I’m sure we all understand the connection between children’s independent play and their health, wellbeing, learning and quality of life throughout childhood.  Children learn who they are and about the world around them via play and, the environment that this takes in place will have a significant impact.

Safety has often been a topic, but very often we need to think about conventional play equipment vs. more organic play, i.e., using nature’s elements to engage kids.

Findings of a five-year Canadian study (2003 to 2008) were recently released, conducted by the University of British Columbia’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, lead by Susan Herrington, a professor in the Landscape Architecture, Environmental Design and Architecture programs.

Two to five year olds were videotaped at 16 outdoor playgrounds.

“We found that outdoor play spaces that contain materials that children could manipulate — sand, water, mud, plants, pathways and other loose parts — offered more developmental and play opportunities than spaces without these elements,” said Prof. Herrington.

Eighty-seven percent of the time, the conventional equipment (monkey bars, swings, slides and climbing structures) remained empty. When the children played on or around the equipment, they used it for its intended purpose only three percent of the time.

“This is an interesting statistic, given the equipment is usually the most expensive part of an outdoor play space budget,” Prof. Herrington observed.

Fifty-seven per cent of the early childhood educators indicated the playground equipment needed to be more challenging, suggesting kids want places where they can hide, play with dirt and be creative.

Prof. Herrington noted landscape architects, and other designers, are under a lot of pressure to install traditional playground equipment, because it’s easier, and more recognizably accepted by adults. She suggests the way children move, and the way in which structures feed their imaginations should be a priority in design, but designers succumb to pressures to make play spaces, stable, orderly and clean—and the kids ignore them.

The guiding vision for a play space has to be based on the values, and principles, which should underpin all provision for children’s play, and challenge the common assumption that off-the-peg play equipment is a necessary feature of a play space.

We need to encourage children to explore the natural environment and ideally to take part in active play where they have the opportunity to create their own play environments and activities.

Design is an important part of the process, starting with how the space needs to deliver the appropriate play values and principles, creating an environment, which will be a holistic solution rather than just an assortment of pieces of equipment

Off the peg fixed play equipment undoubtedly will have its place within a design, however the amount, or its prevalence, needs to be questioned if a play area is to be successful in providing real play value.  Whose imagination designed and created that fixed piece of equipment – child or adult?

Creating a master plan drawing is a task best undertaken with professional help, using perhaps a ‘design and construct’ company to assist in this as well as the consultation and development phases of the plan. Plan to achieve the vision in bite-size chunks to match the funds available.

Duncan Brown http://www.wildaboutplay.co.uk