From: Playscapes
In some jurisdictions a longish trek is needed to teeter your totter on a see-saw. They are not as common as they once were in PlayGroundology’s Halifax home. It’s quite possible that the genteel wilds of Kejimkujik National Park’s campgrounds about 2 1/2 hours out of the city have a healthier and more robust see-saw population.
Keji National Park playground – Nova Scotia, Canada
I hope Keji’s red see-saws have protected status. Their well-being and continued existence should be championed if ever public pressure due to misguided fears related to safety results in calls for their removal.
See-saws are one of the mighty trio of conventional playground equipment along with slides and swings. They have been much maligned in recent years as harbingers of injury. Granted kids have to be taught not to get off and let their friend plummet to earth. Likewise it’s important to ensure that one’s chin…
View original post 188 more words
Do you garden with children or work at a school? This is a fun project to do with children. I am always looking for a rainy day project and since I love gardening, this is perfect. Last year we made memory ladybug rocks with the students in a grade one class. This year I hope to do it with my grade three school garden class.
To start, you have to collect some flat rocks. You can either collect them from around the garden or buy them at your local garden center. If you need a lot for a class project , it may be easier to see if the local garden center will donate them.
I painted my rock with two coats of red acrylic paint and let it dry. I love the shape of this rock, its perfect for a ladybug.
Okay, honesty here, I am not the best…
View original post 241 more words
Our children’s best memories of playing outdoors include careering down a muddy hill on an old bin bag, snowball fights, splashing in muddy puddles, running around in torrential summer rain and drinking hot chocolate in their den on an icy night winter picnic.
You may be surprised that most of these activities weren’t done on a perfect sunny day but on cold or wet days when most of us would probably choose to stay indoors. But wild weather days can offer the best, most exciting and thrilling outdoor adventures, so with the aim of inspiring more children to get away from screen based entertainment and get outdoors, The Wild Weather Book was born.
So get dressed up in your wild weather gear and rush outside any time of the year to discover the joys of the rain, the snow, the ice and the wind and get in touch…
View original post 134 more words
‘Curiosity Corner’ is deliberately child – sized, with a winding bark and pebble path and deep borders that sometimes rise above and fall below the path. There are living structures – a willow tunnel and two entrance arches. A ‘pebble mountain’ and a series of wooden features are complemented by a low level mirror, as well as a number of metal and wooden birds, insects, butterfly and a cat, windmills and other ‘oddities’ such as a ‘fossil slab’ set in grass and a wall mask of a ‘small friendly giant’- the idea is to provide unusual things for the the children to spot and stimulate their imaginations.
The planting is varied and includes species with interesting leaves (e.g. Stachys byzantina or ‘Lambs Ears’, ferns and grasses) and last year children planted Sunflowers which grew to an enormous height! There is also a turf seat and a half barrel water feature (complete with metal frog). The garden has now seen a full season of ‘wear and tear’ and has stood up reasonably well – it seems to have been a popular addition to the Museum. However, some adjustments are needed to prevent children accessing the inner path from the terrace, strengthening the enclosed feel of the space and replacing the turf seat which has not really withstood the wear – it has turned into a mound for running up and down rather than sitting on! These changes will be carried out soon.
If you’ve enjoyed reading this post and others on this blog, why not comment and join others by signing up for automatic updates via email (see side bar, above right ) or through an RSS feed (see top of page)?
“How can we make our playground safe?” It seems a simple enough question. Yet the answer is anything but (and even the question is not as simple as it looks). In fact, managing risk in a playground is much more complex than in a factory or a workplace. The reason for this is down to a fundamental difference in the nature of the task. One way to grasp this difference is to think about a wobbly bridge.
View original post 508 more words
Nigel Boldero aka 'Old School Gardener'
 | Nigel Boldero on Fighting to Reduce Climate Cha… |
 | Anonymous on Fighting to Reduce Climate Cha… |
| Anonymous on PicPost: Carrot, my foot! |
| 18 Surprising Hydran… on Plantax 16: Hydrangea the wate… | |
| Nigel Boldero on Poppyland: A Victorian romance… |
| Anonymous on Poppyland: A Victorian romance… |
| Anonymous on Plants to die for… |
 | Isabella Childress on PicPost: Forest, but not as we… |
 | Happiness Factor on Is child-friendly planning a l… |
 | zidane on Top Tip: On a Pedestal- make m… |
Nature Connectedness Research Blog by Prof. Miles Richardson
Connecting People with Nature
A daily selection of the best content published on WordPress, collected for you by humans who love to read.
Celebrating gardens, photography and a creative life
Writing, photography and more by Daniel Greenwood
Lydia Rae Bush Poetry
Australian Pub Project, Established 2013
The Journey from Finnish Rintamamiestalo to Arboretum & Gardens
Because even in chaos, there’s always gin and a good story …
RANDOM BITS & MORE TIDBITS
.....and nurturing my soul
Cultural Heritage and the Digital Economy
Sense of place, purpose, rejuvenation and joy
Notes from the Gardeners...
Connecting People to Nature, Empowering People to Live Sustainably
A girl and her garden :)
Old School Garden 