Black Forest Primary confidently engaged Betterland to develop a large area of the schools playspace to incorporate natureplay activities.

The school’s objective was to have a range of natural settings in the playground which encouraged the children to enjoy the diverse range of activities in nature play.

Betterlands design created an exciting environment that welcomed play and learning opportunities in a space inspired by nature.

The design focused on making the most of the existing assets on the site which included a number of mature eucalypts, a row of historic olive trees and some large fallen timber which formed a unique climbing obstacle.

Today the children are free to explore the creek bed, climb the large tree logs, hop from rock to rock along the creek, gather on the island or in the secluded seating areas or converse in the shade on the gently sloping mounds.

The project included the construction of a storage shed and a work bench for supervised nature play projects. The store is for natural material and associated tools. The mulched area provides room for the children to construct to their imagination using these materials.

During the construction the children cooperatively stayed at a safe distance behind the fencing whilst pedestrian access through the site was redirected to ensure everyone’s safety.