natural playgrounds
Designer Profile: Native Hawaiian Angelica Rockquemore on the ASLA National Diversity Summit and Natural Learning Spaces
Angelica Rockquemore is a bit of a whiz kid. A landscape designer and planner at Honolulu-based HHF Planners, the Fulbright Fellow’s decorated education and professional career includes research and planning of Japanese gardens in Kyoto, design of outdoor play areas in Maori language immersion preschools, neighborhood concept development in Portland,…
Seven Ways to Incorporate Nature in Playground Design: A Case Study of Indian Boundary Park
Yesterday, while scrolling through some photos, I came across one that made me smile, a candid shot of my son and his newfound playmate scrambling over riding horse structures at Indian Boundary Park, a 13-acre park in Chicago’s West Ridge neighborhood named for an actual boundary line between the US…
Designer Profile: Michelle Mathis, RLA, Learning Landscapes Design
Eight years ago, on a five-day cycling tour of Berlin, Michelle Mathis stumbled upon her first bonafide adventure playground. What she saw caught her off guard: along several hundred linear feet of boardwalk, children unaccompanied by parents were using hammers, hand saws, and pieces of scrap wood to build forts,…
Designer Spotlight: Hitchcock Design Group
One of my favorite places to go for a walk is the Spruce Plot at the Morton Arboretum, outside Chicago. There is a perceptible hush and temperature drop on entering the forest, as though you’ve been transported to another time and place. A grid of towering spruces crowds out the…
8 Must-Visit New Orleans Parks and Playgrounds
With the 2016 ASLA Annual Meeting and Expo still fresh in our minds, it seems fitting to wish farewell to New Orleans with a look at some of its best parks, gardens, and playgrounds. What better judge than the people of New Orleans? In this week’s blog, we scour a…
Designer Spotlight – H Nyunny Kim of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates
“Who needs to escape the city when you can walk down the street or take the F train to Jay Street or the No. 22 to Clark Street or the B63 bus that goes right to Pier 6 at Atlantic Avenue — and see nature in the city.” That’s Anne…
The Many Benefits of Naturally Playful Playscapes
Natural Elements that Include the Surrounding Area Set These Playscapes Apart Play is a means by which we first form our understanding of the wider world. Most of our earliest interactions involve play and play-like behaviors. For example, peek-a-boo is an important milestone in cognitive development that demonstrates an emerging…
The Best Designed Slide: How to Create the Perfect Hill or Mound Slide
Important issues when designing a hill slide: 1. Adequate shading. All playground equipment needs shade. All materials get hot, even plastic! So make sure to design your area accordingly. 2. What material is appropriate for your requirements? Stainless steel, plastic (polyethylene) or corian? They all have pros and cons. 3. Slope of…
The Power of Outdoor Play and Natural Playgrounds
Parents and guardians are looking for more natural environments for their children to play in. “Children have a natural affinity toward nature. Dirt, water, plants, and small animals attract and hold children’s attention for hours, days, even a lifetime,” say Robin C. Moore and co-author Herb H. Wong in their classic…
