Prescott Farm strongly believes in the importance of getting kids outside for their healthy development and well-being. Consider this:
Fact #1: Childhood play time in the outdoors has been in steady decline since the 1950’s. Not only are today’s kids over-scheduled, but they are increasingly disconnected from the natural world spending as much as 8 hours PER DAY inside in front of some sort of screen. This was new reality was coined “nature deficit disorder” by author Richard Louv in his book Last Child in the Woods and may be linked to higher rates of ADHD, obesity, depression, speech delays, aggressive behaviors.
Fact #2: Outdoor free play isn’t just fun—it is vital to children’s health & well-being! Kids that spend more time outside tend to have less stress, less anxiety and depression, lower rates of obesity, fewer symptoms of ADHD, and better immune system functioning, as well as better social behaviors, increased ability to learn and concentrate, a better sense of self and independence, more creativity, better self-discipline, better problem solving skills, more capacity for emotional and intellectual development, and a tendency to grow into more ecologically-minded adults.
Many families do spend time outside together in parks and playgrounds and we think that is a good thing. However, are conventional playgrounds really facilitating the kind of free play that is important? Unfortunately, in a quest to make play as safe as possible many modern playgrounds have become quite sterile with few opportunities for creative play. However, there is a new movement towards nature-based playgrounds or “natural playscapes” at schools, daycares, city parks, churches, and nature centers.
- Most kids surveyed preferred natural playscapes over conventional playground equipment
- Natural playscapes are less costly over time
- Natural playscapes are better for the environment
- Natural playscapes fully support healthy development for kids
- Guess what? Research shows FEWER injuries in natural playscapes than on conventional playgrounds!
Thanks to a generous grant from the NH Charitable Foundation, Prescott Farm was able to bring in designer Rusty Keeler of Planet Earth Playscapes (www.earthplay.net) to put together a Master Plan design for a Natural Playscape at Prescott Farm. Keeler has worked with organizations and communities around the world to design spaces that bring nature to children in fun ways with hills to climb, dirt to dig, plants to explore, and water to splash, among many other things.We want Prescott Farm to be a place that families come to explore and play in the natural world together. Without further ado, here is our design (click each picture to view larger version)!
Thank you to NH Charitable Foundation and the volunteers that made this project a reality! Lakes Region Rotary, Lakes Region Youth Leadership, Gilford Youth Center, Laconia Fire Departement, Fusion, BJs of Tilton, Easter Seals of NH, Appalachian Mountain Teen Project, Bob Harrington and Ed Darling
2 comments
This is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. As a dog trainer who does a lot of pro bono work for rescue mutts, I’m making plans to xeriscape about 75% of my backyard here in the New Mexico high desert and then convert the rest to a sort of canine playground where I can assess adoptable dogs’ behaviors, interests, and natural abilities. I stumbled across your diagram while surfing Pinterest for ideas, and now I’m thinking about all the obstacles my own dogs encounter while hiking and all the ways I could incorporate those into my little dog park in lieu of competition-style agility equipment. Thanks for the inspiration!
That’s a really great idea for the dogs. The format of the playscape lends itself for many uses. We would love some pictures when you are finished!!! The great thing about it is you can make changes as needed and we have no doubt a natural environment will be very welcomed by our canine friends.