Playground Planning: Include These “7 Zones” To Create a Balanced Playground Environment
Before choosing the actual layout for your playground, it’s helpful to have an overall plan or design for the placement of furnishings. You will want to organize the space in a way that will promote physical and social play while minimizing conflicts. The following is called the zoned approach and was outlined in Esbenson in his book “The Early Childhood Playground: An Outdoor Classroom”. Similar to the way a classroom is arranged into specific areas or centers, small groupings of functionally separate outdoor play areas called zones can enrich children’s interaction with the equipment, nature, adults, and one another. Instead of having one large, central structure that attempts to provide a variety of experiences and activities for children, each zone includes several smaller, related activities and pieces of equipment. This allows more active play areas to be separated from areas that involve less noisy creative of manipulative activities and can help minimize the tendency for louder, bigger boys to dominate a play structure.
Esbenson outlines seven distinct zones:
1. Transition zone: The area between your building and the playground or between different play zones. This area allows children time and space to decide where they want to go as they enter the playground. This can include open space, or seating areas. Items to consider: picnic tables and benches, Shade Structures, Picnic Shelters, Bleachers. Read more
The Sensory Rich Playground is For Children of All Abilities
Young children learn by using all of their senses, so your playground should offer as many experiences as possible. The more sensory experiences, the more is learned and gained during development. The playground should include the following sensory areas:
Visual:top Adults tend to look at the functional aspect of playgrounds that includes the natural coloration and a traditional theme. Oft times, the natural looking playground is aesthetic for the adult rather than the child. It’s rare that the typical child-oriented environment consists of typical natural coloration, i.e. beige, green, brown. More likely, a playground with a variety of shapes, colors, and forms will offer the most stimulation and improve spatial perception.
Vestibular:top
The vestibular system consists of small, liquid-filled tubes in the inner ear and is important in maintaining a child’s sense of balance. The movement of liquid through these canals produces stimulation of the nervous system. Sensory experiences change every time the head moves in a different direction or at a different speed; this explains children’s great enjoyment of whirling, spinning, swing, or being tossed in the air. During the first years, children’s vestibular systems are very receptive to even small amount s of stimulation, and slight variations in speed and direction have a substantial effect on balance. The vestibular system works with the senses of touch and vision as well as sensations from the joints and muscles to help children orient themselves in space. When children go down a slide, for example, they both feel and see themselves moving downward through space. by about the age of 8, the sensory-motor development of children is well established.
14 Layout Considerations for your Playground Design
1. Organize zones to facilitate play and minimize conflicts, e.g. locate quiet play areas away from active spaces
2. Provide areas that encourage group interaction as well as places from solitary and partner play
3. Avoid putting high-activity zones close to transitional zones
4. Locate compatible play zones close together, e.g. creative play and social play can be placed adjacent
5. Design all play zones for child-initiated activity
6. Locate play areas for toddler and areas involving quiet, creative activities near the entry to building
7. Use low, natural partitions and different surfacing materials to define zones, i.e. EWF hardwood fibers around swings, and pour-in-place rubber surfacing around the playsystem
8. Use space wisely, leaving some areas open. Cluttered playground detracts from children’s explorations and cause injuries
9. Plan zones to take advantage of any prominent or unusual elements, e.g. physical area around a sloped designed for running
10. Be sure that equipment landscaping do not interfere with visual supervision. Adults must have a clear line-of-sight
11. Retain as many existing trees, shrubs, and other landscaping as possible.
12. Locate equipment away from dumpsters, heavy traffic and loud noises. Plant trees or build fences and visual barriers to block nuisances.
13. Make sure site is accessible for maintenance and emergency equipment
14. Use your imagination. Paint stones, create a mural, make hand prints in cement. Cue children through the color, shape and type of materials that this is their place to play.
The following was adapted from Tracy Theemes’ “Let’s Go Outside! Designing the Early Childhood Playground”
If you’re looking for a fundraising partner or program, don’t forget to review the Fundraising Resources pages on the top right tab. If you are located in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, or North Carolina and would like assistance with designing your playground, please contact us at www.korkat.com
8 Important Planning Considerations for your Playground Design
Good playground design involves balancing your children’s needs, volume, age distribution, developmental aspects, and site conditions. Assess your present space by drawing a rough diagram. Include the seasonal aspects of your layout including sunlight, wind direction, snow/ice/rain. Observe the following:
- type and amount of natural materials
- small vs. large space
- topographical features, e.g. steep slopes, trees, rocks
- shared spaces with other age groups
- shaded area–either hard shelter or shade structure
You’ll need assess the following site conditions:
1. Measure your site and scale to your drawing. Triangulate your area be placing flags that will act as your measuring points, e.g. pt A, pt B, pt C. You’ll then be able to take effective measurements as triangles. Once you have all sides to a triangle, e.g. A to B to C, you’ll be able to calculate your area. The site can be split into rectangles, triangles and circles as you place your flags.
