Delano, Minn. — Landscape Structures, a Delano, Minn.-based commercial playground manufacturer, has announced the introduction of Play Naturally, a playground solution that will encourage children and families to get outdoors and interact with their environment.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in every five children is obese. This trend is contributing to disturbing increases in childhood cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, and makes it more likely that these children will struggle with obesity as adults. Many experts, including Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, contend that obesity and inactivity are partly attributable to “nature deficit disorder”—a pervasive lack of experience in the outdoors. Landscape Structures believes that one answer to this condition is to draw kids outdoors where higher levels of play activity will lead to greater physical, emotional and social wellbeing.
As part of the Play Naturally solution, Landscape Structures introduced several nature-inspired playstructures that blend the beauty of nature with the safety, age-appropriateness and durability found in manufactured equipment. Two new products, the Tree House and AdventureScapes, offer the look and feel of real bark and rock, and encourage more creative, imaginative play and improved health.
“Countless studies have indicated that outdoor play is becoming a thing of the past, and that this is profoundly impacting the health of our children,” Steve King, cofounder and chairman of Landscape Structures and a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, said. “We believe we have an obligation to turn this trend around, and that our Play Naturally solution will attract more children outdoors and keep them playing longer. The new nature-inspired products will encourage children to enjoy self-directed, free play in the outdoors—the way kids are supposed to play.”
Landscape Structures’ nature-inspired products are designed to encourage children to get off the couch and into the outdoors to appreciate the natural world around them. The Tree House playstructure looks kid-engineered, and offers hours of imaginative and creative play. Molds were taken from real trees to give the Discovery Tree Climb, Log Steppers and Tree Stump Transfer Module, constructed of Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC), the look and feel of real tree bark. Kids will discover hidden forest friends such as a squirrel and raccoon around the tree, as well as a disguised Talk Tube and an Age-Ring Tracing Panel. And the 100 percent post-consumer recycled planks with wood-grained texture featured throughout the Tree House highlight the built-by-kids theme.
To enhance the challenge of its Natural Climbers, Landscape Structures attached strong
Corocord climbing cables to create AdventureScapes. Available as a freestanding component or as a connection to a playstructure, the GFRC-constructed climbers help kids build upper-body and core strength. Playground planners can choose from nine AdventureScapes configurations involving two, three or four Natural Climbers, each one linked with unique, durable climbing cables.
In addition to the new products, King has also worked with the Landscape Structures team of inhouse playground designers to create planning ideas for play environments that incorporate natural elements. These include making good use of the natural topography of the landscape, including existing trees to provide shade, planting native species in gardens to attract butterflies and birds, and incorporating signage that details the natural history of the park and landscape.
“We believe that the optimal play environment is a blend of natural elements and manufactured play equipment, providing complete mind and body exercise,” said King.
To learn more about the Play Naturally solution and how to create nature-inspired play
environments, visit playlsi.com/play-naturally or call (888) 4FUNLSI.
