NatureGrounds®: Best Practices for Creating Naturalized Playgrounds

Research reveals a strong link between children’s experience s of nature and their psychological well being and overall development. It is important that we encourage outdoor play and find ways to reconnect children with nature. This interactive session will discuss research based benefits of combining the manufactured play environment with the living landscape, demonstrate how to implement best practices of design, and discuss strategies for overcoming potential barriers to naturalizing existing and new playgrounds. Participants will walk away with many educational resources, funding sources, and practical ideas on how to get started.

Learning Objectives: 

• Discuss current research, national trends, and useful resources that support children’s engagement with nature and encourages families and communities to reconnect with the great outdoors

• Define best practices for designing or retrofitting naturalized play environments to integrate manufactured play equipment and the living landscape

• Describe the many health, developmental, and environmental benefits of playground naturalization for children, families, and communities

• Develop an action plan for project implementation that addresses management, maintenance, partnerships, volunteers, and potential funding for sustainability

This program is developed in partnership with PlayCore and The Natural Learning Initiative, a research and design extension program of the College of Design, NC State University.