Design guidance

Primary Pathway Width

Design guidance, Pathways
Two children on tricycles play follow-the-leader.
Autumn leaves add a splash of color to the primary pathway and connect the children and teachers to the world beyond.
Two tricycles sitting side by side demonstrate the need for 5' wide primary pathways in preschool outdoor learning environments.
A shaded primary pathway affords a game of chase.

Primary pathways should be wide enough to accommodate intense pedestrian and wheeled-toy traffic, helping children stay on the pathway and pass each other without conflict.

Embankment Slides

Design guidance, Installation, Outdoor play
May 2004: Embankment slide with timber platform, groundcover planting and stone steps at Wellesley College Child Study Center.
Oct. 2005: Evergreen shrubs had been planted on the embankment and the groundcover was filling in at Wellesley College CSC.
Oct. 2009: Shrubs had begun to mature and the embankment slide was well used at Wellesley College CSC. (Photo by Eleanor Luken)

Embankment slides have become popular settings within naturalized outdoor learning environments. If not properly considered and installed, they may not function as intended. Guidance is provided concerning installation, use zones, steepness, plantings and avoiding erosion.

Primary Pathways

Design guidance, Pathways
A looped and curvy primary pathway at Munchkin Academy, Buxton, NC connects the building to important settings across the site.
Two tricycles side by side illustrate the importance of primary pathway width.

 

 

Primary pathways are a functional necessity in childcare outdoor learning environments (OLEs) and promote physical activity by facilitating walking, running, chase games, and wheeled toy use (riding, pushing, pulling). They are designed to provide easy, attractive circulation throughout the outdoor learning environment and connect classrooms to the primary settings of infant, toddler, and preschool areas. 

Primary Pathway Layout

Design guidance, Installation, Pathways
Establishing the baseline on paper before beginning work in real dimensions on the ground. (Note the engineer's scale.)

Laying out a pathway can seem complicated and overwhelming. Following the provided steps should simplify the process and produce a more successful result.

Sand Play Areas: Design

Design guidance, Installation, Outdoor play
A timber barrier and ornamental grasses help contain the sand play area at Children's Learning Center, Hillsborough, NC.
A timber bench encloses the sand play area at Bright Horizons at Research Triangle Park.
A timber bench wraps the sand play area at A Child's World, Jamestown, NC.
Boulders surround the sand play area at Wellesley College Child Study Center.

Sand play is one of the most valuable natural behavior settings for children from toddlerhood through the early school years.  However, to stop sand from spreading across other outdoor learning environment settings, follow the simple steps provided.

Sensory Gardens

Design guidance, Installation, Pathways, Plantings
Wide, sensory pathway of flat, smooth stones, with hardy, fragrant, "step-able," in-between plants.
Sensory pathway lined with a variety of sensory plantings and elements.
Keyhole garden constructed of concrete stepping stones at YWCA of Asheville Child Care Center.
Keyhole garden surfaced with fine crushed stone and edged with smooth stones at the NC Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, NC.

Sensory gardens provide intimate spaces where young children can be immersed in the scents, textures and colors of plants and related elements.

Draining Wet, Muddy Areas

Design guidance, Installation, Plantings
Excess water drains into a bog garden specially planted with wetland plants.

Improper drainage can be a major barrier to using the childcare center outdoor learning environment (OLE). For areas that are frequently wet and muddy, ideas are provided to improve drainage.

Grass Mazes

Design guidance, Outdoor play, Physical Activity, Plantings
Grass mazes have come in a variety of forms and sizes. (Building Blocks, Charlotte, NC)
A girl enjoys the sensory experience the grass maze of Miscanthus sinensis 'Adiago' affords at Genesis Academy, Burnsville, NC.
Exploring a dormant grass maze in cooler months.
Calamgrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' (Feather reed grass) contrast with Verbena bonariensis. (Courtesy of Hoffman Nursery)
Beautiful burgundy-red foliage of Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah' (Shenandoah switch grass). (Courtesy of Hoffman Nursery)
Striking pink seed heads of Pennisetum orientale 'Karley Rose' (Karley Rose fountaingrass). (Courtesy of Hoffman Nursery)

Grass mazes are composed of informal arrangements of ornamental "clumping" grasses. Grass mazes support chase games like tag and hide-and-seek, and provide space for intimate conversations, rest, and reflection. Design guidance for grass mazes is provided.

Protecting New Plants

Design guidance, Latest, Plantings
Metal posts and cable define the pathway and protect the perennial plants.

Plant protection railing is a simple way to protect newly installed plants. By guiding feet away from new planting beds, the railing guards plants from being uprooted or trampled, delicate tree branches from being hung on, and roots from being compacted. The simplest variations of plant protection railing can be installed inexpensively with minimal skill, and is a key method to ensure new plants will thrive in the outdoor learning environment.

Affordable Shade Options

Affordable settings and elements, Design guidance, Outdoor play
Grape vines cover an arbor providing shade and edible fruit.
A large live oak tree casts shade over a log gathering area.
Grape vines cover an inexpensive wire armature creating an intimate, shady place.
Temporary shad is provided by a bed sheets on tent poles.

Adequate protection from the sun is essential for the health and comfort of young children outdoors. Shade can be provided in various ways, including vegetation, structures, and temporary shade.

Children’s Vegetable Gardens: Introduction

Design guidance, Edibles, Latest, Plantings
Spring lettuce grows in this square-foot garden bed.
Vegetables, including corn, thrive in this raised garden bed.
Children help tend the garden in this child care center
A square-foot garden like this is one option for maximizing small spaces.
Beans, herbs, and greens are growing in this two-tiered vegetable garden.
Involving children throughout the gardening process creates many opportunities for hands-on learning.

Gardening with children provides numerous opportunities for hands-on learning, inquiry, observation, and experimentation. With some planning, you can design and install a garden that will suit the needs of the children and adults that will be using it. Dream big, start small, and have fun!

Pressure Treated Wood

Design guidance, Latest, Materials
Pressure-treated wood is useful in many applications in children's outdoor learning environments.
Pressure-treated wood is useful in many applications in children's outdoor learning environments.
A small deck made from pressure treated wood.
Benches and a trellis made from pressure treated wood.
A stage with lattice backing made from pressure treated wood.

Is pressure treated wood acceptable for use in an outdoor learning environment? The NLI is often asked this question, and this post refers to official guidelines from the North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education and the US Environmental Protection Agency.