Young children are at their happiest when they’re engaging in messy play without a care in the world. Giving children free rein to be creative can certainly be chaotic business, but it’s the best way to encourage independent learning. Messy play involves all things squishy and squelchy – think mud, sand, paint, dough, glitter, water and goo. A lot of these vital learning experiences are far too messy for anywhere with walls, meaning they can only be done outside in the garden. Now that summer’s here, you can finally embrace activities that you’ve said “no” to all year. Since you’re outdoors, there will be minimum clean-up and children are free to throw themselves into the joy of messy play.

  1. Sprinkle paint guns

Water guns plus brightly coloured paint adds up to a lot of fun for little ones. You can use a drawing board, an old wooden plank, or perhaps old garage doors walls for this activity. Your child will experience incomparable excitement, and at the same time, possibly produce an extraordinary piece of artwork.

  1. Glow-in-the-dark chalks

Why not make some glow-in-the-dark chalk pieces for an incredible night of drawing under the stars? Creating these eye-catching pieces of chalk can get quite messy, but it will certainly be worth it. The ingredients that you’ll need are plaster of Paris, fluorescent paint, warm water and ice cube trays. You’ll get some fabulous results.

  1. Water balloon paint party

The highest level of fun is guaranteed with paint-filled water balloons. Provide white t-shirts for everyone taking part in the activity and then measure who is the most paint-covered at the end of the game. Be sure that you’re using non-toxic paint to avoid any serious harm or allergic reactions.

  1. Painting and printing on the water table

For this extra messy play activity, you only need a sand and water unit or any kind of plastic table you don’t use and a lot of brightly coloured paint. Simply squeeze a few different paint colours on to the table top and then let your little Picassos use their hands to create some fantastic patterns and prints.

  1. Rainbow bubble wrap tree

Just imagine your children’s reactions when you ask them “who wants to paint a tree?”. Simply sellotape a wad of bubble wrap around the base of a tree in your garden and then beckon your children to decorate the bubble-wrapped area with their hands, paint brushes and paints. This is a great idea for anyone who’s interested in combining sensory play with nature and art. Parents might even be tempted to join in with the fun too.

  1. Ice play

On a hot day, it’s great fun to cool down with ice. When not turn this into a fun garden activity for your children by adding water, different food colourings and a few plastic toys in to different containers, before freezing them and bringing them out during long, sunny days. Young children and toddlers will be intrigued to learn about the properties of ice and water.

  1. Glittering pathway

One more way to boost your children’s creativity and imagination is the glittering pavement. To make some rainbow glitter paint for your children, you’ll need corn flour, water, gel colours and plenty of glitter. Let your children express themselves in making your backyard pavement slabs more sparkling and amusing.

  1. Edible sensory play

Make snack time fun for your toddler by bringing it outside on a picnic blanket and doing the blindfolded taste challenge. Give your children a piece of food to try while their eyes are covered and have them guess what it is. Encouraging them to explain what they taste and their reasoning is a great way to encourage language development as they’ll be prompted to broaden their vocabulary.

 

Here at Garden Play, we believe that play should be exciting and innovative, which is why we’re always looking for new ways to engage young minds. We hope you have fun trying out these messy play ideas in the garden. Your children will be guaranteed to have the time of their lives, showing little regard to the paint on their faces or grass stains on their trousers. Just remember the wet wipes for afterwards!

The pre-teen years are the most active years in the lives of many children. It is during this time that their activity and energy levels are very high. As such, it is important to find ways to keep them positively engaged in some physical activity. In Britain, obesity in children is becoming a worrying trend, one mainly attributed to the type of diet and how physically active they are. Below are some important ways to keep your child active:

Look for Fun Outdoor Activities

As a parent, you can find fun activities that do not necessarily include a set sport. In the formative years, you have tremendous influence over your children. Therefore, encourage the value of exercise to them. Some of the activities may include ice skating and bowling, which are moderately active and very fun. Such activities will keep your pre-teen physically occupied, as opposed to passive activities like playing video games or watching TV.

Incorporate Physical Activity into Family Outings

Whenever you are planning for an outing, include activities with exercise. Ensure that all the family members can participate; it promotes activity values in your pre-teen, as well as social development. In your next weekend plan, include swimming, walks in the park or even a treasure hunt, having fun while burning some calories.

