How choosing the right plants can make a fun and safe play space

Children’s playgrounds have made great leaps forward from the days of tyre swings, metal slides and see-saws. Better still, we are seeing a shift away from pre-fabricated plastic/metal equipment, toward organic nature play spaces. A well thought out play space allows kids to grow and develop key skills. Consequently, we can plan and design play spaces with different plants and gardens to nurture children’s development, creativity, and imagination. A simple way to achieve this is by planting trees and shrubs. However, before you plant anything, ensure you use the right plants for a safe play space.

Beneficial Plants

• Sensory Gardens- Sensory Gardens choose plants with the aim to stimulate the senses of those in the space. Many shrubs and herbs can fill an area with pleasant aromas when brushed against: Lavender, rosemary, thyme and mint are great examples that are easy to grow.
  Additionally, plants can be selected for textural appeal. Many plants have features that make them valuable creative play resources: Bottlebrush trees, fountain grass and paperbark trees have parts with interesting and diverse feels to increase play value for kids. Finally, plenty of plants can be interesting pieces to climb and play on while providing shade to keep areas cool.
• Veggie Patch- Getting hands on in the garden can be great for kids development. Plenty of jobs in the garden require care and attention; little hands can practice their fine motor skills while scooping dirt, counting seeds and eventually picking tasty crops. Furthermore, kids can learn by getting experience seeing how things grow and the sense of accomplishment when it comes time to harvest and share with others.