city lies! Engage them in a new and powerful way, offer the benefit of sustainable connectivity and achieve higher visibility!
Ready your space for the not-so-ordinary spring season.
Do something new, create a meaningful value for your customers! We’re here to answer any questions! Let’s talk! Contact us at info@eliteareas.gr .
- Published in smart, strawberry
Libraries Coming Alive with the Sound of Music
Libraries are writing a new chapter for the 21st century – redefining what they do…. and what they sound like!
We all know libraries as amazing places for discovering books, however in today’s world “looking something up” rarely requires a trip to the local library. This has seen a need for local libraries to reinvent themselves and many have regenerated into thriving community centers – just as dedicated to learning but now in many different forms.
Modern libraries actually have more to offer their customers than ever before with an even more critical function – serving as enriching centers that encourage literacy, research, learning, and community involvement on a broad scale. Vibrant community hubs that offer free activities where people can try something new and/or develop their skills or artistic talents.
Increasingly, the discovery of new experiences is at the heart of what libraries are about, bringing people and places to life. Re-imagining the trusted space of the library as a place to discover something new – such as art, culture, and, of course, music.
Drawing people in by creating unique communal opportunities and experiences – such as making music on ‘real-life’ musical instruments – ensures they remain focussed citizen-centric locations for innovation, education, recreation, and relaxation. However, with many libraries lacking the space to offer interactive musical experiences within the building, many libraries are choosing to utilize their key asset: the great outdoors!
Libraries and music are both magnets for social connections and we have seen a dramatic increase in inquiries from libraries looking to reinvent their outdoor space to create music gardens, courtyards, or sensory spaces – providing somewhere safe, and appealing for staff, patrons, and visitors to foster connections and focus on wellness. Sherman Public Library is a shining example of how music can be used to enliven library spaces. Converting an empty 7,000-square-foot lot into an outdoor pavilion with large interactive musical instruments and a butterfly garden to enhance the services offered by the library, as well as to provide a space for rest and reflection, they officially opened their harmony Music Park last year.
Outdoor musical instruments are suitable for almost all libraries regardless of scale or climate. Locations with more green space can create music gardens or ‘musical parks’ and leverage their outdoor spaces to encourage fun musical activities and programs – connecting music with nature and the environment. Funded by the Friends of the Pickerington Public Library, the music-garden created back in 2019 allows visitors and patrons of the library to experiment musically in the great outdoors – regardless of their age or ability – while also providing a year-round venue for outdoor programs.
Urban libraries can put sidewalks and patios and even walls to use – the visibility of the musical instruments will pique the interest of passersby, increase interest in the library and reinforce the institution as a relevant and current community asset. White Plains Library in NY worked with Landscape Architects and the City Public Works department to create a sensory experience and musical discovery garden for both patrons and commuters in the plaza at the front of the library.
Libraries featuring outdoor musical instruments will add an element of fun as well as a significant asset to the community, fuelling inspiration, generating energy, and engaging people in a new and interesting way. This is exactly what the folks at North Mankato Taylor Library hoped for when they installed outdoor musical instruments using an Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund to create their music courtyard to the front of their library.
You don’t need to be as talented as Mozart to enjoy the benefits of making music. Outdoor musical instruments are designed for all music makers and players who are complete beginners will soon be expressing themselves through sound for the first time.
Outdoor musical instruments installed outside the local library will offer serendipitous encounters and encourage community interactions.
Benefits of Learning and Playing Music For Adults
Researchers have pondered the possible therapeutic and mood-boosting benefits of music for centuries with many concluding it as a valid method to potentially reduce depression and anxiety, as well as to improve mood, self-esteem, and quality of life.
Partnering with other local institutions, health specialists, and musical organizations to expand the types of activities on offer, outdoor musical instruments can be used for music therapy, rehabilitation, and senior activities designed to achieve goals such as managing stress, enhancing memory, and alleviating pain.
Working together to produce a collaborative output is a powerful way to bring out the best in people — not just in terms of their musical skills, but their communication skills, friendships, care, and support for one another.
For more information, why not read one of our White Papers such as Come One, Come All : The Benefits of Music-Making Within the Community, Hitting The High Notes – The Benefits of Music for Mental Health or Music For Mood & Memory – The Benefits Of Music For People Living With Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
Benefits of Learning and Playing Music For Children
At an early age, children are learning to enjoy and appreciate music and therefore don’t need a formal learning environment. Children often feel less inhibited outdoors and outdoor musical instruments will help you introduce basic musical concepts whilst being sure that the focus is on the fun. Due to their clever design and use of the pentatonic scale, our outdoor percussion instruments are so easy to play that children are able to develop musical skills without having to manage any technical demands of an instrument, showing children what can be expressed and achieved through music.