Engage their Friends

The advantage of knowing the friends of your children is that you will get to know some of the activities that their friendship circle enjoy in school, as well as some of the clubs they participate in. You can use this information to know which fun activities to incorporate into play time. You also learn about their interests instead of just imposing activities that they may not like, especially when friends come round to play.

Don’t be Overly Cautious

One of the mistakes some parents make is to be overly-cautious and controlling of their kids, especially when they (the parents) are not around. Of course, you should always be concerned about your child’s safety, but it can be helpful to allow them a level of measured risks so that they can grow in confidence as they try new things.

Consider Gym Ideas

You can consider some gym ideas as a means of encouraging your pre-teen to exercise. Research has shown that children, particularly at this stage, learn a lot more by watching and imitating parents and other older people, than by listening and following their instructions. Encouraging your teen to be more active and exercise through your own examples of being active, maybe with a home fitness DVD, swimming or active play in the garden.

Vary the Activities

At this stage of their development, kids are often distracted and bored by one activity. Therefore, instead of having a rigid and singular task, you can try to introduce new activities or at least try to vary the activities to maintain the attention of your child. If you are a member of a sports club or leisure centre, you could encourage them to choose from the variety of activities in the club and enjoy a range of different opportunities.

As mentioned, the pre-teen stage is demanding in a variety of ways for a parent. We understand that well here at Garden Play, but it’s important not to let your children’s physical activity drop in this period, both for their physical health and there learning. We hope these ideas have been helpful in allowing you to support your children in their physical activity.

 

Most children need little encouragement to get messy, especially when it comes to their food, but while your parents might have warned you never to play with your food, from a sensory play perspective, it could be exactly what was needed. Sensory play is a great encounter for children of all ages. As a child grows and reviews the globe around them, their innate curiosity is bound to make a mess.

In the right context, allowing them to get messy with sensory play offers a range of benefits. As well as helping them to learn, it may help children who are fussy or nervous eaters to become more confident with eating a range of food types. Engaging them in some food-based sensory play may be what assists them to enlarge their menu.

Food-formed sensory play is a great way to support a child to build both their fine motor and cognitive skills. Any food – mostly food which is noisy, messy, slimy, or gooey – is a great medium for allowing a child to explore. Below are few ideas to assist you to get started on your food-based sensory adventure.

Cornflour Gloop

Do you recall playing with cornflour gloop in your primary school science classes? Cornflour has an amazing skill to move between solid and almost liquid, depending on how it is handled. While this isn’t really one for full-on edible play – cornflour isn’t the tastiest on its own – playing with it can be a great encounter for kids of all ages.

All you require to do is put the single cup of cornflour in the bowl with half the cup of water. Allow your toddler blend it with their hands or spoon – as the mix come together it turns hard when it is combined, returning to the more liquid shape when it is left to sink. Adding dots of food colouring brings in an extra level of excitement, making for a more visual encounter.

Cracker Barrel

Using a handful of dried ingredients, such as small cookies, cereal, sultanas and/or crackers, can make a child more confident with their food. They could sort the elements into different pots, arrange them into their different varieties, count the numbers of each, or hear what sound crispy food makes when it is crushed with a rolling pin.

Blind Tasting

This is a fun task for adults and children alike, as long as you trust the person feeding you! Help to make the ideas of trying new foods at meal time more enjoyable, with a round of blind tasting for your child. Simply organise a few foods into bowls and ask your child to wear a blindfold ready for the guessing game.

If they feel ok to do this, then when you are both ready, let them examine the food on their plate with their fingers, to lean in and smell it, to hear how it might sound when the tub is shaken. This engages them to enlist various senses as well as their imagination. Finally, encourage them to taste the food item and tell you what they believe the food is. If a child is not confident to blind taste food, do not force the matter – they can watch you or, or other kids, take part.

Hopefully these ideas have given you a starting point for some food-based sensory play tasks; we’re always looking for new and fun ways that Garden Play can help children to learn through play. Have fun trying!

 

For most modern families, sparing time out of our daily routines to exercise regularly can be a big challenge. However, turning exercise into a family venture can bring the fun back into fitness and provide vital bonding opportunities too. With current health reports, family exercise is as important now as ever, here are eight fun ideas from Garden Play to help make exercise a priority and get the whole family fit.

