"We must teach our children to smell the earth, taste the rain, touch the wind, see things grow,
hear the sun rise and night fall - to care"
- John Cleal
poet & painter
“GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY”- how often do we still hear this phrase nowadays? Or is it more of- “Thomas, put the iPad down right now and eat your lunch!” Do you still remember the times when you were young, wild and free; running around with friends for an exciting game of Tag? Funny how times have changed in terms of technological advancement, yet with time, our children have simply…stopped playing.
In the past, when playgrounds were first conceptualized, it was meant to be a solution to mitigate social isolation and to encourage communities to mingle. Just like how green parks are set around urban cities to help its people gain balance and perspective amidst the hustle and bustle, playgrounds were set up for children with the same purpose.
Ironically many centuries later, the world has inevitably evolved to become more structured, cautious even and less care-free. It may not seem obvious at first but such a world may also be detrimental to the free space of creativity, imagination and ultimately- the balance of the body, mind and soul. Yes, even for children.
Multiple international studies have repeatedly shown how ‘play’; especially Nature Play benefits children in more ways than one as active outdoor play promotes the utilization of motor, cognitive, emotional, communications and social skills versus indoor play. Such developments further acts as natural stimulants to strengthen the children’s physical and mental forms where soft skills like critical-thinking, team work, leadership and problem-solving are shaped from young for the later years.
At Walker Nature Play, we believe that children should be allowed a safe environment to explore and enhance their curiosity, wonder and discovery of the nature around them. As our founder Freddie grew up surrounded by the jungle and plantation settings where ‘play’ meant hanging out with friends outdoors; cycling, jumping or climbing, it is his lifetime mission to continue imparting the love for nature to the younger generation and to advocate on PLAY, in NATURE.
We are inspired to create nature playscapes which emulates the natural world as much as possible with the use of raw and organic materials. We want to invite children to be spontaneous, take risks, engage in open-ended interactions and connections with nature, and their friends. With more than 10 years of experience in building playgrounds, our passion lies in curating spaces for children to learn via hands-on learning i.e. climbing on natural material structures, doing simple gardening tasks, collecting rocks and leaves, be in awe with the birds in the trees and to draw what they see. Ultimately- to stimulate their five senses and more.
Technology may have changed the way children play and with that, we now know that they simply do not play enough. Now the question is- are you ready to make a change? (With playgrounds that makes a difference?)
"At the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair should be messy and your eyes sparkling"
- Shanti