2. Identify all existing elements on the site: paths, trees, shrubs, fencing, buildings, large rocks, drainage, and swales.
3. Identify the plants and trees present and check that are all nontoxic
4. Note any areas affected by the sun, shade, wind, rain, and snow
5. Locate any underground services, such as sewer, water and gas. Any overhead power or phone lines? Any overhanging roof or tree branches?
6. Indicate any natural slopes or valleys
7. Identify any drainage problems
8. Determine if there’s a connection to water for play activities
Operational aspects:
In addition to overall environment, address the folloiwing:
* How will it be financed?
* What are the zoning requirements? What permits are needed?
* Determine the best source for evaluating, and ordering equipment and materials. KorKat can assist with the initial design and specifications for obtaining quotations.
* Consider your installation method–self-install, community build, turn-key installation
* Who will do landscaping and initial site preparation?
The following was adapted from Tracy Theemes’ “Let’s Go Outside! Designing the Early Childhood Playground”
Don’t forget to reference the Fundraising Resources page on the top right tab, for products and resource to help you with your playground fundraiser. If you are planning a playground in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, or North Carolina and would like additional advice as to making the most of an existing budget, please contact us at www.korkat.com
Save Thousands By Installing Your Playground Equipment Together
One of the best ways to stretch your playground budget is by having a community build to install your playground equipment. Considering installations run between 25-40% of your total budget, it can be a disappointment to know that $6000 of a $10000 budget actually goes toward the equipment, while the rest is applied to installation/shipping/mulch/borders/taxes, etc. Those who install their own playground gain a sense of ownership and responsibility toward the finished project, and the pride felt by the volunteers in their accomplishment translates into pride toward the school or the community. You’d be surprised the number of people willing and able to put their tools & efforts to work.
What is needed for your playground installation: Unfortunately, the major power tools should be left at home. The only major tools/equipment (assuming the site is level) are an auger/bobcat and a great attitude. Depending on the scale of your installation, the community build can be completed in a day or two (weather & volunteers permitting). Usually, the day prior to build is spent laying and punching the holes; prepping the components; and laying out the equipment in advance of your volunteers. The key to organization is having activities for everyone to do, without requiring a lot of cooks in the kitchen. The groups can be split into teams to tackle the various phases:
- offloading and unpacking and sorting equipment
- site preparation
- post and platform assembly
- panel and component assembly
- borders and mulch installation team
- 1 or 2 runners for hardware/tooling drinks & food
- Project managers to coordinate the event.
The most important priority is to remember that this should be FUN!!!! Ask local companies to donate goods or services to the Build Day, from construction materials to food and beverages. Offer free publicity or advertising on your playspace’s signage as an extra enticement. Here are a few considerations in addition to these must read articles:
- 7 Critical Steps for Planning a Playground Layout
- Must-Have List for Designing Your Playground
- 14 Layout Considerations for your Playground
- Check before you dig!!!! Call ahead to have your local services identified on your build site—includes sprinkler lines
- Verify that your design plans and installation instructions are in-line with site
- Offload and secure equipment until build day
- Review all of the installation instructions thoroughly before build day
- Make sure the site has been prepared properly, i.e. less than 2% grade
- Secure area off for 72 hrs to allow concrete to cure
- Secure area from access if no surfacing has been installed
- Provide adequate dumpster and haul off packaging
COMMUNITY BUILD PLAYGROUND
TOOLS & RESPONSIBILITIES
- Customer to dig and clean holes and remove spoils. This must be done a minimum of one day before the actual build day. Customer is responsible to meet and unload truck and assist in sorting hardware if we are providing supervision on build day.
- Manufacturer Representatives will assist and laser holes in some cases if we are also providing supervision.
- Customer to provide and install concrete and provide 2” thick concrete paver blocks(stepping stones) to be placed in the bottom of the main structure holes.
- Recommended Tools:
- a. 14” – 18” Auger bit – 12” minimum-Recommend using a Bobcat with auger attachment
- b. Post hole diggers – 2 or 3
- c. Tape Measures – Long and Short
- d. 2 Foot Level – 1 or 2
- e. 4 Foot Level – 1 or 2
- f. Ladders – 2 each 6 foot or 8 foot or possible other heights
- g. Torpedo Levels – 12” Magnetic – 2-3
- h. Various Shovels and Garden Rakes
- i. Ratchets Wrenches 3/8” – 4-5
- j. 9/16” sockets – 4-5
- k. Electric Drills – 2 – Don’t recommend cordless
- l. ¼” Drill Bits – 4-5
- m. Extension Cords
- n. Water Hose and Nozzle
- o. Wheel Barrow – 3-4
- p. Pry Bar (Digging Bar) 6 foot – 1 – CRITICAL
- q. Concrete
- r. 2 – 4 8ft pressure treated 2 x 4’s
- s. 2 Tables 3×6 or 3×8 in width and length or 2 picnic tables.
- t. 2 Long handle sledge hammers if plastic border timbers ordered
- u. 4-6 Milk crates used for various purposes