  1. Make use of your garden

Spruce up your garden and turn it into somewhere where your children will want to spend more of their time playing. Encouraging outdoor play is the best way to get your children to exercise without them even knowing it. Set aside about 30 minutes three times a week to do fun games and exercises with your kids. Make it part of the family’s routine after school or after dinner. Young kids love to get their parents involved in games such as football or hide and seek in the garden.

  1. Go on pre or post-dinner walks

Depending on where you live, try and find a good walking route around your neighbourhood. You should also make an effort to walk to the shops, your child’s school, the library or to sports events. Other activities such as rollerblading, cycling or scooters are great for getting older children involved too.

  1. Have a weekly sports night

Get everyone up and moving one day a week. This could involve something as simple as a few quick rounds of Wii Fit or Just Dance; anything to divert children from sitting down and get them up and active.

  1. Turn household cleaning into a game

A thorough household clean-out can leave you feeling like you’ve just done a workout! Invite all family members to team up and take part in a cleaning project to make your load a lot easier. There are a number of ways that you can make the activities fun, such as guessing games and conjuring up stories. Window washing and rearranging furniture are among the best chores to work your muscles.

  1. Team up in gardening work

Kids have a great passion for digging up dirt, so let them turn over the soil as you plant new bulbs. You will be providing them with a fun new hobby as well as easing your work load.

  1. Walk a puppy or Dog.

New research from North American Association on the Study of Obesity has shown that dog owners have more fun losing weight and are able to keep it off for longer compared to non-pup owners. Therefore, finding a four-legged friend will not only provide your family with lots of fun but also keep you fit.

  1. Sneak workouts into other activities

Encourage toddlers to walk rather than riding a bike to the supermarket, or take the stairs rather than an elevator whenever possible. If your child’s school is very far, then why not drive half way there, park up and walk the rest of the way. It will keep you fit and you’ll save money on your fuel bills.

  1. Explore the healthy eating habits

Proper nutrition is essential for the growth and development of children. You should opt for recipes that are healthy and appealing. Instead of buying ready-made foods, families should participate in preparing healthier homemade meals together. Get kids involved in cooking and planning meals and enjoying dinner together will ensure a quality time with your family and they’ll be more likely to try new dishes.

 

With a few lifestyle changes, you’ll notice a huge difference and you’ll find that your children are less inclined to spending all of their time watching television and video games. Here at Garden Play, there’s nothing we love more than seeing families enjoying the wonder of the outdoors together. We hope that these tips have proven helpful in inspiring your children to be more active.

There are few more fun things to do with children in summer than to indulge in some water play, whether at the beach, the park or your own garden. Here at Garden Play, we love fun and games as much as anyone, so we put together some easy water play ideas that will keep children entertained, engaged and learning, hopefully for hours. Whether it’s a little bucket of water to keep a toddler happily splashing for hours, or a more organised game for older children, there’s plenty of options. Easy, inexpensive, and fun, these great water exercises are guaranteed to keep your children laughing and learning in the garden this summer!

Window Foam Art

This will keep really little ones entertained and cool for a long period this, with toddlers loving when the baby care window foam art is set up for them to play with. Toddlers who like making things and playing with water will adore this fun and simple outdoor art exercise. You can make window art with foam water and shapes. It’s easy to set up, mess free, and a great way to amuse children at home on a hot summer day.

Ice Age Bin

This one combines an exciting activity with a learning tool, and begins by freezing items into a bin or bucket of water, so that they become encased in ice. For a child, melting the ice with warm water and/or salt is an engaging learning exercise. There are loads of options with how you could go about it, with the potential to catalogue each item that you find and keep a journal of what came out of the ‘Ice Age’ bin this time. You can keep children busy for hours excavating frozen valuables out of the block of ice. It is one of the most fun science exercises out there.

Garden Soup

Another fun water-based sensory exercise for children to do in the garden is this exercise, which is effectively allowing them to examine their backyard and pick items to make interesting concoctions. It can be a messy one, so make sure that you have a dedicated bucket or washing up bowl that you can set aside for this, and that the young ones know which items they can and can’t add to the ‘Garden Soup’ as you don’t want your prize roses ending up as an ingredient!

