'Do adventurous things’: UK students learn about child development by playing at Gatton Park

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 6, 2026) — At Gatton Park on the Town Branch, a University of Kentucky student tapped a child on the head and said, “Goose!” Then she took off running, circling all the “ducks” — fellow students in a college course about learning and healing through play, as well as several more children — sitting on the ground.

The class, Learning and Healing Through Play, examines the importance of childhood play in understanding and supporting healing, for students who are preparing for professions related to child life development, such as child life specialist or occupational therapist.

Emily Bollinger, clinical faculty in the Department of Family Sciences in the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE), took her students on the field trip to Gatton Park to enrich their classroom learning.

“I thought this would be a really good way for students to have an experience that makes a memory of why we need to do adventurous things and why we need to be more innovative in what we do,” Bollinger said.

Gatton Park, which opened in 2025, includes an Adventure Playground that, according to its website, offers “nature-inspired play designed for kids of all abilities.” In class, Bollinger said she and the students consider how a “less predictable space” like Gatton Park can support people in the community.

“People throughout all ages and a wide range of needs need opportunities to play and opportunities to engage in their environment,” Bollinger said.

For example, some children may enjoy the echo inside the 27-foot slide, while others may prefer the openness of other areas. The water play area offers a tactile experience to people with limited vision.

Kamryn Bledsoe, a senior from Warsaw, Kentucky, studying communication sciences and disorders in the College of Health Sciences and earning the Child Life Certificate in Martin-Gatton CAFE, said the park allows visitors to be creative and shape their own experience.

“We talk so often in class about all of the benefits of play — it’s expressive, it’s therapeutic, it’s educational,” Bledsoe said. “Play is the language of children, so I think it’s important as adults ourselves to just take a step back and remember what it’s like to be a child and play and have this freedom.”

Before the field trip to the park, students also participated in “play labs” during class to experience play firsthand.

Bollinger is a faculty partner in Growing Graduates from the Ground Up (G3U), a program in which students and instructors partner to innovate new learning experiences. G3U is part of the Faculty Initiatives in Education, Learning and Discovery (FIELD) program and one of The Bill Gatton Foundation Grand Challenges.

“This is exactly the kind of learner-centered, real-world teaching that G3U and FIELD exist to support,” said Lou Hirsch, Ph.D., one of The Bill Gatton Foundation Early-Career Professors and inaugural director of FIELD. “Emily is one of the foremost instructors in the nation for early childhood development, and she is driving this innovation. She brought the vision, she brought the curiosity, and she brought her students to the park.”

Ryleigh Clemmons, a human health sciences major on the pre-physician assistant track, said that much of her college education had been focused on learning how to heal people physically. This class offered her a unique perspective that she hopes to implement into her practice.

“Other things are really important for healing your patients, too,” Clemmons said. “Learning about how play can be healing and promote learning qualities in children, too, has really changed my outlook on my career.”

One young boy had been excitedly interacting with the UK students on the playground when a student asked if he’d like to play a game. He recommended Duck, Duck, Goose — an example of spontaneous play, Clemmons said.

“A big part of play, especially within the community, is that it promotes teamwork and communication with one another,” Clemmons said. “Spontaneous play like this is really important for helping kids explore and get out of their comfort zone, and this is a great example of a time where play can also be with lots of different age groups.”

While her students are going into different careers, Bollinger said they’re all focused on supporting children and families.

Watching as the students enthusiastically played Duck, Duck, Goose to serve the children around them, Bollinger said, “I think they’re going to do all right.”

Learn more about the Human Development and Family Science program and Child Life Certificate.