Naturalized Outdoor Environments, Play Garden and Playground Design Experience

Our extensive experience in designing developmentally appropriate, naturalized, outdoor children's play and learning environments includes:

Blue Springs School District, Special Services Building, Blue Springs, MO

Blue Springs School District
Special Services Play Garden
Master Plan

Created design development documents for an outdoor environment for children with special needs from ages 3-21 years.  The gardens were separated into space for the preschool children and space for the multipled disabled, ages 5-21  years.  The preschool garden included adaptations for the visually impaired and adapations for those who use walkers and wheelchairs.  Preschool events included an adapted preschool climbing structure, ADA accessible picnic tables, ADA accessible art easels, ADA accessible sand play, elevated gardening beds and naturalized areas for exploration.  The garden for the older children included a walk around ADA accessible garden path, a recirculating stream, accessible art easels and specialized hammmock  for vstibular stimuation.  Extensive interviews were conducted with teachers, therapists and specialists to create these unique spaces for children with diverse and specialized needs.

Fun Time Early Learning Academy, Naples, FL

Created construction documents and cost estimations for three gardens for a new early care and education center.  The spaces include an infant garden, a toddler garden and a rooftop garden for children ages 3-5 years.  The rooftop garden was created to provide a green space for the older children on a limited site.  The rooftop garden included cantilevered shade, musical instruments, an art area, a basketball court, a riding path with drive through tryke tunnel, a small climbing structure and plant materials for shade and sensory stimulation.

Alphonsus Academy and Center for the Arts, Chicago, IL

Provided on-site technical assistance to this private school to renovate existing outdoor play spaces into a more naturalized site. The site was challenging, as it is in a very urban area, quite small and serves children from ages 3-14 years. Work included getting feedback from children, staff and parents for the redesign of the environment.

Ventura College Child Development Center, Ventura, CA

Provided design development documents and cost estimations to the Kinko's Child Development Center at Ventura College for the renovation of four outdoor environments. The naturalized spaces include sand play, gardening, musical instruments, re-circulating stream, a pirate climber, animal homes, small orchard, dramatic play gazebo, art studio, bush maze, a drive through storage shed, quiet areas and a dramatic play house. Extensive input was obtained over a period of time from teachers, staff and parents of the center.  The yards are used by all children ages 2-6 that rotate through each yard.

Botanical Garden & Children's Discovery Garden Naples, FL

BRC Imaginative Arts, the design producers for a new multi-million dollar botanical garden to be built in Naples, Florida retained White Hutchinson as design consultants to assist them with conceptual design work. White Hutchinson's scope of work included the children's discovery garden, development concepts for school field trips and other programming, design considerations to accommodate school field trips and design and programming considerations to make the gardens family friendly.

Easter Seals Child Care Center, Phoenix, AZ

The new Easter Seals Arizona Child Care Center will be located in heart of downtown Phoenix in the ground level of an existing parking garage. It will serve 140 children from toddlers to 5 year-olds. White Hutchinson was selected to design all the outdoor play areas.

The preschool play garden will include a running maze, hiding bush, children's gardening, art area, riding track in a bamboo forest, sand play and a play structure. The toddler playground area will include a running berm, water tables, riding corral and art area. There will also be an outdoor dramatic play area, a construction area and a zero-depth water playground area.

Vicki Stoecklin, WHLLG's Education and Child Development Director who overseas the design of child care projects, said the project presented many unusual design challenges:

• Some of the areas will be under parking decks, presenting lighting and acoustic challenges, which needed to be addressed in the design.
  
• The program will have a high percentage of children with a wide range of disabilities, requiring highly accessible design solutions for not only equipment, but also loose parts-more than required by ADA. ADA design standards often fail to address special needs of children with impaired motor skills, such as ones who use walkers rather than wheelchairs. They also do not address selection of loose parts and manipulatives.
  
• To make the play areas usable in the hot Phoenix climate requires that the outdoor areas have plentiful shade, air circulation and even mist cooling.

Montessori School, Plano, TX

Provided schematic design documents for six outdoor naturalized play environments for a large Montessori school that serves children infancy through school age.  Different events in the naturalized playground areas include basketball, open field for games, bush maze, musical instruments, art play, large riding track with drive through shed, re-circulating streams, flex space, spray grounds, an amphitheatre and separate play areas for infants and toddlers.

Oak Park Preschool, Massillon, OH

Provided renovation designs for two small outdoor naturalized playgrounds for preschool/school-age children and infants/toddlers.  We saved on equipment costs by recycling older playground structures into newer, safer events.

Belvedere Plantation, Petersburg, VA

Developed a preliminary plan for a large children’s play and discovery farm.  Events included barn climber, log house building, pretend camper, pretend fishing, rock climbing, a dinosaur dig and a separate infant/toddler play garden.

First Steps, Spartanburg, SC

Provided on-site visits and technical assistance on the outdoor environment to early care and education centers that are going through NAEYC accreditation and the Early Head Start center sites.  Included doing a safety evaluation of the outdoor environment and creating an Outdoor Environment Improvement Plan that could be followed up with the First Steps staff.

