As we look for design themes and trends for every season, we’re seeing more and more wooden playground designs in projects.
We love this for several reasons:
1. It connects children with nature.
On average, today’s kids spend up to 44 hours per week in front of a screen, and less than 10 minutes a day playing outdoors. The importance of our work increases, as screens compete for spending time in nature. The social, emotional, and physical benefits cannot be understated. The more we can create and share natural play spaces that generate excitement and wonder in children, the more we can be a part of the solution to this global trend.
2. It encourages creativity.
Time spent in nature encourages creativity and stimulates the imagination. Natural wood play structures contain graduating levels of difficulty which provide children opportunities for creative problem solving. A variety of organic textures and designs improve focus and attention while offering additional tactile stimulation.
3. It blends in the natural environment (and is aesthetically pleasing).
While children enjoy the playground space, parents can take in the natural beauty that is present on the playground and the surrounding area. What we take in with our eyes impacts our mood, among other things. When we see an environment that is aesthetically consistent, it promotes a sense of calm, safety, and happiness. Children and adults are able to associate positive memories with being outdoors and enjoying park spaces, and as a result, visit more frequently!
4. It’s Sustainable.
The global trend of reducing our use of plastic continues with play equipment. As we design new projects, it’s important that we consider alternative elements and educate our clients on the availability and durability of these elements. Simply put, wooden playgrounds reduce our carbon footprint.
5. It’s Fully Customizable.
This is where we can add some bespoke pieces to a playground design! The exciting part of wooden play structures is the opportunity to integrate custom pieces that incorporate elements that we see in nature. Through these pieces, we have the capability to subconsciously increase a child’s love of nature through play. Our partner, Earthscape, features these customizable pieces in their Junior Collection. With life-size hedgehogs, snails, songbirds, clouds or pine trees – there are so many innovative options!
Knowing that meaningful and positive experiences in nature can guide children and adults toward care for nature and increase their overall mental and physical health shows us how important it is to consider wooden playground structures for our cities, neighborhoods, parks and schools.
About Midstates Recreation
Midstates Recreation designs, supplies, and builds community-enhancing recreational play and site structures. Midstates Recreation offers a variety of playground equipment in communities located in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan. Our emphasis is not only to create play and recreation spaces for all but to also provide a truly valuable and inclusive addition to your community! Contact your local sales representative to learn more.
