There is no hiding from the fact that we LOVE natural learning!
We believe that every child has the right to play, and we believe that wooden playground equipment creates a different and new aspect to natural play.
How Natural Wooden Playgrounds Can Benefit Children
There is no better place for children to learn, than outdoors, and no better play resource than nature itself. Simply put, play is learning. Children will naturally reap the benefits of being submerged in the great outdoor to play and to learn. They will gain a great connectivity with the natural environment, and playing outdoors gives children the chance to explore and run free!
So, how does using wooden playground equipment at your school help with this? Exposure to natural play is extremely important and can help children to have a positive mind and with research showing that it improves their overall wellbeing and provides children with a connection to nature.
Children can interact with a natural structure such as natural playground equipment, and they are exposed to materials that they may not usually play on with their friends, keeping children in touch with the great outdoors.
UK children are losing contact with nature at a “dramatic” rate, and their health and education are suffering, a National Trust report says. The NHS also recommends that toddlers and preschool-aged children should have at least 3-4 hours per day of physical activity, so if this exercise can take place outside then this becomes even more of a benefit to a young child.
We want to help to change that and help to make a positive impact, and this will be through our designs and installation of natural wooden playground equipment in schools, nurseries, SEND settings, parks and family attractions. Outdoor play is also crucial for the brain’s healthy development. Researchers say that the frontal cortex, which is responsible for controlling emotions and problem-solving, is activated during playtime. The experience of playing forces the brain to make those neurotransmitter connections that are critical to a child’s development. Imaginative play and child development go hand in hand.
Through ‘just playing’ children are running, jumping, climbing, squatting, and rolling – using their bodies is then a form of fun and informal exercise. For children with special needs, outdoor play is especially critical in core muscle development, small motor skill refinement, and increasing coordination. Children need to navigate obstacles, maintain appropriate space around other children, and use their strength to throw, catch and manipulate objects. So when a child is asked to “go and play outside”, they are not just outside they are promoting healthy brain development as well as a workout.
In addition to this, there is growing evidence showing that:
- children learn more and behave better when lessons are conducted outdoors
- symptoms of children diagnosed with ADHD improve when they are exposed to nature
- children say their happiness depends more on having things to do outdoors more than owning technology. Yet British parents feel more pressure to provide gadgets for their children than in other European countries
Timotay believes that…
- It’s empowering, stimulating, and essential for both teachers and students to teach and learn in an outdoor classroom.
- We need to be playful again. Reconnect with nature, spend time outside, climb trees, laugh and embrace and encourage the inner child within all of us.
- Children need to learn how to become stewards of our environment and do so while connecting with their community, their elders, and their peers.
- It’s all about planting those early “seeds of inspiration.”
At Timotay we are proud to have promoted this for 30 years and how spending time in nature and getting them outdoors daily. We have a number of solutions that range from wooden playground equipment, that you can purchase online to fully managed playground design and construction service, examples can be found here. All of our playground equipment has a play value and learning outcome and is handcrafted by our skilled wood craftsmen using approved sustainable timber. We will only use the finest quality timber for the longevity and safety of your equipment by managing the entire process.
