Many of our customers are individuals who have been delegated the task of creating or updating a space with school playground equipment but do not know where to begin. But we are here to help you every step of the way!

Our comprehensive product range takes in traditional outdoor play equipment – either manufactured out of traditional timber or more frequently these days from recycled plastic play equipment as it has numerous benefits over other materials – outdoor classrooms, eco classrooms, outdoor shelters and canopies, school classroom buildings and nature play areas. We don’t particularly like selling off a “catalogue page” with a pre-determined packaged product as a lot of the work we undertake is on a bespoke basis where we work with the school and the children on designing unique and creative play areas based on their and our own ideas and concepts. We like to be original you see!

For example, we are currently researching the idea of having a Food Education Classroom Building – where children can grow their own food on site, prepare it, cook it themselves and then either sell it on or consume themselves. This is a far better way of teaching children about food education, where it comes from, how to eat food which is good for you etc rather than downloading some resource which simply tells them.

School playground equipment is also an area where we can potentially help with funding and we have worked very successfully in the past with both schools and their PTAs on how to raise the necessary funds to pay for our equipment. This includes grant funding, crowdfunding, hosting novel events, corporate sponsorship and other revenue generating activities.

Eco Plastic and Recycled Material Playground Equipment

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I went on a site visit this week to see a school who were interested in replacing their trim trail play equipment on their playground as it had been deemed unsafe to use and was beginning to rot and splinter quite badly (especially around the posts where it is dug into the ground). The school wanted to replace it like for like with some new timber trim trail items so I began to explain that the best way of doing this was not to use timber again but to use recycled plastic instead which does not rot or decay, lasts ten times longer than timber and is very environmentally friendly because it is manufactured out of recycled plastic cartons. She said however that she didn’t think the school would like this because they are an accredited Eco Schools and that plastic is harmful to the environment and is non-biodegradable.

I realised that I have a bit of informing to do with schools regarding this range in order to emphasise how our recycled plastic play equipment actively contributes to sustainability and environmental responsibility.

  1. Explanation of the recycling process

The informational video below shows how waste plastic is transformed into durable play equipment. This will help convey the positive environmental impact it has.

Compare The Environmental Impacts: It is important to remember that recycled plastic:

  • Diverts waste from landfills and oceans. Each piece of our equipment saves many kg of waste plastic from landfills making them part of the solution rather than the problem.
  • Requires less energy and resources than producing virgin plastic or wood alternatives.
  • Has a longer lifespan, reducing the need for replacements.
  • At the end of its lifespan, recycled plastic can actually be recycled again, so the recycling loop is maintained for many years to come
  • The educational value, our products can be used as tools to teach children about recycling and sustainability

 How  recycled plastic equipment outperforms traditional materials:

  • Weather-resistant: Lasts longer than wood, thereby reducing waste.
  • Non-toxic: It is totally safe for children and doesn’t leach harmful chemicals.
  • Maintenance-free: Saves money and resources.

Interactive Lesson Plan

We have put together a lesson plan for your school which involves children finding out facts about the environment and the whole recycling process and how then these facts all relate back to our products. This can be seen by clicking on the link below.

We now have many schools who have made the transition from using traditional timber materials to recycled plastic and have some case studies we can share with you.

For more information on this range, please visit the dedicated website on our recycled plastic product range

School Lesson Plan In Recycling

School Case Study For Replacing Wooden Trim Trail With Recycled Plastic Play Equipment

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This is a case study for a particular school in Staffordshire but it is now happening time and time again.

It goes a bit like this – we get an initial call from a school who are looking to either replace or repair some items on their trim trail play equipment. Or in many cases, the play equipment has been condemned or has been signed off as being unfit for use by a play equipment inspector. We get some photos sent over which usually shows round post timber trim trail in a pretty bad state as it is either rotting or is very cracked.

This particular school sent us the photos below for reference

To be honest, you are throwing good money after bad if you are trying to repair it and if you replace it with a brand new piece of timber play equipment, you are going to have the same problem a few years on down the road.

So what is the solution?

Simple – have trim trail play equipment in recycled plastic instead. It will not rot, it lasts at least five times longer than timber, it doesn’t splinter or crack, it is very eco friendly as it is utilising recycled plastic goods (made out of recycled milk containers) and requires minimal on-going maintenance. Convinced yet?

For this particular school, we have therefore now replaced the whole front line in new recycled plastic play equipment – the timber back line will be completed next year when funds allow.

If your school playground could do with a trim trail make-over, please call us on 01832 275902 or email info@hideouthouse.com

 

The World Of Recycled Plastic For School Playgrounds

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We pioneered using this material a few years ago but we have found of late that it is really building momentum as a lot of schools are now beginning to see the benefits of using this material over timber.