Colour Laboratory

The colour laboratory is one of our best-loved garden science exercises. Similar to the Garden Soup in that involves letting them mix in different items, this one is more focused on colour blending and can involve items from the kitchen, bathroom and/or garden. Children can be little scientists, blending potions and colours in the garden on a warm summer day. Raid your kitchen cupboards and bathroom for some colourful solids and liquids, as well as using old containers to play with; pump bottles, squeeze bottles, whisks, spray bottles, and Ice cube dishes are all good for observing the transformation in watercolour.

Deep Blue Sea Activity Bin

The deep blue sea bin is an exciting small sphere activity to set up for your children if you are studying an underwater theme or ocean theme, make a below-the-sea small sphere with a tub or bin of water with a range of items with an underwater feel.

We hope these few ideas have given you some ideas for how to make the most of water play, but here at Garden Play, we’re also well aware that sometimes, all you need is to grab a water pistol and a bucket and you’re all set!

Now that summer’s here, it’s the perfect time to head out to the garden, soak up some warm rays and enjoy the company of our family and friends. For anyone planning a garden party for a child’s birthday this summer, or even a backyard BBQ with family, friends and neighbours, we’ve got your entertainment sorted. Garden Play have compiled a list of must-try outdoor party game ideas that are guaranteed to leave your guests in heaps of giggles. From lively competitions to exciting takes on classic party games, here are the garden games and activities you’ll want to use:

Classic relay contests

Everyone remembers the thrill and anticipation of taking part in relay races as a kid. Rather than just running, there are plenty of wacky twists such as sack races and the classic egg and spoon race. For an added challenge and even more hilarity for those watching, throw in a hula hoop section of the race.

Rainbow relay race

Split the group in to two teams and provide everyone with a paintbrush dipped in a different colour of the rainbow. Instruct the participants to take turns running across the garden to a piece of large poster board where they will swipe their colour in a rainbow arc. The winning team is the first one to complete a rainbow in correct colour order.

Treasure hunt

Leave clues dotted around your garden and create an outdoor treasure hunt. Your party guests can split off in to teams and work together to find and work out the next clue. The first group that discovers the treasure wins.

Musical courtyard seats

Turn up the music and bring out some flexible patio chairs. Who says that this classic party game can’t be done outdoors? For an added twist and more of a challenge, playing the game blindfolded can be a lot of fun. And since you’re outside, why not make it more fun for the older kids by squirting the loser of each round with a water pistol.

Limbo game

Limbo is another good old-fashioned party game that never gets old. You’ll need a long stick of rod which held in place by two parents. Then beckon each child to pass under the limbo stick, lowering it slightly each time. Whoever passes under the lowest limbo stick wins

Nerf combat

This is wild and fun outdoor game is perfect if you have a big garden. If you don’t, then why not play at a local park? To play, split your guests into groups and craft a safe zone for each side, where they can reload their darts before they start shooting one another. It may be difficult to determine who the winner of the game is, but it will be a lot of fun to watch.

Lawn twister

All you need for this game is a few cans of washable spray paint, a large enough area of grass to play and a group of friends. To set up your ‘board’ on the grass, simply take a large piece of card or cardboard and cut out a circle so that you can use it as a stencil. Then go ahead spraying the rows of red, blue green and yellow circles. You can make the board as big as you like and invite everyone to play.

Water balloon toss

This is a great game for cooling down during a heatwave. Fill up a water balloon so that the children can take turns tossing the balloon back and forth, moving further away from each other every time. The last team standing with an up-popped balloon wins that round.

So there you have it – a comprehensive guide to hosting the best garden party in the world! While each of the games will provide your guests with lots of fun, they’re not at all complicated and they’re accessible enough for all ages and ability ranges to get the hang of. Simple outdoor games and activities can provide children (and adults) with some of the most memorable experiences and remind us of the sheer joy that spending time outside brings during the summer season.

Children have always found sand play fascinating. Whether they’re running barefoot on the beach or experimenting with a sand and water unit in a friend’s garden, hours of entertainment are guaranteed. Sand play is one of the best forms of sensory play because it encourages creativity and hands-on learning, prompting children to explore the world around them. Here at Garden Play, we believe sand pits provide a vital learning experience for little ones. This summer, why not transform your child’s sandpit from ordinary to extraordinary and create a magical space that inspires imaginative play? With just a few basic materials, you can set up some really inviting areas and activities in your sandbox, making it a versatile area for lots of fun and learning. Here’s a few of our easy and inexpensive ideas.

