Frank is the director of a primary school for 2,000 children in Nairobi, Kenya. The school did not have a playground or a budget to build one. But Frank desperately wanted a stimulating space for the students to play. So when a construction crew at the school had to unearth several loads of soil, he convinced the contractors not to haul it away but instead to dump it in heaps on the school’s play field.
In doing so, they created a free, instant play element. Four thousand little feet quickly packed the soil down into a delightful hilly ridge. Take a look at this little video of how the kids interacted with the space.
Months later, when Frank’s school had raised funds to build a playground, the soil hills became a major feature of the site. A giant slide was built into one mound, and the hills were incorporated into an obstacle course.
We often hear from people who say, “I’ll build a playground as soon as I have $100…$1,000…$10,000…”
Why not start with a hill? Earth mounds are a lovely way to divide active and quiet play areas, create a focal point to a space, or build elements. As Paige Johnson, writer of Play-Scapes said in her London Open for Play talk earlier this year, “hills are the new swings.”
A truckload of dirt is cheap, often even free. It is a great first step to a playground – adding dimension to a space that kids will immediately enjoy interacting with and can be built upon in the future.
Follow the link to get the step-by-step instructions for a few of our favorite earth mounds you can add to a play site today. (Note: must create a free user account to see full instructions.)
Got an idea for a playground element? Join our community and submit your designs here.
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