The Little Roo’s Playground builds on a short story created by the Whitfield State School teachers to assist children transition from preschool into prep. The narrative is brought to life with the creation of a series of play experiences featuring little Roo’s new friends, each character based on animals found in North Queensland. The outcome functions beyond the basic purpose of a playground, providing prompts for lessons on the natural environment, relationships, resilience and fostering environmental stewardship in later life.

The space itself is a beautifully crafted set of natural play structures which incorporate sensory and tactile experiences. Connected through the storytelling, independent play assists the process of education through the child’s experience and imagination. This project provides inspiration for others to consider celebrating their own stories and values through the development of bespoke play space.

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Nature Play in Practice

For most adults, childhood memories of roaming the neighborhood, climbing trees, building cubbies and swimming at the local creek, are recalled with the freedom of a time when society was not as risk averse as it is today. Nature Play is the notion that natural play spaces offer the best opportunities for today’s children to experience the kind of free play outdoors that is seldom on offer.

The philosophy was to create a multi-sensory play experience free from the uniformity and regularity of standard "off the shelf" play equipment, providing children with a myriad of directions to take their play experience. Nature play is not a new concept, but in Queensland there are very few practical examples of the idea being implemented. This presentation tells the story, using practical examples, of how nature play is being implemented in North Queensland.

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