Both the classroom and the playground provide critical developmental opportunities for our preschoolers and kindergartners. Twenty years ago, as the parent of a preschooler, I became interested in playground design that provides a creative outdoor environment for learning and play. More recently I have been re-thinking our relationship to, and how we use, outdoor space at preschools and kindergartens.
At the preschool our kids attended I collaborated with the school director and staff to transform what was a drab backyard. Working together we developed a simple plan: a covered back porch, a tricycle path circling a garden area with planting boxes, a sand play area, a gathering space with grass and a brand new climbing structure with features that were developmentally appropriate for preschool aged kids—a ladder to a slide, a wobbly bridge, monkey bars and other climbing elements. The climbing structure was the focus—bright blue, green and yellow—and occupied more than half of the yard space.
Over the next decade I observed dozens of children climb on the structure and play in the yard. I began to re-think our relationship to, and how we use, outdoor space at preschools and kindergartens. I re-imagined the traditional static play structure into something more innovative with broader and more imaginative uses. The entire yard could be a play based learning environment that would connect our preschoolers with nature and being outdoors, and enhance learning, creativity and adventure. Boulders and tree stumps to climb; learning science by doing science—exploring the life cycle of bugs and worms in the dirt, caterpillars evolving into butterflies, tree flowers becoming fruit; experiencing the scent and tastes of herbs and plants; planting seeds and nurturing them into plants and vegetables for snack time; touching and playing with diverse tactile textures like sand, polished pebbles, rocks and dirt; building with boards, pipes, bricks, banana leaves and bamboo. Adventure is in the air! More than just a playground—an integrated experiential environment for the senses; play-based learning that fosters young children’s physical development and extends indoor classroom activities into a dynamic and flexible outdoor play space.
I have now designed and built other learning playgrounds for preschool and kindergarten aged children. Green building techniques and permaculture principles are used in every aspect of these projects. Each includes a berm as a central element, which provides a raised area accessed by different ways of climbing: a gradual slope, steep stairs and rocks and logs. Surrounding the berm can be play areas and even a tricycle path. Common design features may include a farmer’s pump (water drawn from rain barrels placed under roof drains), monkey bars, sand play areas, smaller individual play areas (such as a playhouse, treehouse or nooks and crannies tucked into the design), a group gathering area and lots of plants and textures. While the play space includes many features, it remains flexible and not overly developed.
The individual design elements are sized to be age appropriate for preschoolers or kindergartners. Although risk assessment (such as falling heights or scrapes and bruises) should be carefully considered in the design to ensure a safe environment, at the same time we recognize risky play is crucial to the development of executive functioning in young children. Please visit the Resources page for more information on considering risk in playground design.
I look forward to helping more preschools and kindergartens create successful outdoor experiential environments that promote play based learning by integrating outdoor play, nature and adventure with the indoor classroom.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can assist you with creating your outdoor learning playground.