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Girl Scout Troop Celebrates Grand Opening of Sensory-Friendly Playground Girl Scout Troop Celebrates Grand Opening of Sensory-Friendly Playground

By Mikhala Armstrong

Extraordinary Acres
© 2021 Mikhala Armstrong

Mikhala: EXTRAORDINARY ACRES, A SENSORY-FRIENDLY PLAYGROUND, IS DESIGNED FOR CHILDREN OF ALL ABILITIES AND FAMILIES DEVELOPED BY GIRL SCOUT TROOP 10871.
THE PARK INCLUDES A SENSORY AREA FOR SMALLER CHILDREN, A REMEMBRANCE AREA FOR THOSE TO SIT, ENJOY, AND AN INCLUSIVE MULTI-COURT PLAY AREA.
GIRL SCOUT LEADER, KATIE HABERER WHO OVERSAW THE PROJECT, SAYS THIS PLAYGROUND WAS A NEED IN THIS COMMUNITY.

Katie Haberer: I think it’s a playground that puts and all people on a level playing field

Mikhala: GIRL SCOUT TROOP MEMBER SOPHIA JURENKO WAS ONE OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO INSPIRED THE CONCEPT. JURENKO SAYS THIS PARK HAS GIVEN HER A PLACE TO BE HERSELF.

Sophia Jurenko: So I just feel like the kids who have the same sensory processing and all those neurological disabilities, I feel like they would have a lot more fun here at Extraordinary Acres

Mikhala: EXTRAORDINARY ACRES PLAYGROUND IS STILL ADDING MORE INCLUSIVE AREAS TO THE PARK, AND THE COMMUNITY IS EMBRACING THE PARK SINCE ITS OPENING.
MIKHALA ARMSTRONG, N-C-C NEWS.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Extraordinary Acres, a sensory-friendly playground, is now open for children and families of all abilities in Central Square, New York.

The playground was developed by Girl Scout Troop 10871, inspired by a need they felt was lacking in the community. The troop began researching an idea suitable for the community but maintained its goal of being all-inclusive. Troop members Angilee Haberer, Molly Giblin, Rachel Fonger, and Sophia Jurenko worked on the playground research and concept for their Silver Award Project. Girl Scout Troop Leader and Project Manager Katie Haberer said, “They wanted something that would be good fifty years down the road for everyone.”

The park includes a sensory area for small children, a remembrance area, and an inclusive multi-court play area. The sensory area includes musical equipment and a sensory panel for children with sensory needs. The remembrance area includes a bench dedicated in loving memory to Larry Wink, a Hastings-Mallory Elementary Principal tragically lost. The troop decided to honor him with a space within the park as he inspired them to continue pursuing this.

Many Girl Scout troop members inspired the cause for an all-inclusive project and felt Extraordinary Acres had given them a place to be themselves. Although troop member Sophia Jurenko has a sensory processing disorder and Tourette syndrome, she is glad to be a part of a troop where inclusivity is valued. Jurenko said other parks were not “seeing all the things about me that I needed to actually have fun.”

Each member played a crucial role in developing the playground, but Angilee Haberer was essential to creating the foundational planning. Working alongside her mother, Katie, Angilee has a newfound understanding of the challenges of creating something important for all. “This is our legacy, and people can add something inclusive to this park so it can be more, I think we’ve only built the foundation,” said Angilee Haberer.

Extraordinary Acres is adding more inclusive areas to the playground, and the Girl Scout Troop has hope that this is just the beginning for all-inclusive parks.

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