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Just because a play space is made up of many elements doesn't mean it's a cookie-cutter free-for-all. Attention should be given to how pieces are arranged within a space. Particularly for high population schools, it is important to create a "flow" within the play area. Designers must get in the mind-frame of children to consider […]

Okay, technically speaking, the "Octopus Icosahedron" should really be called the "Octopus Pentagonal Dodecahedron." Whatever it is we love this thing. Our octopus was recently featured in one of MelbourneParking Day's pop up parks. And afterwards underwent some "product testing" by this guy. Everywhere we build the "Octopus" it's a hit. Check it out:   […]

Playgrounds are often designed as spaces for active, gross motor play. But a well-rounded playground should also cater for different expressions of play: imaginative, dramatic, creative and sensory. Incorporating a stage in a play site is a simple way to encourage performance forms of play. Children will develop confidence as they put on their own […]

The "Cube Climber" is a tried-and-true playground classic. One of the great things about this element is its dual use – kids love climbing all over the outside, or hiding inside the protected cove it creates. One site we built it at reported months later that the preschool kids had taken to bringing branches and […]

During a playground consultation for a toddler daycare in Uganda, we learned their slide was causing big problems. It was a traditional steel slide with a ladder to the top. While the toddlers loved sliding down the slide, they most definitely did not love standing in line on the ladder to use it. As they […]

Playgrounds are unique pieces of architecture in the amount of wear they endure. Most built structures in our daily lives are constructed for an intended purpose: a door for opening and closing, a chair for sitting, a shelf for holding books. Playgrounds must be built to withstand the entire breadth of a child’s imagination of […]

Music exists across all cultures and acts as a tool to unite; to express celebration or mourning. As it turns out, this universal act of play also builds later literacy skills in children by aiding in the development of “phonemic awareness.” “Phonemic awareness describes how well a child can hear, recognize, and use different sounds […]

Frank is the director of a primary school for 2,000 children in Nairobi, Kenya. The school did not have a playground or a budget to build one. But Frank desperately wanted a stimulating space for the students to play. So when a construction crew at the school had to unearth several loads of soil, he […]

Seesaws are a timeless classic of the playground canon. But standing on a seesaw is oh so much more fun than sitting. That’s what the balance seesaw hybrid is built for. These low to the ground, linked plank seesaws can accommodate many children at once. The feature creates an unexpected cause and effect between the […]

Boda-boda, okada, habal-habal, xe ôm, ojek, pilot, going, motodup, or picky-picky. Every language has a different word for the motorbike, used the world over to carry people, livestock, even furniture. Photo used under Creative Commons from Flickr: tforsythe. It doesn’t matter what you call it. Kids love them. Our motorbike element was first designed for […]

Today, October 7th, is World Habitat Day. The UN designated the first Monday of October as a day to reflect on the state of our towns and cities and to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat. For many, the future of the human habitat is daunting to […]

  Playgroundideas.org is now out of beta testing and ready for you to have some fun. there are so many things you can do there like: -Start a project page to organise your playground project, get funding, find volunteers and share your designs and photos with others. -Find a free fun place to volunteer in […]