How To Engage Children In Designing Your School’s Playground Space

Many of our customers are individuals who have been delegated the task of creating or updating a play space but do not know where to begin. So we would advise you to design the space yourself by involving your students. Head teachers, councils and funding groups across the UK have expressed a need to find a way to get their students/pupils involved in planning and choosing equipment for their new playgrounds. The Hideout House Company has therefore taken these requests and created a programme that not only allows the children to easily get involved but also to incorporate it into the curriculum of maths, ICT and design.

Step One
Have the students head outside with tape measures and grid line paper to measure and draw the space available for the new playground. Ideal locations are flat and have few barriers such as trees or buildings

Step Two
Have the students sit down in a group and brainstorm items such as what ages will be using the playground? How many children on average are using the play space at any given time? Are there needs on the playground such as shelter from the sun and rain, a place to exercise, a place for creative role play or even just a space to sit and socialise? And is the playground in a location where it is accessible when the school is closed to the local community or is it secured and locked up?

Step Three
Reveal and discuss the budget with the students allowing them to understand the costs of this new playground. This will in turn give them a sense of pride and responsibility to take care of the new play equipment.

Step Four
In your ICT room allow the students to enter in all the information they have gathered starting with the dimensions of the space and the budget

Step Five
Scroll through the products available and this includes everything from climbing towers, fitness trails, outdoor classrooms and shelters etc

Step Six
As they price the items on the playground they will see their budget and remaining budget totals so they will know if they have gone over the budget allowance.

Step Seven
Once they are happy with their space and they have remained within their budget, they can now send this document to us and we will in turn convert it into a playground plan and visual showing the products the children have chosen

Step Eight
Find a spot in your school to post the designs once they have been sent to you and let the students vote on their favourites!

We will come out free of charge and do an official site visit to survey the area, the space and the equipment to verify that the design is accurate and to give you a confirmed quote.

For further information on our range of playground equipment, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01832 275902 or email: info@hideouthouse.com