Projects

Brief

The school contacted us with ideas to redevelop multiple playgrounds across their facility – this included their outdoor provisions for their pupils with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND). They highlight the importance of catering for children with sensory needs, so wated their plain, tarmac playground to be transformed into a colourful sensory garden for small groups of children to use.

Solution

To ensure we created the perfect sensory garden, our team came up with a design that was exciting and stimulating while also providing opportunities for calm and self-regulation. We also incorporated outdoor play equipment that added visual, auditory, and tactile stimulation into the space.

Project Details

To create a soft and colourful surface, we installed Luxury Green Artificial Grass, with a rainbow Sensory Path and splashes of Funky Artificial Grass to add some colour into the area and to zone part of the space.

To provide tactile stimulation, we installed Tactile Play Panels as well as Sand and Water Play items. This included a Sliding Sandpit, to provide children with tactile exploration and messy play, as well as a Water Wall and Water Chutes and Tub. These pieces encourage children to develop their motor skills, by using different tools, and develop mathematical skills, by filling and emptying different containers. We also installed two Chalkboards where the children can practice their handwriting and be creative. As part of the sensory path, we also installed a Melody Pergola to provide children with outdoor musical instruments.

As it was important that children had somewhere calm and quiet to enjoy, we created a Quiet Zone in the corner of the playground. This small Storytelling Area is made using our Story Telling Chair and movable Grass Top Seats to encourage the children to sit in small groups. We also added a Triangular Shade Sail in the school’s chosen colour, blue, to make the area feel more defined and to provide shade in the summer.

We added some movable Grass Blocks to the area for the children to make their own trails to climb across, helping the pupils to develop their proprioception and gross motor skills. As our Grass Blocks are wrapped in soft and colourful artificial grass, they also provide tactile and visual stimulation to the playground.

Result

"The Playground Company have been superb from start to finish. A very professional and friendly company to work with and would 100% recommend them to anyone. Designs were just what we wanted and met our vision and the finished areas look amazing! Thank you to everyone."

We had the pleasure of returning to the school to see the children using their finished area for the first time – this was an amazing experience, and we loved seeing how happy the children were using the space!