Playground Design

STUDY PLAYGROUND DESIGN AT HOME

• Learn to Design Playgrounds, for parks, schools, child minding centres, home gardens, etc
• Course developed by John Mason (Playground designer for over 35 years) and an international team of experts
• Gain insights into child development, the importance of play; and how to create environments that are sympathetic to a child's needs
• Expand your skills, further your career, start or expand a business

This course develops a sound understanding of the design and construction of small community parks and playgrounds.  A valuable course for parks managers or designers, .the course covers playground philosophy, design of play structures (for function and safety), materials selection, community participation and park design.

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Overview of Parks and Playgrounds
2. Playground Philosophy
3. Preparing a Concept Plan
4. Materials
5. Park and Playground Structures and Materials
6. Local and Neighbourhood Parks
7. Community Participation in Park Development
8. Special Assignment

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Determine the procedure to plan a park development, including a playground and other facilities.
• Prepare a concept plan for a park or playground.
• Assess the design of park components, including materials and equipment used in parks and playgrounds.
• Determine appropriate design characteristics for a local or neighbourhood parks.
• Determine legal implications involved in the design of a playground.
• Design facilities to cater for movement throughout a park or playground.
• Manage appropriate community participation in development of a park or playground.

What You Will Do

• Explain how an understanding of play theory can be applied to the design of a playground.
• Explain how the concept of recreational planning may influence the design of a specified park.
• Determine factors which distinguish park design from home garden design.
• Compare different planning processes used for developing designs for public landscapes, including: advocacy planning, strategic planning and community participation.
• Explain historical influences upon park design, in your locality, including:
  • local history
  • national history.
• Evaluate the functional depreciation of a specified playground over a period of at least ten years.
• Explain the significance of demographic considerations on park design, in a specific locality.
• Evaluate the designs of two different established parks, and two established playgrounds, visited by you.
• Develop a brief for a park plan, through an interview with management of a specific site.
• Collect preplanning information for a proposed park design; through surveying the site and interviewing both managers of the site, and intended users of the site.
• Develop three alternative concept plans for a proposed park development; in accordance with a real design brief, either prepared by you with a client, or obtained as a brief for a job being put to tender.
• Compare three alternative concept plans in an interview with a client, or prospective client, for a proposed park development; recording the interview session on audio tape.
• Describe the design features of four different items of outdoor furniture intended for use in parks and playgrounds.
• Compare the suitability of different barriers inspected by you, including bollards, fences, plantings and walls, used in three different parks and/or playgrounds.
• Assess the design of garden constructions inspected by you in a childrens playground.
• Compare various ground surfacing materials in terms of their application in park or playground design.
• Explain design considerations for earth forming, in a specific park and playground.
• Design a park plan for a specified site of 1,000 to 10,000 square metres, incorporating a themed play area.
• Prepare a costing for the construction of a themed play area, designed by you.
• Compare the appropriateness of fifteen different plants for use in a playground in terms of
  • play possibilities
  • hardiness
  • toxicity.
• Determine appropriate design criteria for the use of water in playgrounds.
• Determine appropriate functions for neighbourhood parks.
• Determine inappropriate functions for a neighbourhood park.
• Analyse two neighbourhood parks by both; surveying users and observing users.
• Evaluate the design of two different neighbourhood parks, visited and studied by you, against specified criteria.
• Recommend design modifications for a surveyed neighbourhood park.
• Explain the significance of danger to the childrens learning experience.
• Determine how two different specific playground designs have been affected by concerns about legal liability.
• Conduct a legal risk analysis of a playground which has been established for more than ten years.
• Develop guidelines for minimising legal liability in playground design, for an authority responsible for a specific playground.
• Determine design criteria for different types of trails in parks including:
  • Fun and fitness trails
  • Environmental interpretation trails
  • Cycle paths
  • Roadways.
• Compare the construction of three different specified paths within parks with reference to:
  • Durability
  • Safety
  • Function
  • Maintenance requirements.
• Prepare a concept plan for a "specialist trail" in a park, such as; a fun and fitness trail, a cycle path or an environmental interpretation trail, following design standards in the industry.
• Determine factors which impact on the success of a park/playground development that involves community participation.
• Analyse community attitudes to a park or playground development, which has used community participation, by either
  • survey
  • discussion with local Parks Department management.
• Explain how to promote community involvement in park development in a way which will optimise the chance of success.
• Determine a procedure to involve a community in the development of a park/playground facility, on a site you visit.

Why Do We Need Playgrounds?

What is the Purpose of a Park or Playground?

There are many possible reasons why we might choose to create a park or playground; for example:
• Somewhere children can play
• A place that the community can meet and socialize in
• A buffer zone (eg. between houses and other places)
• A sanctuary for wildlife
• Somewhere to play sport
• Somewhere to walk
• To make an area look more attractive
• To enhance the physical environment (vegetation increases oxygen levels, and helps keep the air cooler in summer and warmer in winter).
There may be many other reasons.

“I have found that most people think parks are built for people to use; but most of the same people rarely use parks”

Everyone seems to think we need parks and playgrounds to go to and use.
As with many things though; reality is often different to what people assume to be the case.

If we are going to plan a park or playground anywhere, the first step is to identify what functions it is to serve.
Always remember what the public needs, and what it wants are two different things.
Sometimes needs and wants are in conflict.
The purpose which we want a park or playground to fulfil may reflect needs rather than wants of the community (or it may reflect both).
Once you know the functions which a facility should serve; you can then set about designing the facility to serve those functions.
You may not always be able to satisfy all criteria though; so you should perhaps prioritize criteria before you begin.

