Natural Play - Incorporating natural elements into fixed play areas.

Natural play and your environment

Working with you to create natural features and interesting spaces. Russell Play has introduced a range of elements to complement our natural play designs. These play elements encourage children to explore and interact with the natural world and use their imagination to invent new play experiences. Because no two natural elements are alike and the wild spaces vary according to the weather and the season, children can experience a multitude of different play activities and sensations.

Russell Play provide a comprehensive design, drawing and consultation package to enable our customers to visualise natural play designs to the fullest extent. Click here to view a few examples.

Click here to download the Russell Play Natural Play brochure in .pdf.

Creating a natural environment for play

The following could be considered:

• Leave an area unfenced to allow children to play over a larger area to make the fullest use of the natural elements within the surroundings.
• Create a ‘wild space’ by leaving an area uncultivated. Or leave grass to grow.
• Introduce tactile elements such as boulders, sand or water for children to play with.
• Accessibility for disabled and able-bodied children.
• Design in as many opportunities to experience risk and challenge as possible.
• Ensure the area is sustainable and can be maintained correctly.

Natural Design Examples

Natural Play

The Department for Children, Schools and Families' Fair Play consultation strategy emphasises the importance of creating a natural environment for play. Research has provided strong evidence that it can develop childrens' imaginative and social skills, encourages a greater level of physical activity and allows them to experience and deal with moderate risks.

Russell Play have an in-house design resource to produce drawings which enable our customers to visualise natural play designs. We have introduced a range of glacial boulders which can be incorporated into a play scheme to encourage children to explore and interact with the natural world and use their imagination to invent new play experiences.

Our Guidelines for Natural Play

• Prepare an audit and site survey to achieve the maximum potential from the existing landscape.
• Ensure that both the area and selected play equipment are sustainable and can be maintained correctly.
• Incorporate existing natural features such as slopes and mounds into the overall design. Consider whether natural vegitation caqn be left in place and whether this could be enhanced with further planting.
• Introduce tactile elements such as boulders, wood, sand or water for children to experiment with.
• Ensure accessibility for disabled and able-bodied children.
• Design in as many opportunites as possible for children to experience risk and challenge while keeping safety in mind.