Over the last week I have been trying to think about the brief and what types of spaces I wanted to create for this library/ learning centre.

I decided to split the ages into groups as follows:
6-9, 10-12, 13-15 and 16-18.

Research:
I looked at what learning activities were appropriate for each age group.

6 - 9

They will be beginning to be more responsible.
They will have some understanding of rules at 6 years and at 7 may want to add some rules of their own.
They will be starting to be more careful of their own belongings (at about 9 years).
They will like to win at games but will not yet be able to lose cheerfully.
They may tell lies or steal. They may not yet have fully developed the adult understanding of right and wrong.
They will be starting to like team games (8 years).
They will like going to school unless they have some problem there.
They may have problems with friends; most children do from time to time.
They are starting at 8-9 years to understand another person’s view of things.
Most children enjoy going to a sleep-over at a friend’s house.

Developing understanding:

Children in the middle years are often very excited by, and genuinely interested in, the outside world. They can absorb information with enthusiasm and they frequently remember remarkable detail about subjects that interest them.

By nine they are sometimes already developing preferences for certain subjects at school or particular areas of interest. They have beginning skills in reading, writing and maths and the capacity to express relatively complex ideas.

Their thinking processes are very subject to their emotions and self esteem. If they are worried or unhappy they will not concentrate or 'think properly' and generally they don't have the strength to overcome this until their worries are sorted out.

Similarly, if their self-esteem is low they may be reluctant to try new tasks in case they fail. Cognitive development in these years has a lot to do with feeling settled and supported to try new things and to extend themselves.

Your child in the middle years will:

like to have collections (stamps, games, cards etc)
understand that Father Christmas is not real at about 7-8 years
be able to tell the time
begin to have some understanding of money (6 years)
read to themselves
start to plan ahead
be able to tell the time by 7-8yrs
know left hand from right.

Physical Development

In these years many children place great emphasis on the development of their own physical ability. Being able to do handstands, hit the ball, ride fast, etc often carries considerable status within the peer group, particularly for boys. Children of this age will really appreciate an adult watching their efforts with a realistic and encouraging attitude.

Generally speaking energy levels are high and they will:

be able to draw a picture of a house and will include the garden and sky
be able to ride a two wheeler bike
like to climb and swim
be able to throw and catch a ball.

Speech Language Development

By seven your child should be speaking clearly and easily in the language you use at home. She will be expressing a range of ideas and describing complicated happenings.

Sometimes a child will still have a lisp or 'bump' in her speech as it matures from 'baby speech'. If it is getting in the way of clear speaking you should see a speech therapist.

Your child will know the different tenses (past, now and future) and be able to use correct tenses in sentences.
He will like to tell jokes and riddles.
At about 8 he will be confident using the telephone.
Many will be beginning to enjoy reading a book on their own.

Provide a variety of computer, board and word games. Join the local library.
Provide him with simple building kits, children's tool kits, dolls and opportunities for playing in cubby houses.
Provide opportunities to listen to a radio/tape recorder.
Provide bats and balls and play with your child.
Kick a football with your child.
Provide opportunities to help in the kitchen and to make simple recipes for biscuits or similar.
Provide opportunities to join sporting or other clubs.
See what hobbies interest your children and encourage them in those activities.
Encourage your child to try games that are often seen as 'only for girls' or 'only for boys'. Girls might have a lot of fun playing soccer with you, boys might love cooking.

Summary

Social/Emotional DevelopmentYour 6-9 year old will:

want to fit in with peer group rules
start to form closer friendships at about 8 years old
like to play with same sex friends
need adult help to sort out arguments and disagreements in play
be a bit brash and bossy or timid and uncertain.

Developing understanding

Good thinking skills depend on your 6-9 year old being relatively free from worry.
They will read to themselves.
They will take a lively interest in certain subjects by nine.

Physical SkillsYour 6-9 year old can:

run, jump, skip, hit a ball, climb and swing
place emphasis on achieving in physical ways
enjoy playing team games by age eight
sometimes misjudge their ability before age nine

Speech/LanguageYour 6-9 year old will:

speak fluently and describe complicated happenings
read out loud
know different tenses and grammar.

What you can do

Listen to their stories.
Encourage them in a realistic way.
Watch them in their physical endeavours.
Give them a little individual time each day.

http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=122&id=1865

10 - 12:

From 10 to 12 years of age, children start to move from "childhood" to a view of a more adult world that they will clearly want or be forced to join in the near future. Your eleven year old can frequently be the most vulnerable of this group and your ten and twelve year olds tend to be less worried and more confident. However, all three ages share a view of adulthood from this particular "developmental hill", and the state of the world and the state of adult relationships and adult life surrounding them will be of great interest to them in making up their minds whether or not "adulthood" is to be desired.