Islamic School of Kansas City, MO

Provided technical assistance on renovation of both preschool and school age playgrounds.

Otero Junior College, Early Head Start, La Junta, CO

Prepared plans for renovation of an outdoor area into a play garden for infants and toddlers. Since parents attend the program with their children, special attention was given to making the play garden look residential in nature and to creating areas for the parents to interact with their children.

Wayne State University, Detroit, MI

Provided technical assistance on the renovation of an outdoor playground into a play garden for children infancy through age five that meets new ADA guidelines. This facility is the lab school for Wayne State University and is looking to provide a more naturalized play space for children. Meetings were held with both staff and parents to get input on the design.

Child Development Laboratory, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL

Provided technical assistance on the renovation of a very large outdoor playground into a play garden. This facility is the lab school for the Child Development Program at Southern Illinois University. Issues and challenges included a steep slope and how to divide the space between the older and younger children.

Newton Medical Center Child Care Center Newton, KS

Provided full construction documents for a master plan for the creation of three new play gardens for children ages infancy through age six. The newly constructed gardens will meet the current outdoor ADA guidelines. This master plan will be phased in over a three year period as the budget allows. WHLLG is pleased to report that this facility chose to put their resources into plant materials for shade, gardening, play interaction and nature education rather than into prefabricated equipment. This facility will help in reinforcing the model that nature can be the focus of play.

Center for Children's Services Danville, IL

Provided a schematic master plan for the renovation of an outdoor play space into a play garden for children ages three to ten that meets the new ADA guidelines. This non-profit agency has lead the way in renovating their current outdoor play spaces into accessible play garden settings on a tight budget.

Children's Developmental Institute, Chicago, IL

Provided plan for the renovation of two existing playgrounds into play gardens and the creation of a new play garden for infants and toddlers. The plan will allow for better age groupings of children into a more naturalized urban setting. Provided technical assistance on the use of portable outdoor equipment. The play garden plan will bring this center into better compliance with new outdoor licensing standards in Illinois.

YMCA Child Development Center, Kansas City, MO

Provided designs, detailed budgets, landscape specifications and equipment selection for the construction of a play garden at a new child development facility.

Johnny’s Toys Play Garden, Covington, KY

Provided schematic design documents to an outdoor play area attached to a local children’s toy store.  We also designed a play area inside the toy store.  The outdoor play areas included boulder climbing, a dinosaur dig, performance area, climbing structures, a pedal go-kart track, a track ride and a fire engine.

Johnson’s Corner Farm, Medford, NJ

Provided schematic design documents for the construction of a children’s play and discovery farm.

Child Care Association of Wichita, Kansas

Evaluated outdoor portion of building for renovation as outdoor play space and evaluated existing Head Start playground for renovation as naturalized play environment.

De La Salle Infant Center, Kansas City, Missouri

Designed naturalized infant/toddler play garden.

Family and Community Services Head Start, Alton, Illinois

Provided technical assistance on the renovation of three Early Head Start outdoor infant/toddler play spaces into naturalized discovery play gardens.

Olathe Public Schools, Olathe, Kansas

Provided master design plans, detailed budgets, landscape specifications and equipment selection for the renovation of a large shared outdoor play area serving infants through preschool. Work included doing interviews with special education teachers and therapists on how to better adapt the equipment and layout for children with disabilities.

Early Childhood Center, Overland Park, Kansas

Trained county and city park employees on the value of nature-based play for preschool and primary age children.

Center for Children's Services, Danville, Illinois

Designed plans and coordinated custom equipment design for the renovation of an outdoor naturalized play space for infants, toddlers and two year olds.

Harvey, IL School District, Pre-K Program

Provided master design plans, detailed budget and landscape specifications for construction of a play garden. Included doing four group interviews with parents and teachers.

Marine Naval Air Station Brunswick, Maine

Provided consultation and schematic design documents for a children's project for the military that included an outdoor area with two playgrounds, a children's water park and an indoor play facility. The indoor play facility included play events such as construction play, an art studio and a pretend house with dress up.

Family Leisure & Discovery Park, Badajoz, Spain

Research was conducted in the summer of 1999 for the opening of a new children and family leisure project in Badajoz, Spain, which is on the Portuguese border. This 18-acre park will include a children's indoor play facility, a large petting zoo, a children's water park, and an outdoor play garden for children. Focus group research has been conducted with parents, children, and educators. The park will be used extensively to teach local school and day cave children about the animals, pIants and products of this region of Spain.

Brown's Berry Patch, New York State

Provided design documents for a children's outdoor play area that will be called "Brown's Children's Adventure Barnyard".

Illinois State Board of Education / Illinois Resource Center

Provided training for the pre-kindergarten teachers in Illinois on the design of naturalized outdoor play spaces and how to use nature and gardening as the play element outdoors.

Head Start Centers, Peoria, Illinois

Designed naturalized playgrounds for three buildings being renovated as an infant/toddler Early Head Start Center, and two Head Start Centers.

Leawood Park South, Leawood, Kansas

Consultant on master plan for new park to include children's nature education center.

