Good article on Nature Play and example project at the Chen Family Lower School at the International School of Indiana.
From article:
“Nature Play Defined According to thefirstfiveyears.org, nature play occurs when children are given opportunities to engage in unstructured play activities in outdoor settings with natural elements, such as logs, rocks, and water, as opposed to conventional manufactured play equipment.”
My experience of Nature Play as a kid was being outdoors playing capture the flag, kick the can and other things in the neighborhood yards and nearby woods /streams. We didn’t need it nature recreated as it was already there. My friends and I would be outside all day every day till dinner bells rang to come home vs the study cited in article that today kids spend avg of 44 hrs week on media screens indoors! Let’s get these kids back to real Nature Play and if your property is in an urbanized area then recreate and take back some natural landscaping and water features to reclaim what’s been lost to over development.
I’m thankful to work for M-NCPPC, an organization that values preservation of nature and open space while still meeting the needs of our communities with services in built fabric that house the services. Our Tag Line is “Live More, Play More.”
#play, #natureplay, #parksandrecreation, #livemoreplaymore, #aecindustry