Important note

The information in this topic is a guide only. Children develop at different rates and in different ways. If you are worried about your child's development or if your child's development is very different from other children of the same age, have a talk with a health professional. If there is a problem, getting in early will help. If there isn't a problem the reassurance will save you some worry

Social and emotional development

The world is becoming a more complex place for the child who is beginning puberty.
Your ten and eleven year old may well have a ‘best’ friend with whom they share activities, but at the same time relationships at school will begin to be more complicated, competitive and changeable. This can be particularly true of girls whose group relationships tend to be more up and down than the boys. Boys seem to be more focused on the details of what they are doing rather than with whom they are doing it.
By eleven your child is much more interested in, and affected by, the norms of their friends and you may see the first flutter of independent wings. They may begin to worry that their clothes aren’t ‘cool’ enough and at the same time lose interest in family activities [picnics, outings, holidays] that they adored and needed at nine.
This can be a difficult time for some parents, particularly mothers, as their children become more independent and less welcoming of the love and care they have been pleased to receive over the past eleven years.
Although eleven and twelve year olds may begin to start wanting to do things more independently, and they do need to stretch their wings a little bit, they are certainly not as capable of dealing with the world as some of them would have you believe or as they sometimes think themselves, so it is good to check out situations to make sure they are safe before they go off on their own.

Cognitive development

Around eleven children not only start to take account of 'the bigger picture' but they also develop a capacity to reason, and 'work things out' that they didn't have before. This can be accompanied by some cheeky 'smart talk' that they didn't have at ten but they can also be interesting and funny to be with.

Many will be preparing to go to High School and school work will take on a new seriousness which challenges them to think for themselves.

Relations with parents

Because eleven or twelve year olds may be making first efforts at independence this can change the relationship with parents. Boys may move away from a close relationship with their mothers and girls who have had a good relationship with their fathers may become a little emotionally distant with them.

In a two-parent family the other parent can frequently take up the slack. Some mothers and daughters begin to enjoy a new period of closeness and the same for fathers and sons. It is different however for a single parent. Parents who do not have a sexual relationship with a partner and who have put all their emotional energy into raising their child may find it raises some difficulties for them.

If you are a single parent it is important that you have a chance to talk to a sympathetic adult about the changes you see in your maturing child. If there are any extended family or close friends, enlist their help! Your eleven and twelve year old may need safe adults around who are a bit more distant than you are to them.

What you can do

Encourage ten year olds into some physical activity that will help them to keep a good relationship with their body. Not all kids like team sports, but there is bush walking, swimming and skate boarding, and, if finances allow, maybe horse riding, ice skating .
Watch them play sport or take them to a club, eg Guides or Scouts.
Notice how they are responding to the changes in themselves and their friends.
Look after yourself and do what you can to make adulthood look attractive.
Don’t panic if your eleven or twelve year old wants some distance from you.
Continue safe limits and take an interest in where they are going and what they are doing.
Encourage your family's relationship with extended family and other families.

What to watch for

Sometimes your child can get a bit 'wobbly' around the eleven or twelve year mark. They can get over-anxious or over-enthusiastic about approaching adolescence. Changing demands at school can show up some weaknesses for children who had coped happily enough until now and social life at school can be a competitive challenge.
If your child's reading or writing is not up to average it may not be noticed until now and it's a chance to do something to help before high school. Talk with your child's teacher.
If you are worried about your child's development or their adjustment to growing up, talk to a sympathetic adult or health professional.

Your children may or may not be good company at this stage but they need you as much as they ever did!

Summary

The age between ten and twelve is generally a time when children get a view of approaching adulthood.
There are important physical and sexual changes for your child especially if she is a girl.
Social relationships can be unsettled for girls and very competitive for boys.
Activities, sports and clubs can help them to feel good about themselves and form safe relationships outside the family.
Your children still need guidance and safe limits from you but they also need to be a little more independent.

http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=122&id=1865

13- 15:

The early adolescent years are a time of rapid change physically, socially and emotionally. In all areas of life it is the beginning of your child's transition from childhood to adulthood and probably a bit of wandering in nobody's-land on the way.

It can be a most challenging and anxiety-provoking time for a parent. No matter how unreceptive or even downright hostile your teenager appears, it is important to remember that they need you as much or more than they ever did. It is just that it is harder for them to show they need you or to accept your help or guidance.

Developing understanding

At around twelve or thirteen your child begins to develop a capacity to think in much broader terms, to 'conceptualise' broad issues and begin to see how things are connected to each other - even difficult abstract ideas. This change in thinking is reflected in the different way they are taught at school; they are expected to take much more responsibility for their own learning and gone are the pictures and project type work of primary school.

By 14 and 15 your child can 'see' many things in the world from a new perspective - for instance that parents are ordinary mortals who have problems and failings of their own. Institutions like school and the government no longer seem so faultless or dependable.

