Outdoor Play Space Versus A Playground

Be Afraid! Be Very Afraid!

Okay, so this might be a bit on the dramatic side. However, parents of young children, if you are choosing a childcare facility for your child based on the playground and this is what you see upon arrival at the center, just turn around and drive away!!

More than likely, this is similar to what you will see.

But, what if you saw this instead? 

We know that young children need vigorous physical play daily and that this play should take place outdoors for at least one hour. Unstructured outdoor play allows for a "no pressure" situation. According to Angela J. Hanscom, a pediatric occupational therapist and author, " When engaging in active free play, children can play with others or not, make up their own rules or follow someone else's, be rough and tumble or quiet and contemplative."

In an article published in Early Childhood News Magazine, authors Randy White and Vicki Stoecklin write, "It is unfortunate that children can't design their outdoor play environments. Their creations would be completely different from the areas called playgrounds that most adults design for them."

The following list is what children would like in their outdoor environments, according to the research data gathered from children themselves.

• Water
• Vegetation including trees, bushes, flowers, and long grasses
• Animals, creatures in ponds and other living things
• Sand (best if it can be mixed with water)
• Natural color, diversity
• Places and features to sit in, on, under, lean against, and provide shelter and shade
• Different levels and nooks and crannies, places that offer privacy
• Structures, equipment and materials that can be changed actually or in their imagination, including plenty of loose parts.

I might be mistaken, but I didn't see a large red, yellow, and blue plastic climber anywhere on that list. Interesting.......

That's it for now.

Check back later!