  • Add seating and a workspace

There are many simple alterations that can be made using just a plank of wood. By placing a plank across the width of the sand box, you can create a divider or a workbench. This can be used for keeping buckets, spades and other tools on, driving toy cars along or building castles on – the possibilities are endless. If the plank is strong and secure enough then it can also be used as a seat for a toddler.

  • Ramps

Once you’ve fitted the main plank of wood, you could provide your children with a few shorter boards, which they can move around and use and ramps for their toy cars. Ramps are great toys for teaching children about basic scientific principles such as gravity.

  • Sand Wall

Another quick invention that will really fascinate young minds is a sand wall. Children pour sand into containers or funnels that have been attached to a fence or wall, and watch it filter down through the containers below. Simply nail a scrap piece of lattice to your playhouse or sandbox. Then, cut the bottoms off a few plastic bottles and containers of different shapes and sizes. You can attach them to the lattice with zip ties, florist wire or large twist ties and then your sand wall is ready for use!

  • Kitchen counter/oven

Children love to bring their plastic kitchen sets in to the sandpit with them. If you have an old bench or coffee table, then why not get creative and turn it in to an ‘oven’ for their games of house? Simply attach another shelf underneath so that children can use it for making ‘sand cakes’ and ‘mud pies’.

  • Easy toy storage

Make clean-up in the sandpit a lot easier by installing a mesh container in one corner to store buckets, spades and toy trucks at the end of the play session. Because of the mesh material, any loose sand will fall off the toys and through the gaps, back in to the sandpit. To store the rest of the sandbox toys, you could purchase some metal planters and nail the around the sides of the sandpit. Again, choose a design that allows sand, water and debris to drain from toys.

  • Introduce natural elements

When it comes to playground and sandbox toys, children prefer ‘the real thing’ over plastic items. Where you can, try to replace plastic sand toys with old wood, metal tin and enamel pieces from your home. Items such as wooden spoons and pots and pans are a lot more durable and aesthetically pleasing for children. Rocks, logs and stones are great for encouraging open-ended, imaginative play. You’ll be surprised by how resourcefully children can incorporate items such as conkers and pine cones in to their games too.

As you’ve seen, creating a sensory play space for children doesn’t have to be costly or complicated. These sandbox ideas are very easy to implement, and all you’ll need is a few charity shop purchases and repurposed items. We hope that these tips and tips will be useful in taking your sandbox to the next level. It won’t be long before you’ve created a fantastic space for your child to spend their summer in and show off to their friends.

Learning doesn’t always have to take place in a classroom. Outdoor play is the best way for children to learn about the world around them as they grow and develop. If you’re stuck for ideas to keep your toddler entertained this summer, then look now further. We’ve compiled a list of fun outdoor activities to burn off some of that excess energy and keep your pre-schoolers from bouncing off the walls. Each one offers numerous learning opportunities to children and will enable them to achieve developmental milestones day by day.

  • Chalk families

Chalk is very affordable and it can provide young children with hours of fun. Lay your toddler down on the concrete and draw around their body with a chalk outline. Then swap places and allow them to draw around your outline before filling in details such as a face, clothes, shoes and fingernails. Chunky styles of chalk are the best option for young children’s small hands to hold and draw with. It’s a good idea to include other family members too as this will help to teach the pre-schoolers about size and shape whilst developing their own self-awareness.

  • Ice play

Ice play is a delightful way to cool down during hot summer days. Fill several containers with water and add a few drops of food colouring to each one. You can add leaves, flowers or even plastic toys before placing them into the freezer. Playing with ice teaches children about basic scientific principles from an early age. They’ll be amazed as they witness water turning into a solid and then melting back to a liquid again. This is one of the most exciting forms of sensory play and it encourages dexterity for little hands.

  • Gardening

Gardening is a great way to bond with your toddler in the garden. Invest in a large pot or planter for your child and provide them with their own child-sized gardening tools. The process is what’s important here. With toddlers, it’s unlikely that any flowers will survive their enthusiastic digging, but they’ll love to feel involved in what you’re doing. Toddlers will get a lot of enjoying from digging in the dirt with tools and both hands. Gardening with children is beneficial as it helps them to learn about natural processes, and they’ll be intrigued to see where food comes from.

