Creating wonderful outdoor spaces for children starts with a well-considered plan. The plan will range from simple—a great composite play structure for an elementary school—to complex—a playground for an early childhood center that includes equipment, plants, and landscaping. Early childhood centers and private schools usually will have the resources and supervision that can support the most intricate of outdoor spaces, although public parks where parents can assume supervision responsibilities can take on complexities as well.
Where feasible, involving multiple end-users in the plan will pay off in terms of usage and maintenance commitments. Children can create wish lists, teachers share their observations, and parents and community members can do much of the research and organization. Good plans take time, a minimum of two-three weeks, and the maximum can be years. I know of several excellent schools and child care centers where a long-term plan took two or three years with the end result of a playground that works for everyone.
Design - Designing a creative outdoor playground is similar to designing for indoor spaces. Learn more about the Planning Steps you must take when Designing your Playground. Click Here Drainage - Before the Fun Part. In the southeast Texas area, drainage is a critical factor in planning your playground. Click to Learn more. Master Plan. Please click on the thumbnail to the right for a large view of an example Master Plan from St Jerome Catholic Playground. Playground Equipment is another critical factor in the design of your playground. Visit our Equipment Page to Learn More. |
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From Child's Garden of Verses
By Robert Louis Stephenson
How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!
Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside--
Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown--
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!
