Playgrounds for the mind, body and spirit.

Designing playgrounds to encourage dynamic play is about creating a sense of place or belonging. It should invite exploration through sight, sound, touch and smell. A playground is the very essence of the "Art of Play," as opposed to the "Function of Play."

The art of play is dynamic, constantly changing as the child interacts with the environment. The function of traditional play areas is predictably repetitive. When play is predictable, both the child and the caregiver become disinterested. By blending art and function, a special complex and intriguing environment comes to life. Like a beautiful mosaic, it inspires awe when first viewed from a distance, and creates moments of delight as the intricacy of each piece is discovered up close.

Start at the Beginning

Creating a landscape for dynamic play starts at the beginning, the entrance to the playground. This gateway sets the stage for the adventure that is waiting to be discovered. The entrance serves many purposes. It informs the public whom the area is intended to serve and what facilities are on the property. It can include a community information kiosk that recognizes playground contributors. A grand entrance can serve as a focal point for the playground, providing an opportunity for people to come together.

Build adventure all the way from the entry to the playground. Routes of travel don't have to be static flat slabs of concrete that simply function to provide access. They can twist and turn, change color, texture or materials as they meander through the landscape. Predictably, concerns regarding liability and maintenance are so pervasive during the development of play environments that they frequently dictate the selection and location of play elements.

Play is More than Physical

When an environment is dynamic, it provides more that just physical stimulation. Auditory stimulation becomes an element of play. The use of drums, chimes, bells and other music makers enhance the total play environment. Appropriately designed and placed, these instruments encourage social interaction--sometimes it takes two to make music! Many playground equipment manufacturers offer interactive play opportunities that enable a child to make music or create sounds. Consider locating interactive panels throughout the landscape. By keeping them away from the large active play areas, you will allow small groups of children to interact in a more private setting.

Successful play environments are those that engage people--moments turn to hours--play is created. The playground can become a community center when a variety of opportunities are provided that encourage adult and child interaction. How will this happen? By providing areas for people to sit and communicate with one another as well as for more private areas for relaxation, the community has a place to grow.

Make it Comfortable

Barren landscapes devoid of shade are not inviting on most days. When shelter is not provided, people leave. Provide comfortable seating for care givers to supervise and interact with the children. Seating can be functional, as in the typical wood or plastic-coated steel bench, or it can be functionally beautiful through the use of something as pretty as a sculpted mosaic bench.

Seating can take on many forms--a grassy knoll overlooking a play area, strategically placed boulders, or an artfully placed retaining wall such as found in West Park in Carmel, Ind. It can be designed to be part of the play area, which is what was developed in the Courtyard Castle at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.

Make it Fun

Often, our earliest memories of outdoor play bring to mind images of playing in the dirt, of jumping in mud puddles and of creating our own private spaces. But to streamline the function of maintenance we often do not include manipulative natural elements because the maintenance requirements are more demanding.

Free dynamic play begins with the combination of water and sand. It is possible to provide both in a public environment. The benefit to both children and adults is worth the additional maintenance that is required. Sand play provides the opportunity for people to recreate their environment again and again. It is one of the most valuable sensory experiences that we can provide.

Think Outside the Box

The topography of a play environment's landscape is more than a function of providing a level surface for a piece of play equipment and of allowing proper slope for good drainage. Instead, the total environment should be given consideration. Explore the natural elements and elevations that are present on the site. Considering creature comforts means looking at the path of the sun's travel throughout the season. How do you provide respite from the sun? Is pollution or noise an issue? Is the wind a factor? What direction does the wind come from? In a playground at Peace Park in Janesville, Wis., the wind coming across the landscape was fierce at times. To provide protection, earth berms were created and trees were planted to serve as buffers. Besides providing protection, the earth berms also separated one active play area from another. In some sections of Peace Park the play equipment is somewhat recessed from the surrounding area with the earthen mounds encircling the tot play area. Grade changes allow for an accessible route to the dock where this steamboat is moored.

Peace Park also uses traditional play equipment a little differently. This GameTime composite structure was part of a community building project. The boat dock and steamboat smoke stacks were built by volunteers. Under the supervision of artist Tom Arie Donch of Interplay Design in Vacaville, Calif., volunteers also created the fish and turtle sculpture.

