The Oregon Natural Play Initiative has been working on putting together case studies for some of the natural play areas in the state. There are a few dozen examples on the website. They include photos as well as interviews with owners, maintenance risk and play area users. It is a great way to see some […]
Fairy Garden’s in Public ParksI have just started working on a fairy garden concept for a public park project I am working on. I love the concept, but the details have been a little tough to wrap my head around. All the wonderful pictures I have gathered would work well in a yard or preschool. […]
GreenWorks recently created this nature play tool kit for Portland Parks and Recreation while working on the Westmoreland Park nature play area. It outlines some of the main activities, materials and concerns in nature play areas. It is a bit of a graphic menu for nature play design. These are a few pages from the […]
The Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District (THPRD) in Oregon has put together some interresting nature play guidelines. I have not seen many parks districts or departments attempt to put together a set of guidelines for nature play. This might be the first document of its kind! I think this document includes many of the […]
Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District (THPRD) has opened two fantastic new nature play areas. One is an Off-trail Play Area and the other is a Natural Playscape. These play area types are defined further in my previous post on THPRD’s Nature play guidelines. Hyland Forest Park:This piece of forest is set aside and free play […]
I have been looking for a Montessori program for my little one and at the same time doing some landscape improvements at our house that will facilitate play. While she is a bit young for a slide or climbing equipment there are lots of things that are montessori based that she can do now. To me Montessori spaces […]
The Oregon Natural Play Initiative (ON Play) is a statewide movement working to provide nature play opportunities in Oregon. Our members include parks and recreation providers, designers, risk specialists, equipment manufacturers and installers, maintenance providers and maybe you. We are open to anyone that is interested in helping reach mutual goals. The group goals include: […]
I recently saw an add for Architectural Pottery’s garden sculpture (shown below). It reminded me of some pottery sculpture I saw in a school near Portland. So many schools still have kilns and clay and kids can make infinite sculptural pieces. Little pieces often get lost in a large playground. Here are some interesting ways […]
Wow! These are amazing play spaces! I love the simple materials, variety of spaces and challenge they offer. Both of these ‘jungle play’ spaces are outside the US. Maybe one day we could get one for Oregon kids! This film says it was made in 1987 and the jungle playground from the model is built and in […]
Anyone who has tried to build a natural play area from the ground up, with a low budget, but a lot of heart can count another win for their team this spring. I originally posted about the Pathfinder Academy last spring as I helped them develop a concept plan for their play area. This spring […]
In my mind nature play and getting kids outdoors fits into this larger quest to create a healthier, more conscientious next generation. A big part of the puzzle is actually providing natural areas for people to explore and relax in that are close to their home, safe and fun. We have all the hard working […]
Can we define something that moves, changes and is purposefully open ended? Can we try to create a box for a wild creature with a mind of its own? Well, why not try? The Oregon Nature Play Initiative is in the process of doing just that. Below is our working definition of Natural Play. What […]
Recently I have found myself in front of groups of people trying to explain what nature play is and what it looks like. The general concept is easy to grasp: nature and play. But, once we get down to specifics like materials, risk and maintenance a little more definition is needed. I think we all […]
In Portland we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a community design event for a nature play area that will be built in Westmoreland Park. I could not have anticipated how much the kids were going to enjoy the event. Their creativity, teamwork and ingenuity were all in full gear. It was an amazing start to an […]
Can’t afford a trip to Germany to see all the wonderful playgrouds they have created? Germany is a hub for creative, adventure and alternative playgrounds. This series of case studies highlights many sites and examples. It is nicely organized in 9 colorful, photo packed case study docuents including: 1. Choice2. Risk and Challenge3. Nature with […]
The North American Association for Environmental Education has published theirEarly Childhood Environmental Education Rating Scale. The Guidelines for Excellence identify six key characteristics for high-quality early childhood environmental education programs. I think these guidelines are spot on and tuned to what todays kids need. They incorporate nature and environment right from the beginning and throughout the document. If […]
THE CONCEPT: Loose parts add immense play valueI think loose parts are so important in playscapes. Lifting, moving, stacking, throwing, and many other discovery are made through through free play with loose parts. I especially like natural and free form parts. Kodo Kids has designed a line of early childhood products that I can’t wait […]
I am not sure what this is: a castle, a nest? But that makes it even more intriguing. I love the giant cat tail forest and elevated nest! I was recently turned onto KuKuK, a group of German designers that does wonderful play environment design. Their spaces make me want to work harder and push […]
No classroom for these school children: this documentary film takes us to a forest kindergarten in Switzerland where children age 4 to 7 spend every day outside in the forest. I wish I went to school here. I would love to find a place like this for my daughter. http://vimeo.com/32463946
The Highfield Discovery Garden is located in Hamilton County Park’s Glenwood Gardens. While the entire sight is full of trails, nature, and wonder the discovery garden is especially amazing. The magical tree just calls you to enter. Designed by Site Masters of Cincinnati, this is truly jam packed with things to find. Highfield Discovery Garden is […]
This long green snake breaking through the tipsy tower and the maze of crooked balance beams must attract any young visitor at this ballet inspired playground. The Danish company Hampus Playgrounds put together this magical piece containing: – A large and small climbing wall – 3 levels of play and climbing challenges – Giant snake for climbing […]
Playable Design has posted their winners from the playable 10 international design competition. This is the annual global search for inspiring play design. Here are some of my favorite submimssions. Woodruff Park in the heart of downtown Atlanta will be the home to the winning design in the Playable Art group. The winning designer was […]
As a designer and crocheter this playable art sculpture in Sapporo Japan caught my attention. It was recently posted on one of my favorite playground blogs Playscapes. I think the colors, textures, and the approach to playable art is fantastic. Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam (pictured above) is the Japanese textile artist who inspired and fabricated this […]
The Early Childhood Program at Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) in Gresham Oregon just opened their doors to a new state of the art child center with a natural playground. GreenWorks designed the landscape features including infant areas, a 3-5 year old play area and a large nature classroom. Like many communities and education centers the staff […]
Valmont Bike Park opened recently in Boulder Colorado. The multiuse bike space has elements for the youngest rider to the most advanced. Talk about a learning landscape and it looks incredibly fun too! Check out this video for more info. All of these photos are from pinkbike.com, Thanks!
WOOD AS A PLAY MEDIUMWood is such an important material in natural play. It can be used in endless combinations and configurations; climbing, walls, fences, loose parts, edging, seating, etc. But wood is, at its essence, a natural material that degrades and changes fairly quickly with use and time. How long a wood element in a […]
I think it is the ever increasing concern for risk and liability that really got me interested in playground design. It is not enough it simply design a fun or education or inspiring children’s space. The space needs to meet guidelines that have been developed through a lot of research and thought. Guidelines that make a […]
Silver Falls State Park is home to hundreds of acres of native forest and dozens of beautiful waterfalls. It will also be the future home of a Natural Play Area. The transformation of this animal-themed discovery area moved further last weekend when three local Girl Scouts Abby, Carling, and Kat built bird and bat houses […]
I use to love Lincoln Logs, Lego’s, and other construction sets when I was a kid. I recently ran into Builder Boards and fell in love all over again. I have specified these life size ‘Lincoln Logs’ for a early childhood education center and I can’t wait to see what they build. The loose building […]
Blue Lake Park a Metro Park located in Fairview Oregon just opened a new natural play area. The construction used mostly wood found on site to create the play areas many features. Early opinions are in! “This is fun!” “I love sand.” “Be careful.” “This is scary.” (while laughing) “Cool!” “This is awesome!” “This whole […]
