Have you heard of the natural playgrounds that are common in Scandinavia? They are undeveloped or minimally developed natural areas in which children are free to explore, imagine, build, and play as they see fit. Learning about them made me very aware and very critical of the sterility of American playgrounds–generally an expanse of grass (or asphalt!) containing a play structure with a mat of wood chips beneath it.
Which brings me to one of my favorite movie quotes. From Little Women:
You should have been a lawyer, Miss March.
I should have been a great many things, Mr. Mayer.
As it turns out, I, too, should have been a great many things. Among them a landscape architect specializing in natural playgrounds and playscapes.
We’ve started building a playscape in our backyard that includes a digging pit, stumps for jumping from, and two bridges. Here’s what it looks like so far:
February 21, 2012
Ashley
1 responses to “Backyard playscape”
kairosclock
February 21st, 2012 at 20:52
This is SO great. You should take a photo every few months to see how it evolves. Give my 3-year-old some soil and a shovel, and he’s happy for many hours. So much better than a playground.
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Reverence « Mama Raw April 23rd, 2012 at 14:04
[...] 1. Play outside. A lot. Play could mean hopscotch in the driveway, splashing in the bird bath, moving dirt and sticks around the backyard, or stepping, climbing, and jumping on our natural playscape. [...]