Lasts 5 times longer than timber  *   Maintenance free  * Doesn’t rot, corrode or splinter   *   Is very eco friendly and sustainable as made out of recycled plastic materials   * Hard to vandalise *UV resistant

And it can be used in a lot of products which typically feature on a school playground. We have therefore given below a selection of some we have recently supplied to schools.

If you would like some further information on our recycled plastic play equipment range, please contact us on 01832 275902 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

Single play tower in recycled plastic

Low level trim trail

Larger mud kitchens

Multi tower play system

Trim trail low level

Creative Ideas for Your Forest School Or School Playground

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We have created an imaginative product for forest schools (or school playgrounds for that matter) and that is the Gateway to the Enchanted Forest…or perhaps we should say the gateway to children’s imaginations.

It features a large Hobbit style double leaf round door  – one side of which has a viewing hatch which children can open and look through to see who is on the other side. It also features a gateway sign (a school can have the standard writing panel or one of their own) and a bell which the children can ring.

After that, it is up to their imaginations as they enter a world of their own making!

This product is installed into the ground so it is rigid and secure and we offer a full delivery and installation service.

There are also a choice of colours for the door as well.

In forest school setting

 

Recycled Plastic Is The Future of School Playground Equipment

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recycled plastic play equipment

I used to have a company called Timberline which manufactured a whole range of play equipment and outdoor classrooms for schools in the UK and as the name of the organisation would suggest, everything we produced was made out of timber. That was a few years ago now.

Then recently on my many visits to see schools up and down the country, I began to notice in the playground that a lot of picnic tables/BBQ tables were no longer made out of timber (as we used to supply them) but out of recycled plastic instead. Some I saw were even in bright primary colours to add a bit more creativity to them.

I happened to be on a trip to Germany seeing a potential distributor over there who took me round a few schools and kindergartens and again I noticed that in every school I went to in that area of Germany they had playground equipment also manufactured out of recycled plastic. I managed to track down the German company who manufactured ad supplied this and after undertaking some due diligence found out that this company’s turnover had increased seven times over a period of just three years! Seven times. And for love nor money could you find a product in their range made of out timber – not even a component.

And that is why we have just developed a new range of trim trail school playground equipment made of out the same material as that afore-mentioned German company. And do you want to know why this is the future? This material has so many additional benefits over and above timber such as it doesn’t rot or decay, it is made from recycled plastic bottles (so instead of filling up landfill and the world’s oceans with this wretched stuff we get to use it in a more positive way and help the environment along the way – pat yourself on the back for that one Eco Schools), it lasts about 10 times longer than timber so some real savings here for a school, children cannot get splinters off it, it is a lot harder to vandalise than timber, you can easily dig the posts into the ground without any fear of eventual rot setting in below the surface and it doesn’t degrade or discolour with UV light.

For further information on this range, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01832 275902, email info@hideouthouse.com or visit the website www.hideouthouse.com

recycled plastic play equipment

Package F

Why You Should Buy Trim Trail Play Equipment Made Out Of Recycled Plastic

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There are so many times that I have visited schools and seen picnic tables made out of recycled plastic sitting on the school playground. Not just one but typically quite a few of them. You then ask the school staff why they purchased them and the response is always the same – they simply just last a lot longer than the traditional timber ones, they will never rot or degrade and more importantly they don’t require any on-going maintenance.

And in the same vein, there are the same amount of schools I visit where I see trim trail playground equipment covered in out-of-bounds hazard tape as per below.

And when you ask why this is, again the answer is pretty standard. The play equipment is no longer safe because it is starting to rot or the rounded timber has cracked so badly that the children are getting loads of splinters or are putting their fingers into the gaps. So it falls upon the site manager to constantly maintain it or as in a lot of cases, the trim trail equipment is simply condemned because it is beyond repair or is simply uneconomic to do so.

So I got to thinking that if you consider the above, why not therefore manufacture and sell trim trail recycled plastic play equipment made out this wonderful material? It has so many benefits by doing so and these are some of them:

  • It requires very little or nil maintenance as recycled plastic does not rot, corrode or decay
  • It does not splinter or have “shakes” like traditional timber does when it naturally dries out
  • It is very hard to vandalise (less flammable than timber) and graffiti and is resistant to algae and insects
  • It is hard wearing and durable – you can expect a lifetime five times than that of timber
  • UV resistant and available in different colours
  • It is eco friendly as it manufactured 100% out of recycled plastic bottles

But of course, it is a little bit more expensive than traditional timber but if you factor in the above benefits, it actually represents very good value for money especially when you consider its extended lifespan and reduced (none) on-going maintenance costs.

Our recycled plastic trim trail play equipment range incorporates stepping stones, log weavers, balance beams, net climbers, wobbly log bridges, A frame climbers and chin up bars.