Designing dynamic play may mean departing from traditional play equipment designs to support a theme or to provide an educational experience. At West Park in Carmel, Ind., a flat corn field was transformed by the architectural firm, Schmidt Associates, into a beautiful landscape with rolling hills, small lakes, picnic areas, a shelter house, a playground, and even a sledding hill. In keeping with the desired rural theme, a silo play structure was created. A life-size farm tractor for the toddlers, a series of gopher tunnels to crawl through, a spider web climber, a maze created with native plant materials, a water play area with natural stream bed, and a sand play area complete this unique play environment.

In Kauai, Hawaii, the community wanted to extend their hiking trail to encompass much more of the park area. To do this they needed to cross a 100-foot wide canyon from one sand dune to another. This goal necessitated building a bridge. Rather than simply installing a bridge that performed one function, the concept was expanded. The bridge itself became a play environment with the help of Leathers and Associates. As the bridge developed, the base was designed as banyan trees whose branches become mountain silhouettes, which the island is famous for. Kauai is the Garden Island; integrated to the design was a virtual garden. More than 100 local artists produced a series of murals that became the inside walls of the bridge. This was a very creative way of taking full advantage of the topography of the area, getting the desired hiking trail, and providing a wonderful play environment that highlights the area's heritage.

Play environments can educate as well as entertain. In this first phase of development at Moffitt Village Park in Hamilton County, Ind., the focus of the facility was to educate the children about the Native American Indians that had once inhabited the area. The playground equipment was to be consistent with the lives of these early Americans. These Indians were part of a mound building culture so the playground became the mound. The Lodge Pole building was constructed from concrete that was sculpted to resemble tree trunks. One side of the mound is open revealing an accessible archaeology dig. The skeleton climber is designed to lead children up the mound to the concrete slide. Part of the educational experience is to discover something unexpected like shelf fungi on a tree trunk, a frog swimming in a dig, or a replica of a stone carving.

Another example of creating a successful play environment is a playground in Hollywood, Calif. Traditional play equipment provided by Little Tikes is used to create a very exciting play environment, The combination of sand and the multi-colored surfacing provides interest and aesthetics as well as protection from a fall. The color pallet selected for the surfacing and play equipment blends in beautifully with the surrounding buildings and fencing. The elevation changes. Grassy areas, site amenities and the use of landscaping add interest and create a very comfortable play environment. A little water spray area tucked away from the active play area is as unexpected and exciting as the mist of the water that creates fog that surrounds the dinosaur play sculptures.

The installation of a play sculpture outside the Nashville Airport is delightful as it welcomes both children and adults to the facility. The sculpture, entitled Flights of Fantasy, provides an airplane and a magic flying carpet to ride on as the swirls of mosaic clouds surround the area.

The special quality of a dynamic play environment is a flight of fantasy that integrates the physical environment with the behavior of the child and adult. This complex integration requires a commitment on the part of the play provider to enrich our lives through the "art of play". But the benefit does not really end here. The designer, the builder and the owner's pride make the chore of maintenance worthy of the attention. Together we can create "Dynamic Play".

Consider the Surface as a Canvas.

Traveling from one point to another consider what can be experienced along the way. Provide opportunities for sensory stimulation. Accessible routes are a wonderful opportunity to bring in plant materials and other natural elements to see, touch and smell, as one moves through the environment. Adding complexity to the play environment is as simple as providing alternative pathways that lead to a plant maze or a secret garden.

Getting bumps and bruises on the playground is normal in a day in the life of a child. But when those bumps and bruises turn into serious injuries, playground safety becomes a major issue, especially to Teresa "Teri" Hendy. Teri brings extensive knowledge of design, standards, and guidelines to the playground business. Her main concern is promoting playground safety, while developing challenging, creative, fun play environments. Teri graduated from Miami University in Ohio with a Bachelor of Science degree in Art and certification to teach art K-12. She is an active member of the American Society for Testing and Materials and has participated in numerous subcommittees that developed regulations such as the ASTM F1487 Standard Safety Performance Specification for Public Playground Equipment, the F1148 Safety Standard for Home Playground Equipment, and the standard for resilient surfacing material that is placed under playground equipment. Teri is also an Executive Board Member of the National Playground Safety Institute, where she is a contributing author in many of their publications. Teri is a Certified Playground Safety Inspector. She is the president and principle owner of Site Masters, Inc., a small consulting company based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Learn about making safe playgrounds fun and exciting in Hendy's article, "Playgrounds for the Mind, Body, and Spirit," which begins on page 64.