Create your own natural playground; Design your landscape for kids!

Originally posted August 2020, Updated January 2022

Let me start off by saying, “good job!” You’ve made it to August. Holy moly, 2020 has been a long year already and it’s not over yet. As I have said before, I am so thankful that I have a garden. It has provided us with so much fresh air, food, and entertainment. We have been taking social distancing seriously, so we have been spending a LOT of time at home.

You might remember from a previous post, that we had our while front yard scraped away to start fresh. That was before the pandemic turned our lives upside down. Since the first days that I stared at that blank slate, my garden design has evolved. I have strongly held the belief that gardens should have something to offer; they are not just pretty things to look at. They should provide food, places to play, wildlife habitats, feed the birds, or feed the bees. I am not one to envy a prim and proper rose garden. Concerns about food security prompted me to incorporate a vegetable patch and foodscaping elements. We added a beautiful rustic split rail fence to give our yard a park-like feel and to help contain our 2- and 4-year old kids.

This new garden gets much more midday shade, so we have found ourselves playing out front much more often. Inspired by our local park excursions, I decided to incorporated natural play elements in the garden to make it more fun, interactive, and inviting for the kids. So I set to work.

Objectives:

1. Create a garden for the kids to play within.
2. Create a space where the kids can read a book, surrounded by the garden.
   
3. Use natural elements to encourage play and exploration.
4. Not buy anything new.

​Let me begin by saying that I am not a landscaper, landscape designer, landscape architect, or even a horticulturalist. I am a gardening enthusiast. So please excuse my rudimentary illustrations and non-technical terms.

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 The above illustration represents the front-most portion of my garden bed. It is large; approximately 26’x10’. First of all I needed to determine the trail through the bed that the kids would use to move through the space. I used some dusty old soil to mark the path they would use. Then I let them play in the partially planted bed to see where they tried to enter and exit the garden naturally, and marked those paths as well. I also wanted a circular element which would allow them to run circuits within the bed without exiting (i.e. the trail around the large tree). I ended up with five entrance and exit points. I cleared the routes of this paths and entrance/exit points of any plantings (don’t worry, I transplanted them elsewhere).

Next step I needed to determine the elements of play on the trail. I’ll describe them sequentially by number according to the illustration above. I've also included some photos if your scroll down.

1. This is a rope swing jump off a stump. The stump is only about 12” high and the rope hangs from a small Japanese maple tree, marked by the tree graphic. The grey circles indicate large rocks for stepping/climbing on. The kids step up onto the rock and stump, hold onto the rope, and jump off. It’s super fun for them, and it is low enough that it is safe. This exit point is where the reading nook is found.
2. This area is underneath a small, but old Japanese maple tree. It is obviously a bonus if you have an established tree that you can incorporate into your natural playground. The area under our tree is clear and mulched. This is the kids’ ‘clubhouse’ where they can do free play. They have a lot of second hand figurines and animal toys which they can take out to the garden and play with here. There is also a small single rope swing with a 2x4 seat that is only a few inches off the ground for them to get on and off of easily, and it is low enough that it is safe in the event that they fall. Under this tree, they also have a section of tree stump that my Dad lovingly carved into a seat for them. This also provides a place for them to dig to their heart’s content since it is clear of plantings.
3. The dark brown circles in the illustration represent horizontal slices of tree trunk, cut into steppers to mark the trail. The kids can hop from one polka dot to the next, encouraging them to stay on the path rather than venture off and trample the plantings; however, I am well aware that they will probably do this as well. These slices were cut from free scrap firewood.
4. This is a larger stump off which the kids can jump in one direction, and down to lower/shorter stumps in the other direction. This is an old stump we saved from a tree cut down in our neighbourhood.
5. These are three large rocks that I repurposed from our garden bed hardscaping. They are increasing in height, like steps.
6. This is a balance beam created from spare lengths of wood from our split rail fence. At both end points and in the joint are short posts for stepping onto.
7. This is a “troll bridge” (as named by my kids) that was created from spare 2x4s, 2x2s, and broken-down pallets. It is used as an entrance/exit point.
8. This is a trail of stumps of increasing and decreasing heights. Again, this is made from free scrap firewood collect from felled neighbourhood trees.

These hardscaping features were installed quickly and easily. Since this was a relatively new bed, I completed this projected over the course of a week. I am pleased that all of the features that I added were free and created from found and discarded materials. You may use the same concepts as I have but with other materials. This little garden trail has already provided the kids with HOURS of garden play. Being outdoors is important to me and I want to foster an appreciation for nature in my kids. This feels like another way to encourage this.
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While you are creating your new landscape design, there are other things that you may want to take into consideration:

1. Encouraging birds. You can add bird feeders to attract hummingbirds or local songbirds. Plant annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees which provide habitat for birds. Birdwatching itself can provide endless entertainment for kids and families.
2. Attracting beneficial insects. Add plants in the bed which will attract bees and butterflies. I have written about the importance of using your garden to feed the bees. Amidst the pandemic, we should have more empathy for bees which are facing a crisis of their own.
3. Create a sensory garden. Select plants for their varied textures, colours, and scents. Encourage kids to explore the difference in these plants.
4. Have your kids select plants and seeds! Let them choose, plant, and nurture their plant of choice so that they can feel pride and ownership of their garden space. It is also great for teaching life cycles and responsibility.
5. Choose kid-safe plants!!! This one is important. For example, I planted a wildflower seed mix which included foxglove which is toxic. Obviously, I ripped it out right away. Other plants like sweet peas are toxic. Make sure you do your homework.
6. Plant some tasty treats. My kids LOVE peas straight from the garden. I’ve planted some dwarf/bush peas for them to pick and snack on while they are in the garden. Because I have also created the surrounding garden as an edible foodscape, they also help with picking the green bush beans that I have planted around the border.
7. It goes without saying (but I would be remiss without mentioning) that your natural playground should be in a safe location. Ours is surrounded by a fence to contain the kiddies.
8. Get the kids involved with decorating your garden! There are so many arts, crafts, and activities which you can incorporate into this play area. I have been loving an almost-free craft - rock decorating! So much learning can be done outdoors in a hands-on environment. So many schools and daycares are looking for outdoor education opportunities right now because it is less conducive to transmission of coronavirus. You can achieve physical distancing and excellent air circulation outdoors. Look for my future posts on recommended activities.

And there you have it! That was a lot of ground to cover, but this is a fun project that you will find evolves as your needs and the seasons change. You may also get inspired to make additions and changes as you go. Now get outside into the garden, and dig in!