Two Levels of Safe & Engaging Outdoor Play Spaces and External Landscaping for a New Childcare Centre
For a repeat client dedicated to the philosophy that children learn through relationships rooted in trust and safety, the new childcare centre’s outdoor play spaces were meticulously designed to foster these values. Catering to 130 children aged 0-6 years, the facility features two levels of custom-designed play areas, each thoughtfully equipped to support the client’s food garden program aimed at revolutionising children’s relationship with food from infancy through to school age.
The ground level includes a produce area with raised veggie boxes, integral to the food garden program, separated from the main play area by a charming picket fence and gate. The play space is a dynamic environment featuring a variety of engaging elements: a sandpit with an adjoining garden bed, a log balance course, crazy pave steppers, synthetic turf open space, and a bushrock concrete stencil path. Shade sails provide protection from the sun, while a timber play fort with a climbing wall, slide, and bucket lift set fosters physical activity. Amenities such as a dry creek bed, log rill, water play tray table, arched timber bridge, yarning circle with log seats, and rock boulders enhance the naturalistic play environment. Additionally, a rubber meandering path with circle and line markings, a deck with access hatch, a raingarden planter box, a second shaded sandpit, and facilities like a rubber bike track and soccer and basketball pitch ensure varied and inclusive play options.
On Level 1, the design continues to emphasise the importance of a nurturing play environment. Raised planters and trellis systems, wine barrel planters, and shade sails over synthetic turf areas create a green and inviting space. This level also features a shaded sandpit, a curved deck, a timber boardwalk, and timber planters, offering a variety of sensory and motor experiences. The open cubby house with a pitched roof, shop front, and deck floor encourages imaginative play, while the rubber bike track promotes physical activity. The combination of these elements ensures that each age group has access to age-appropriate, safe, and engaging play opportunities, embodying the client’s commitment to trust, safety, and educational relationships.
