After many, many months of planning and preparation our team set off for the red soils of Leinster Community School.
As designers, builders and consultants specialising in immersive nature play landscapes we are always delighted to see the beaming smiles and engaged learning that occurs as children play in the spaces we have created. As educators we are constantly seeking ways to engage and extend the students we work with. Play is integral.
The Leinster NatureScape is thoughtfully designed to include areas for both social and solitary play and for robust gross motor and intricate fine motor work. Within this space children have playful opportunities for meaningful collaboration and negotiation with their peers and their teachers. Their senses are enlivened through engagement with the natural materials and the sciences come alive as students observe and interact with the landscape elements.
Uneven surfaces, physical obstacles and various textures provide self directed opportunities for challenge and risk taking. As students traverse the NatureScape, they engage the full range of physical movements and muscle groups. Balance, decision making and considered movement all occur as they play and as a result, new neural pathways are formed. Therapeutic elements such as flowing water are woven into the playground and are accessible to all children.
Loose parts such as seed pods, timber offcuts, stones, leaves and other items are offered freely by the landscape, resulting in children who are well resourced to develop their own ideas through their play.
When given autonomy of their play children develop confidence in problem solving, in experimentation, in creative thinking and indeed, in their own learning journey.
The benefits of nature rich environments for children are immense.
Studies consistently link improved outcomes to health, wellbeing, learning, physical development, imagination, critical thinking, empathy, problem solving and social competence to children’s access to play within a natural environment.
The Leinster NatureScape is a versatile outdoor learning environment which promotes health and wellbeing, physical, social and cognitive development and the foundational skills essential for optimal learning in the classroom.
We look forward to returning to Leinster to engage students in a co-design process for the second stage of the playground development.
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