  • Set up a reading area

Find a shaded area of the garden or park and set up a reading area with their favourite blankets, pillows and books. Being read to can bring on toddlers’ cognitive development in leaps and bounds, and it’s even more beneficial when they’re allowed to join in with the story and play an active role in asking questions. For babies, lying down in the sun with a gentle breeze on them is a really enjoyable sensory experience. Point out things that are going on nearby such as birds singing in the trees, a rainbow forming or the clouds moving around, maybe even look for specific shapes in the clouds. Look through your child’s eyes – sights that you may have seen hundreds of times may be a first for them.

  • Hang toys from tree branches

Appeal to your toddler’s senses by string up some instruments for them to find and play with. You don’t have to use instruments; you can use any object that makes an interesting noise when the wind blows on it. this will help to develop their motor skills as they will have to reach up to play. It’s also good for developing children’s eye health as they focus on moving objects that are blowing about in the wind.

  • Embrace the rain

The weather may be warmer during summer, but it’s likely that we’ll still have some rainy days. You should embrace the changes in weather and play out in the rain. Your children will enjoy the novelty of putting on a rain mac and wellies as they brace the outdoors to splash about in some muddy puddles. Children develop a sense of fun and adventure when trying out challenging jumping skills.

 

These outdoor learning activities will allow your kids to have so much fun that they will not even realise that they’re learning new skills. Spending time in your local park or garden is also the best way to encourage a healthy, active lifestyle and present your children with some leisure opportunities that don’t involve looking at a screen. Here at Garden Play, we believe that children are at their happiest when they’re taking part in fun outdoor play activities, and it’s even more exciting when they get to share these experiences with their friends or family members.

 

In a world where tablets and electronic gadgets are quickly becoming more popular amongst children than outdoor play, garden playscapes are a wonderful alternative. A playscape is an area that has been specifically designed to facilitate free play for children. Instead of featuring equipment such as slides or swings, playscapes make use the area’s natural surroundings. They can include grassy mounds, rocks, trees, pathways and shelters.

The aim is to encourage children to play in a more imaginative way and to interact with their settings. They’re also great for teaching children about recycling and caring for the environment, as many of the materials are often upcycled or come from natural sources. This has the added benefit of making garden playscapes very affordable. Here are some suggestions from us at Garden Play for what to include in your own garden playscape.

  • Recycled objects

Recycled objects, such as old tires (for swings), planks of woods (for walkways), rope (for climbing nets) or corrugated metal (for tunnels) are perfect materials for activities in a garden playscape. Wood is one of the best materials for constructing items for your garden playscape because it can be easily shaped and is robust to endure all year. Wood can be used for anything if you think creatively enough –stepping stones, a platform, or a treehouse.

  • Rocks and pebbles

There’s endless opportunities for these natural elements to be incorporated in to play. Large rocks and pebbles can be found easily if you look in the right places. They look great when used to decorate a garden playscape and they cost nothing. Smaller pebbles can also be scattered all over the playscape to give children a more authentic feel and teach them more about the earth. Pebbles of different sizes and shapes allow children to collect, count and store.

  • Sand

Sand is one of the best forms of sensory play, and it can keep children entertained for hours at a time. Sand can be spread across the floor of the playscape or contained in a separate play unit. Children love to experiment with sand, using water to make ‘mud’ and change its texture and density. You can include tools such as spades, containers and rakes in the playscape, so that children can mould and shape the sand as they wish.

  • Water

Water features add real beauty to playscapes, and they’re very exciting for children to play with too. Just like sand play, using water and various ‘tools’ can teach children about basic scientific principles as they explore its properties and measure various volumes. Water play also boosts physical development, as children work their muscles by carrying the water around in containers as they play. Water play also stretches the imagination, as children are prompted to conjure up stories and scenarios during games that involve water play.

  • Plants

Lastly, no garden playscape is complete without plants. Plants will really bring the place to life and provide the children with a sense of escape, even in a busy urban setting. You should be sure to choose plants and flowers that stimulate all of the senses. Opt for vibrant colours, interesting smells, unusual textures, and plants or grasses that make distinctive sounds when the wind rustles through them.

Together, all of these elements will work to create an inviting area for play that children cannot resist. Remember that playscapes are all about developing your child’s sense of adventure. The design of the playscape should prompt children to leave their comfort zone, with activities that they might initially see as challenging or risky, before then overcoming their fears. Garden playscapes with natural elements promote recycling and environmental respect, while giving the children a wonderful place to make memories.