So many schools have nothing more than areas of plain concrete or tarmac for their children to play on. If you're really lucky,
perhaps there's a hopscotch grid!!Playgrounds can very easily be redesigned to help with the curriculum, to aid social interaction, and, by providing interesting activities, reduce boredom and therefore a great deal
of aggressive behaviour and bullying.
For very young children, who are full of enthusiasm and imagination, very simple games can become full of excitement – a story-telling or fairy circle, a maze, painted mini beasts
and number games. Timber walkways over pretend streams full of fish and an octopus! Totem poles the children can paint, tricycle tracks with pedestrian crossings and arrows. Something as simple as a brightly coloured
picnic cloth painted on the ground – the possibilities are endless and pretty darn exciting when you're just 4 or 5 years old!!
Older children seem to benefit more from games they can recognise – painted pitches
(simply painting the pitch area green with white markings makes a huge difference!) Platforms for "off-ground tag", cycle proficiency tracks can be used for roller-skating too! A quiet seating area with some shade and
plants could transform a corner of your playground.
By avoiding structures which could be seen as "territories" you can ensure that the whole playground is there for all the children, not just the dominant few.
Our
qualified designer will come to your school and discuss your requirements. She will measure up the playground and return by post a plan of the new design, along with a quote as to how much it would cost. This is a free
consultation, and there is no obligation to go ahead. Of course there's no need to do it all at once – there's always next year!!
Give us a call or send us an e-mail or fax, and we'll come and take a look at your
school..
