Although many college students wish they still had recess, the new playground on central campus is destined for some smaller occupants.

After 36 years of inhabiting the Child Development Building across from Maple Hall, the Child Development Laboratory School is moving into the new Palmer Human Development and Family Studies Building.

The school recently had a “leave-taking” open house, where current students and parents as well as those who had attended the school as children could take one last look around.

Joan Herwig, director of the lab school, remembered a former lab school student and current University of Northern Iowa student who came for the open house.

“It was fun hearing her memories about it,” said Herwig, associate professor of human development and family studies.

Each classroom in the current building includes a large area for children to work on a number of activities at the same time. Each room has a separate viewing area where groups can come and observe the children while not disturbing them.

Herwig said the new building’s classroom will also have these viewing areas.

On the first day each of the classes are moved in, the children will come to school with their parents for an orientation day to get familiar with the new surroundings.

“Little children have all these concerns about moving,” Herwig said. “They are going to be interested in knowing what happened to their little cubby, what happened to the puzzles and where are the blocks going to be.”

Lisa Thom, kindergarten head teacher, said the hardest part for the kids will be adjusting to the new rooms and trying to learn where everything will be.

The first phase of the move will start March 10, when one of the three classrooms will be moved along with various other parts of the lab school. The second phase will start March 31, and everything is scheduled for completion by April 3.

Herwig and Thom both said the kids seemed enthusiastic about the move.

“To them, probably the most exciting thing they’ve seen is the playground because they haven’t actually seen the inside of the building,” Thom said.

The move is a welcome change for the ISU students who do their labs and field experience at the school.

“Convenience is just a tremendous advantage,” Herwig said. “By being on central campus, we expect to have more interaction within the college, and we expect that more students will have access to the children just walking through.”

Other advantages to the new building include handicap accessibility, improved safety standards, an elevator, improved lighting and windows. The new building will also have extra rooms to serve as classrooms for infants and toddlers.

The old building, however, won’t be empty yet. The lab school will be completely moved out by April 3, but other faculty members will stay until the third floor of the Palmer building is completed.