For further information, please call the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

www.hideouthouse.com

Nature Play Area at Buckminster Primary School

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Nature play area

Nature play area

This school near Grantham had an existing play area by their pre-school facility which they wanted us to replace and to update as a nature and freeflow creative play area. We jumped at the brief and the challenge!

The project was recently completed and has included the following:

Nature garden – this includes hardwood play chips, messy soil dig pit with timber edging, mud kitchen and low level messy table, living wall tipi den (where you can grow climbing plants up each side) and growing beds

Materials Dig Pit – this includes timber sleepers, a gravel mix, an outdoor camp fire with rustic seating benches and two pulleys

Camp Corner – a self creation play den with a camouflage net and artificial play grass.

The new nature play area for schools has already been extensively used by the school and there are plans afoot to go to Phase 2 of this playground development when more funds are available.

For further information please contact the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

Seating and fire pit area

Seating and fire pit area

 

Nature Play Environments in Schools

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Forest Schools

The average child spends over 2,000 hours in a school playground so nature play equipment incorporates a number of elements that enable play spaces to blend in with their natural surroundings.

Sadly wild and natural outdoor spaces can be a rare sight in urban settings or environments and sometimes children can be totally unfamiliar with a natural garden space and the plethora of animals that can be found within it. So nature play areas create an opportunity within school settings to learn all about wildlife, conservation and how to grow things whilst all the time letting their natural imaginations and creativity to run riot – not to mention getting their hands dirty!

Our nature playgrounds include dens, dipping ponds, wildlife meadows, woodland seating, mini beast exploration, outdoor classrooms and shelters, treehouses, nature hides, fire pits and CCTV bird boxes. And nature play areas usually provide a cheaper alternative to traditional playgrounds and there are various nationwide UK grants available which support them.

For further details on how we can transform your nature playground, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

www.hideouthouse.com

with water butt and roof guttering system

with water butt and roof guttering system

How To Choose Which Outdoor Shelter You Need For Your School

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shelter 4m square

shelter 4m square

The first question to ask your self is what do you actually need this outdoor shelter to do? i.e. is it just for protecting the children against the elements of the British climate or do you want to be able to use it for outdoor learning and to double up as an outdoor classroom too?

If it is the former, then you simply need to provide for a shade canopy that is going to give you maximum coverage (never quite sure whether the sail shades actually do in this instance because of their triangular shape). The size of your outdoor shelter of course will be determined by the area you are wanting to cover and the amount of children out in the playground at any one given time. And your budget of course. The outdoor shelter at this option stage can literally be four posts and a roof made out of canvas or other materials such as cedar shingle tiles, close board timber and even living sedum if you really want to get down dirty and eco! You can even print your logo or the name of a sponsor onto canvas material.

Or if you wanted to extend its application further out to creating an outdoor learning environment, then you can start to add in all sort of extras and options – namely timber decking floors, roll-down side panels, trellis panels, opening and closing louvre panels, benching, planters, guttering and water butt systems, renewable energy systems etc

And at this stage, outdoor shelters can come in all different shapes and sizes including octagonal, square and rectangular.

And of course, we at the Hideout House Company have an extensive range of all of the above…and we might be able to help you access funding too.

Please visit Outdoor Shelters

For further information, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

outdoor classroom with seating area

outdoor classroom with seating area

 

 

 

 

Why You Should Buy School Playground Equipment Made From Recycled Plastic

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If you are looking to replace your existing school playground equipment or indeed are looking to purchase some additional items, then we would advise you to strongly consider buying it out of recycled plastic as opposed to traditional timber. I was at a school just last week who are wanting to replace some existing adventure trim trail items because they have split very badly and when the site manager tried to move them found out that they were rotten to the core below ground level. And this is equipment which was only installed less than five years ago!

Nowadays you will probably see in school playgrounds a lot of outdoor picnic tables made from recycled plastic and there are some very good reasons why. We love selling it because it is of course very eco friendly due to the fact that it is made out of 100% recycled materials – mainly plastic bottles. But aside from saving the planet, these are the other principal benefits of recycled plastic play equipment:

Maintenance free as it doesn’t ever rot, corrode or splinter like traditional timber

Crack proof and does not have “shakes” (like traditional timber)

Eco friendly as it is made out of recycled plastic bottles and is fully recyclable at the end of its use

UV resistant with little colour loss due to direct sunlight

Resistant to graffiti, insects and algae

Less flammable than traditional timber and resistant to most chemicals

Hard wearing and exceptionally durable – typically lasting five times longer than timber and does not degrade with age

With budgets tighter than ever, schools have to ensure that they are getting value for money but a quality product too which is going to last. That is why we strongly believe that in the non too distant future school playground equipment made out of recycled plastic will be the standard specification.

For further details, please visit

The Hideout House Company

www.hideouthouse.com

Recyled plastic Trim trail

Recyled plastic Trim trail