• Home
  • Why Greenstone
    • Sustainability
    • Sensory gardens
    • Health & Well-being
    • About us
  • Services
    • School playgrounds >
      • Playgrounds and outdoor classrooms >
        • school playground design
      • Outdoor Learning in ECE settings
      • Special Education sensory gardens
      • Workshops CPD
    • Therapeutic gardens for health and well being >
      • Active ageing
    • Commercial / public space >
      • Urban design >
        • Air quality
      • Care Homes | Dementia gardens for the elderly >
        • Social and therapeutic horticulture
        • Healing gardens
    • Natural playgrounds >
      • Natural Play
      • Inclusive play area design
  • News
    • Award-winning design
    • Community projects
  • Links
  • Contact Us
  • Gallery
  • Books I Media
    • Reviews
GSD NZ - Sustainable, healthy landscape architecture + design
Natural Play - reconnecting children with nature
         About us | Contact us | Our Blog |  Like us on  Facebook

 Natural play


  • Play area design
          > inclusive play
          > sustainable playground design




sustainable natural play ground design


Working from offices in Auckland, Wellington and London we design playgrounds locally, nationally and internationally. Contact us for a no obligation consultation. 


We have designed natural playgrounds in NZ, UK, Russia, USA, Portugal, Ghana and Malaysia, so far... We work remotely with email, photos, Skype and phone calls, and on site, in person, as suits the project and the budget.
 

Natural play area Design

early childhood natural play
Natural Play area design - water play, timber deck, sand and water play
loose parts play - log den- natural play
early childhood centre natural play
The link between sensory gardens, dementia gardens and natural playgrounds is biophilic design. We design nature back in to cities, in workplaces, homes, schools and hospitals. Overwhelming evidence links nature, health and well-being. 

Our salutogenic design approach reduces cost, aids mental health and promotes active, healthy lifestyles...As an evidence based design practice we actively research the impact of our Natural play and sensory play developments. Sandpits, digging areas, water play, trees to climb - the fun stuff of childhood - is becoming increasingly important in early childhood centres, school playgrounds and public playgrounds alike. As public funding has shrunk health and inequality concerns have risen, requiring playground designers to incorporate many more elements than just play equipment. Better value for money, and similar or reduced maintenance costs, are a feature of our natural play spaces.

Natural playgrounds are sustainable playgrounds. Sustainable playgrounds design promotes sustainable communities. Picnic areas with edible, playable planting that encourage families to linger and enjoy inclusive outdoor play opportunities will complement healthy eating at home.

As climate changes, shade trees in natural play areas are becoming increasingly important. Edible fruit trees around playgrounds provide shade, scented blossom, add bio diversity and importantly will add to locally produced food stocks, promoting healthy living,healthy eating.

Early Childhood development requires activities such as climbing, swinging, balancing to develop gross motor and then fine motor skills. Imaginative play can happen anywhere we allow it. Loose parts play offers opportunities for children to take something and re-purpose it. A recycling bin becomes a den, a snail's house, a seat, a climbing platform, a stepping stone, a sledge, depending on the whim of the child. The bin is not a toy, or a piece of equipment designed for play, but affords opportunities for play. Where play designers are encouraged to provide cost effective designs, where there is less playground equipment but more flexible open ended play, the space is adaptable and the environment suggestive. Public playground design, like school playground design, can and should accommodate these needs.

- specialist play designers

Greenstone Design - specialist play designers
Greenstone Design are internationally renown specialist play designers for natural play. We incorporate play equipment within a landscaped setting for local bodies, special educational needs and mainstream schools, early childhood centres, care homes, around social housing and for community groups. Inclusive inter-generational play spaces help build home-school partnerships, and assist local Councils develop sustainable communities. We work with the community and existing partnerships to create cost effective natural play spaces.


Picture

- child-led play

For early childhood centres as well as in primary school playgrounds, allowing control of their own play activity is a crucial factor in enriching the children’s experience and enhancing their development. Natural play provision is based on the principle of empowering the child and increasing their choices. It is up to us to ensure the play environment is safe.

Learning to self manage and self limit is an important part of children's development. As trained teachers we understand this. As experienced play designers we know how to design playgrounds to facilitate this. To encourage open ended natural play we work with teachers to ensure children participate in devising, building or rebuilding their physical play environment. Sustainable playground designers must heed this need for flexibility and adaptability in natural playground designs.

School play grounds can be magical places when sympathetically designed. Public playgrounds, like schools, require a variety of play elements. Natural and built structures can combine for low maintenance, beneficial risk, high impact play.

Increasingly, the non-school environment is perceived as unsafe for children’s play. Schools and pre schools are one of the few places left where parents still feel it safe to send their children. This offers early childhood centres and schools the opportunity to be part of the process of reawakening both parents and children to the possibilities and benefits of natural play.
Tel: +64 ( 0 )22 196 8899
for Nature Based Solutions

Picture


Quotes
"To begin with questions of play equipment is to start in the wrong place. It would be alarming if an architect began a design for a house by inviting the client to choose the sofas" Sandra Melville, in Places for Play.


"Without any additional equipment the children have greater freedom born from better communications, consensus of what play … should be like, shared expectations about behaviour, greater understanding because parents, children and lunchtime staff have all had a chance to say what it's like for them. This has arisen from changes in attitude and practice e.g. its OK to get muddy… "



“... very often it’s the more stripped down, inexpensive schemes which work best - we have much to learn ...about how to avoid overcomplicating schemes and creating additional costs through the over specification of materials, street furniture and lighting. .”Paul Quinn Regeneration manager, West Northamptonshire Development Corporation

"Almost all the parks I visited incorporated facilities, such as BBQs, to encourage people to gather in them, rather than worrying that it might lead to anti-social behaviour, whilst the towns themselves had excellent cycling infrastructure allowing easy access to their open spaces.” Michael Rowland Parks policy officer, Bournemouth Borough Council




" Unless we are willing to encourage our children to RECONNECT with and appreciate the natural world, we can't expect them to help protect and care for it" David Suzuki



Disclaimer | Privacy | Copyright Information
Why Greenstone
  • Sustainability
  • Sensory Gardens
  • Health and Well-being
  • About us
Services
  • Gardens for health
    > active ageing
    > therapeutic horticulture
  •  > sensory gardens

  • Commercial/Public Spaces
          > urban design   
          > care homes / dementia care
          > resorts                 
  • Play area design
          > natural play
          > inclusive play
         
  • Education
          > outdoor learning
          > special needs
          > school grounds design
          >
Professional Development   
News and events
  • award winning design
  • community projects

Links


Resources


Contact us



Greenstone Design Limited is a company registered in New Zealand No 373 2566
Registered Office: 20 Killarney St, Takapuna, Auckland 0622, NZ
GST registration No 108 766 034

Corporate Social Responsibility | Diversity & Equality | Environmental Policy
Quality Management Statement

© Greenstone Design Limited 2001-2016 All rights Reserved