Parents’ understandable urge to keep their children safe often comes into conflict with the kids’ need to play, explore and invent. A “natural” play space or playground may please both generations. A natural play space is designed to integrate natural components into a place to play and learn. The space may be made entirely of elements from nature or incorporate prefabricated playground equipment. The space takes advantage of physical components such as plants, trees, varying terrain and water to encourage physical activity — climbing, balancing, building — with creativity and imagination.
A well-designed natural play space may even enhance children’s physical strength more than a traditional playground. With prefabricated equipment such as slides or swings, children climb the same number of steps or grasp bars the same width apart each time they play. Consider instead a series of tree stumps fashioned like stepping stones in a variety of heights and widths scattered around a play area; children will engage more of their core muscles as they move from one to the other and can also exercise their creativity by choosing different patterns of activity. Over time, the strength they build up from leaps and bounds or from balancing on a rope ladder instead of a stationary ladder will help them recover more quickly from the inevitable falls, bumps and bruises of play.
That playground staple, the swing, could also feature in a natural playscape, but preferably as a more versatile platform swing instead of a seat with a harness. Every play area needs a slide, but instead of positioning it on the most level place in the yard, take advantage of natural grades to situate it into a hillside.
When designing a natural play space, work with the landscape. If you have trees, help your children build a treehouse, preferably accessed by a rope ladder. Don’t cover up large roots in the surface, since they make great hiding places for small treasures. If a tree falls, don’t haul it off. Cut it into rounds to step on, or convert it into a balance beam, teeter-totter, or footbridge across a low-lying area or water feature. A pond is a great place for kids to observe animals and insects, and scooped out water mixed with garden soil or sand can lead to fanciful creations. Include features for children to sit on, in, or under, giving them privacy and shelter.
As much as possible, integrate the play elements with the “adult” portions of your yard or landscape instead of making them distinct. A family-centric landscape poses more opportunities for engagement and learning. If possible, create a “circuit” of play spaces around the perimeter and leave some open space in the center for games that require room to run or chase. In small yards, think vertical. Put a series of zip lines or small platforms or perches in the trees instead of a large treehouse.
Resources for more information include the Children & Nature Network (www.childrenandnature.org) and books by Richard Louv, the organization’s chairman emeritus.
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