Lion Country Safari, West Palm Beach, Florida

Designed an African themed children's adventure play garden for children ages infancy through ten years that will hold 400 children plus their parents at one time. The play garden is zoned into eight different play areas and organized around a central circular path. Unusual features include a water play area with interactive water troughs, a pond with stepping stones, pretend fishing and a randomly squirting interactive fountain; an interactive art-based play fence, an interactive African musical instrument area and a dinosaur dig with a real jeep and tree house structure.

Bamboola, San Jose, California

WHLLG was the designer/producer of this new 28,000 s.f. children's edutainment center that opened in June 1997 to rave press reviews as the most child and parent friendly center in America. WHLLG completed feasibility and concept plans that led to the center's successful funding and designed the many developmentally appropriate innovative events including a 3,500 s.f. outdoor adventure play garden that includes a dinosaur dig, pond and sand play area for toddlers and preschooler.

Colossal Cave Mountain Park, Vail, Arizona

Consultants on planning and design for expansion of this 5,000 acre park as a nature- and historical-based outdoor, interactive learning environment to educate children and their families about preservation of the Arizona ecosystem and environmentally responsible ranching.

Davis' Farmland, Sterling, Massachusetts

This children's discovery farm has been open six years. In 1994, WHLLG performed a feasibility study including guest surveys and strategic development recommendations for relocation and expansion of the facility as a children's discovery farm. A development plan was then prepared. Each year WHLLG has assisted the client with design and operation consulting. In 2000, WHLLG conducted a feasibility study for a major expansion of the facility with a children's zero-depth water playground and indoor enrichment center and is currently assisting the client with design work.

Burrows Family Homestead, Little Falls, NY

Provided design documents for a family play garden that includes a re-circulating stream, climbing poles, hiding bushes, a maze, jumping rocks, a tepee, log house building, a musical turtle and a custom made log play house with a loft, electricity, furniture and operable windows.

Center for Early Childhood Leadership, Wheeling, IL

Conducted a Children's Environmental Design Institute and a two-day Outdoor Design Institute for Head Start and Child Care Directors.

Child Care Connections CCR&R, Peoria, IL

Conducted a two-day training program for Illinois Directors and teachers on renovation and the use of outdoor space.

Delaware Tribe Child Development Center, Bartlesville, OK

Provided consultation to the child care center on the creation of an outdoor play garden for children.

Gertrude Nielsen Child Care and Learning Center, Northbrook, IL

Provided consultation to the infant teachers and held a design charette for the renovation of the infant yard into a play garden.

Operation Breakthrough, Kansas City, MO

Prepared construction documents and coordinated drawings with the project architect for the creation of an outdoor play space for an urban renewal child care facility. The center will include three rooftop gardens for different age groups and a play garden for infants and toddlers. Unique features of this project include outdoor musical instruments, art play, dramatic play house, a drive-thru tryke shed, water tables and custom climbing structures.

Spartanburg Regional Health Care System Child Development Center, Spartanburg, SC

Provided schematic design documents, cost estimation and master planning for the renovation of an infant play garden, a toddler play garden and pre-school/school-age play garden.

Security Benefit Group, Topeka, KS

Provided technical assistance and design documents for the construction of three new play gardens at this employer's newly renovated child care center. Work included focus group research with teachers and parents to gather their input and ideas.

Creative Beginnings, Las Vega, NV

Prepared schematic design documents to this large child care facility for the expansion and renovation of their outdoor areas into play gardens. Plans included an expanded area for school-age children and pre-school children, a new infant area, a new toddler area and a large water sprayground. Plants for the garden were challenging in a desert climate.

Sutter Lakeside Early Head Start, Lakeport, CA

Prepared a schematic design document for an infant and toddler garden in this high sierra desert. The facility was a renovated bank building and we reclaimed the parking lot for the play garden.

Paradise Park, Lee's Summit, MO

Provided construction documents for a new play and discovery garden for children ages 6 weeks to 8 years. The garden includes an outdoor performance area, a dinosaur dig, a peddle go kart track, climbing nets, birthday party rooms, pretend fishing, campfire cooking, a custom tree house, a large climbing net and a separate infant/toddler garden area.

Silver Lake Drop-In Child Care Center, Ft. Mitchell, KY

Provided schematic design documents for a new outdoor play space for a children ages 2-6 at a drop in child care facility we also designed in a fitness facility.

Child Development Center at Queen's College, Flushing, NY

Provided schematic documents for the renovation of a play yard for children ages 2-10. Activities include gardening, a riding path, picnic area, water table, art easels, a custom climbing structure and a school-age area for socializing and playing musical instruments.

Roper Early Learning Center, Roper St. Francis Health Care, Charleston, SC

Evaluated the outdoor play environments for a renovation project.

Stone Fire Pizza Company, Kenosha, WI

Provided construction landscape designs and cost estimates for a children’s naturalized discovery play garden located to be located in this family dining and entertainment establishment.  The play garden will include a pretend general store, a pretend pizza restaurant, a dramatic playhouse, musical climbing instruments, a dinosaur dig, and large sand pit.