The importance of natural play
Extensive research shows that children have a strong and deep-rooted empathy with the natural world and childhood experiences of playing with nature instil a sense of wonder, stimulating creativity and imaginative play. However as technology continues to create a more insular society and the health of our children is of increasing concern, the need for safe, appealing and stimulating play areas has never been more important. Opportunities for children to access and play freely in natural spaces are currently seriously compromised yet the resources they deliver, alongside opportunities for interaction, are critical to the development of both a child’s physical and social skills.
Admiral’s play specialists understand and appreciate how diverse, dynamic and flexible features within a natural environment are essential and that contact with nature has direct benefits for children’s physical, mental and emotional health which is why our sensational natural play areas are designed to reflect the needs of the children, their carers and be in keeping with the surrounding environment.
With over 25 years of landscaping and design expertise, the Admiral team has the ability to create a play space which fuses modern equipment with the surrounding area whilst incorporating natural elements such as wildlife shelters, natural boundaries and dynamic features including logs, boulders, tunnels and trees offering places to jump from, sit on and hide in. What’s more our team are passionate about developing environments that stimulate community pride and support regeneration.
Zoning and its benefits
When planning a new development such as a play space you have the opportunity to consider how the space and its surrounding area could also be utilised for other things that would be useful for the school or community. By breaking the wider area down into ‘zones’ (or specific learning areas), it allows you to develop a resource that you had perhaps never really considered. It also gives you the opportunity to split a project into priorities so that it can be developed over a period of time without appearing disjointed and therefore helping spread the cost.
Children are continually being encouraged to spend more time outside and therefore outdoor learning should be key to any new development.
Zones which could be considered for inclusion are:
- A quiet area - for children to take a break from the noise and excitement of the playground equipment or sports field.
- A gardening zone – where children are encouraged to dig, grow and harvest their produce learning about where their food comes from and getting a real sense of achievement from their successes or failures
- A wildlife zone – where everyone can feed the birds, watch the butterflies, learn about pond-life, and enjoy the beautiful range of wild flowers. It’s truly eye-opening.
- A drama zone – there’s no reason why drama should be kept indoors. An outside area with seating and storage for dressing up clothes is a perfect way to spend an afternoon expressing your self
- A reading zone – at the end of the day why not enjoy a story outside. All that is required is a few benches or mats to put on the floor and your drama zone is transformed into yet another fabulous area
- An Early Years Foundation Zone – who loves playing with sand and water – everyone! And what’s more there is so much to learn from interacting with each other, watching things morph in front of your eyes, sharing and caring and communicating through free play.
Our skills as play providers will help you create all of the things you are looking for, and what’s more we are delighted to build on your suggestions as the range of possibilities is endless. Many of the areas suggested require very little capital outlay but the benefits you would get in return are unlimited.