What is a Playground?
Playgrounds are in the broad sense, anywhere that people play.
Most people tend to think of playgrounds as something for children; but adult playgrounds have also been built at times, in some places.
Play is very serious business for children.
Play is in fact more important than schooling in the development of a child. They learn many things (both physical and intellectual skills) through play; and without adequate opportunities to play, a child will not develop properly (and in later life, can as a result, have problems).

Consider Risk
The risk involved with children playing has been more than what some authorities have been prepared to bear.
In the past some authorities have removed playgrounds, or at least some playground equipment from parks, rather than risk an injury that might result in an unbearable lawsuit.
This approach however, may be considered “short term thinking”. Without play opportunities, tomorrows adults might not be
Consider:
-A government authority may be held liable if a child suffers physical injury on playground equipment which they own.
BUT
-A government authority might also responsible, maybe liable if a community grows up deficient in a range of learning opportunities because the authority failed to provide adequate play opportunities; or excessively restricted opportunities.

There has been a great deal of research undertaken into safety and play, over the last 50 years.
If a playground or park is designed well, the chances of any accident being serious will be greatly reduced.
Park and playground planners or designers must minimize risk; but not necessarily eliminate risk
Note: By eliminating all physical risk, you may be adding to psychological developmental risks.

Some of our Horticulture Tutors

Yvonne Sharpe RHS Cert.Hort, Dip.Hort, M.Hort, Cert.Ed., Dip.Mgt.
Over 30 years of experience in horticulture, education and management, Yvonne hastravelled widely within and beyond Europe, and has worked in many areas of horticulture from garden centres to horticultural therapy. She has served on industry committees and been actively involved with amateur garden clubs for decades. Yvonne is also a member of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners (NSALG).

John L. Mason Dip.Hort.Sc., Sup'n Cert., FIOH, FPLA, FAIH, MACHPER, MASA
Mr Mason has had over 40 years experience in the fields of Horticulture, Business, Education and Journalism. Amongst these things he has always had a passion for playgrounds. He has designed over 200 playgrounds and worked for several years as a playground developer with the Playgrounds and Recreation Association of Victoria.  He has extensive experience both as a public servant, and as a small business owner. He has held positions ranging from Landscape Designer and Playground Consultant to Director of Parks and Recreation (City of Essendon) and magazine editor.
John is a well respected member of many professional associations, and author of over forty books and of over two thousand magazine articles. Even today, John has written a number of best selling reference texts used by horticultural courses at universities and colleges internationally. His publishers include Simon and Shuster, and Landlinks Press (CSIRO Publishing

Dr. Lynette Morgan B. Hort. Tech., Ph.D. in Horticultural Science   Dr Morgan has a broad expertise in horticulture and crop production, and a keen appreciation of the global scene. She travels widely as a partner in Suntec Horticultural Consultants, and has clients in central America, the USA, Caribbean, South East Asia, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.

Gavin Cole B.Sc., Psych.Cert., Cert.Garden Design, MACA
Gavin has over 20 years of industry experience in  Landscaping, Publishing, Business and Psychology. He was operations manager for a highly reputable British Landscape firm (The Chelsea Gardener) before starting up his own firm. He has exhibited at Chelsea Flower Show, and designed gardens across England and Australia.  He spent the best part of three years working in our Gold Coast office, partly as a writer for Your Backyard (gardening magazine), and partly as a tutor in both psychology and horticulture.

Martin Powdrill, Bsc (Hons) Applied Science (Resources Option), MSc Computer Studies, Permaculture Design Certificate. Martin’s goal as a catalyst for sustainable change brings together his strengths and experience in his environmental, project management, and business backgrounds. For 25 years, Martin has been involved in Telecommunications, IT, Organisational Development, and Energy Conservation & Efficiency, prior to setting up his own Permaculture consulting business. He wishes to make a real difference to people and the planet, by actively bringing new perspectives to current challenges and exciting opportunities. To realise this, he enables diverse groups of people to flourish and release their untapped potential, by re-igniting their passion and creativity. Additionally, Martin volunteers with many local environmental and community groups, and facilitates discussions on climate change, peak oil, and transition towns. Martin has an allotment, and is currently enrolled in the Scottish Mountain Bike Leader Award programme.

Rosemary Davies Dip Hort Sc.    Rosemary trained in Horticultural Applied Science at Burnley, a campus of Melbourne University. Initially she worked with Department of Agriculture Victoria as an extension officer (Garden Advisory Service), taught horticulture students, worked on radio with ABC radio (clocking up over 24 years as a presenter of garden talkback programs, initially the only woman presenter on gardening in Victoria) and she simultaneously developed a career as a writer. She is author of several booka and hundreds of articles.

Diana Cole B.A. (Hons), Higher Dip. (Garden Design), RHS Advanced Cert. Horticulture, Cert Admin.Mgt., Dip. Inst. Personnel Management In addition to her RHS horticulture, garden design, City & Guild construction, NPTC pesticide/legislation and business/management qualifications, Diana has a variety of skills drawn from setting up Arbella Gardens, a landscape gardening business. She also has administrative, management and training delivery experience drawn from her employment in other organisations such as the NHS and other educational institutions such as schools & universities. She has augmented her training expertise having gained the Preparing to Teach in the Life Long Learning Sector qualification. She also has experience gained through working as a volunteer in a number of different roles including amenity style gardening in parks and practical conservation work. Diana is also a member of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Limited (NSALG).

Our courses are all written by highly qualified tutors and writers, who also teach on the courses, so know them well. We strive to update our courses and improve them with new information, methods and knowledge on an ongoing basis. If you would like to see examples of some of our courses, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, and then click on “Sample Course Notes”.

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