Being outdoors helps ensure children have genuine freedom of musical expression. Behind this is the notion of experimentation, of flexibility, of having a go. Most important of all, they come to understand the pleasure of enjoying music. Using musical instruments outside alongside games and movement, children are introduced to the elements needed to become confident, rounded musicians.
Being exposed to music from a young age has been proven to encourage teamwork, self-confidence, empathy, improved communication skills, and intellectual curiosity, and individuals who have had the opportunity to develop these skills and behaviors in early life therefore often turn out to be happier, healthier and higher-achieving adults than those who do not.
Arts programs are being slashed across the board. Music programs are being cut back or eliminated completely. For these reasons it would seem fair to say that encouraging music programs in libraries and providing young children with access to musical instruments would have far-reaching benefits not just for the individual but for society as a whole.
Read more here: Music Matters: The Importance of Music Education.
You may also be interested in Five Notes To Rule Them All: The Power of the Pentatonic Scale the musical scale that has no barriers to engagement and no matter what the age, cultural background or level of ability a musician has, it can be understood, appreciated and used by all. Many of our instruments are tuned to this scale and help make music instantly gratifying.
Ready to reinvent the outdoor space of your library?
Libraries are no longer quiet zones but instead hubs for creative activities both inside and outside. Join the cultural uprising and Talk to Us about creating a space for music-making outside your library -the hearts, brains, and bodies of your patrons and community will thank you for it!
- Published in percussion-play
Sanification Points Collection
Αντισηψία & Προστασία
- SP 1 COLOMBO – THE FULL STATION
- SP 2 BERING – THE SPACE SAVER
- SP 3 MAGELLANO – THE ADAPTABLE SOLUTION
- SP 4 VESPUCCI – THE EASY COLLECTOR
- SP 5 CABRAL – THE INDOOR AND OUTDOOR DISPENSER SOLUTION
Με μοναδικό σχεδιασμό απλοποιούνται οι διαδικασίες προσωπικής αντισηψίας και διαχείρισης απορριμμάτων χρησιμοποιημένων προϊόντων προστασίας-υγιεινής.
Οι αυστηρές προδιαγραφές συναντούν τις ανάγκες τόσο δημόσιων όσο και ιδιωτικών χώρων, όπως γραφεία, shopping mall, κοινόχρηστοι στεγασμένοι χώροι κατοικημένων περιοχών, supermarkets, βρεφονηπιακοί σταθμοί, σχολεία, και πολλά άλλα σημεία.
Οι ανάγκες του σήμερα και του αύριο απαιτούν ποιοτικές εφαρμογές οργανωτικών λύσεων.
- Published in metalco
MY CITY SMART BY METALCO
GaLaBau | Nurnberg from 12 to 15 September 2018
We are glad to present a world premiere of an entire collection of “Smart” products designed by Guto Indio da Costa, dedicated to the future of the cities.
My City Smart “a vision towards the future of the cities”
- Published in metalco
MAGICAL, TWISTED, CRAZY
Triitopia combines award-winning design with tried and tested materials in a spectacular way! A magical world of climbing and adventure where reality and fiction melt emerges from the unpredictable interplay of transparent and closed facade elements that are combined in closely-nit, nestled and asymmetric ways.
Diverse net pieces invite you to climb and lead to numerous corners, angles and up to viewing areas and slides on different levels. Whether a magic school, bandit’s tower or knight’s castle – anything is possible here!
The chaos has a system! Behind the seemingly random construction method lies a highly modular system that allows every Triitopia structure to be custom designed in shape and size to a maximal extent. To do so, choose from a wide range of different net elements, panel types and types of slides and let your custom adventure world become a reality with us. It goes without saying that Triitopia can be combined with nearly all other Berliner playing equipment.
At a height of more than ten metres and a huge three dimensional net inside, Triitopia.02 offers unlimited possibilities for fun and adventure across a total of seven levels.
Kids will fully enjoy the slightly smaller adventure world. Children that ascend through Triitopia.01 to the very top can swiftly descend the tunnel slide all the way to the ground. Alternatively, the new net tunnel on the facade can be used as an ascent or descent option.
An overview of all details can be found in our new Triitopia brochure. Click here to download or to browse online.
- Published in berliner