A little overwhelmed by the faults they see for the first time, adolescents can be scathing in their criticism. This does not always mean that they don't accept your view point, it still has an important influence even if they don't say so. It is also about showing the world that they are growing up to be separate individuals and this involves disagreeing.

Physical Development

This can be a time of great strength, energy and achievement in sport and remaining involved in sporting activities assists the developing relationship between your teenager and his or her body as well as offering an acceptable outlet for aggressive or competitive feelings.

Social/emotional development

All adolescents feel some grief at the passing of their childhood and some anxiety about the approaching challenges of adulthood. As we all know too, it’s often more of a worry before you really get there. This plus the fact that they and their bodies may be relative strangers to each other is enough to cause, at best, some occasional moodiness.

They are also moving away from their family emotionally - for some this may be gradual and imperceptible but for many it is a stormy and painful process of separation, particularly for girls. Boys tend to go about their separating in a quieter way - they are more likely to withdraw to their rooms at 14 or 15 and speak in monosyllables to achieve the required distance.

Girls on the other hand may unerringly choose every possible way of challenging or irritating their parents, particularly their mothers. They want to test out their difference of opinions, particularly on exactly what time they should be allowed to come home as well as their clothes and music taste.

Don’t be surprised if your adolescent reminds you of your two year old because some of the same issues of identity, of "who am I?" are being worked out all over again. No longer children, not yet adults, not happy to be defined by family members, adolescence can be a lonely time for some.

Peer group relationships become extremely powerful and important and ‘belonging’ to a group or gang can compensate to some extent for lost closeness in other areas of their lives. Close friendships develop, particularly for girls, who can spend the entire evening talking on the phone to the girl they have spent the day at school with. In spite of this an adolescent's family is still the most effective buffer they have between them and the wider world, and their most important support. There is more information in the topic 'Peer pressure'.

Language

Adolescents may seem to be losing words from their vocabulary, or gaining words you would prefer they didn’t. Language does reflect emotional life and the desire of teenagers to be accepted by their peer group will result in them speaking more like the kids at school and less like you do at home.

As at all other times in your child's growing up it is very important to model respectful language to your teenager. You need to be polite to them if you want them to be polite to you.

What you can do

Negotiate fair rules based on safety, good health and the realities of your bank account. Don’t dictate but expect that they will stick to the agreements they make.
If you truly think it is dangerous don’t give in ("But Mum everyone is going to the all night party").
Don’t criticise their hair/clothes/personal possessions but make suggestions based on real outcomes for them eg, "I know you like your nose ring but it will be easier to get the job if you take it out for the interview".
Keep talking to them even if you are getting one word answers.
Do things with them and keep inviting them to do things with you. Go for a walk, go to the footy, go shopping - whatever.
Be as positive and encouraging as you can possibly be and stay honest. Notice the small achievements.

Summary

Developing Understanding

Adolescents are now capable of conceptualising broadly.
They see the ‘negative side’ of people and things they thought perfect in their childhood.

Physical Development

Both girls and boys undergo radical physical changes - boys somewhat later than girls.
The changes include hormonal changes which may affect mood.
These changes are self-absorbing for your adolescent and may be frightening.
It is a time of strength and physical dexterity and adolescents can reap satisfying rewards through sport.

Social/Emotional Development

Adolescents often feel some grief at the passing of their childhood.
They can feel strange about their bodies changing so fast.
They are moving away from their family emotionally [relatively speaking].
Their peer group is of utmost importance.
The family is still the adolescent's strongest social support.

http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=122&id=1865
16 - 18:

Currently, most 15-19 year olds are studying full-time or part-time in schools. Many, however, are studying in TAFE, in university or in private colleges. There are also many young adults who are working full time, part-time or part-time combined with study.
Increasingly, young adults use a number of different technologies simultaneously to communicate, access information and for entertainment. The majority of 15-19 year olds are better educated and more technologically savvy than was any previous generation.

QUESTIONS...

One thing that i am finding quite hard to decide is what to put in the 10 - 12 and 13- 15 age range. Research identified that this is a common issue with spaces and its hard to come to definition of the 'tween' era. When looking at some info though, it became clear that tweens need to feel as though they have a space special for them. Which is why i still decided to split the age groups up

Research:

"Tweens need to feel that libraries care enough to offer them specialized programming just for them."

utahyart.pbworks.com/f/Tweens.pp

"Libraries can serve this unique population by creating programming that is geared toward tween interests. Tween programming should be less childish than programming for preschoolers or elementary-age children. Addressing the hyper-social needs of this group is important in order to make them feel welcome in the library. Programming can range from having a book discussion focused on fantasy literature, to do-it-yourself programs were tweens can make crafts that are customized to their liking."

http://courseweb.lis.illinois.edu/~crowley8/506tweens/Tween_Programming/Home.html

Scaling:

I tried to work with scaling to figure out placement of the building and also room sizes.