What we do...

Design, Construct, Maintain

Nature Playscapes design, construct, and maintain outdoor natural play spaces, sometimes referred to as 'natural playgrounds', or 'outdoor ‘living’ classrooms'.

We support the creation of innovative, 21st century natural play and learning environments for Early Childhood Education providers, Primary Schools and Community Spaces.

We design throughout New Zealand with our core construction and maintenance team based in the Auckland region. Each of our projects is reflective of the unique needs of the community it supports.

Our dynamic processes from design to construction to providing ongoing maintenance services ensures the essence of your vision is met and sustained.

You may be starting new from the ground up, or requiring innovative solutions to makeover aspects of your current play environment. We create and design your dream Nature Playscape with you, then work with nature to construct with craftsmanship and care.

Since 2009 we have supported over 150 education providers and community groups to grow their vision to bring children and nature together, creating the ultimate conditions for childhood to flourish.

What is a Nature Playscape?

A Nature Playscape embodies the qualities and essence of
the natural world that we experience out in wild places.

Embedded into a Nature Playscape are suggestions for play – the child's portal to learning. Opportunities are abundant for the children to exercise their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies.

The ingredients, taonga, or gifts of Nature are selected and enhanced for their intrinsic feel to support the childs fundamental need to connect with the living world, the world which sustains them, enabling the child to experience the beauty of nature as much as the security which it provides.

A Nature Playscape provides opportunities for the child to establish a relationship of reverence

and respect with life through engaging with the magic of the plant and animal kingdoms.

A Nature Playscape is a living place, one that allows the child to play freely, to feel the earth beneath their feet and under their fingernails. We intelligently select the native plants of our land of Aotearoa as much as the wonders of the edible plant kingdom to provide the ultimate environment for a childs wellbeing to be supported.

Nature Playscapes provide the ultimate play based learning environment.
A place for the learner to make sense of their world.

Read about our Design services

A Nature Playscape design invokes the child's imagination to seek and find, inspire them to look further and deeper, to experience the magical connections and qualities of life.

A Nature Playscape is a place to discover and develop all of our senses as nature intended.

A Nature Playscape encourages the child to play in a respectful and harmonious relationship with nature, stimulating sustainable behaviour, whilst experiencing the natural rhythms and cycles of life.

A Nature Playscape honours the role of play in the unfolding development of the child.

A Nature Playscape - a place where the relationship of Kaitiakitanga (guardianship) is upheld between child and earth.

A Nature Playscape - place for a child born of wisdom to find their sense of belonging to the earth.

Our philosophy is grounded in permaculture design principles. This supports the childs development of sustainable behaviour for a sustainable world.

At a time when the
challenges and stressors our children face are unprecedented to any previous times on earth, our children need to grow and
evolve the necessary skills and understandings to navigate these times with confidence
and wisdom.

"Nature Playscapes
work to establish environments
that enable the child through play
to create right relationship with
the earth, enabling them to access her wisdom, whilst developing the knowledge and skills that assist them
to be an ‘earthling’.
Environments rich in beauty, in the living world, a feast for the senses and the imagination, exciting the need for growth and learning through discovery and exploration.”

Why a

Nature Playscape?

Childhood today is a vastly different reality to what childhood has been in the past. In the past regular access to the wilds and the outdoors sustained wellbeing and provided a place for learning and growth on all levels.

21st century children are spending daily, increasingly larger and disproportionate amounts of time in 'restrictive' environments often consumed by technology advancements.

Many children are faced with increased indoor time due to our current educational strategies, our relationship to learning and provisions for space.

Worldwide parenting and educational practices are being challenged so that they do not continue to create the conditions for the "over protected and under connected child” syndrome in a risk adverse world.

When children do get to ‘play outside’ play environments have often become exclusively focused on the physical development of the child and are limited in the ways they nourish and uphold the development of the imagination, the sensory capacities of the child, and the souls need to experience beauty.

Check out our
Design Services

In Nature there are no straight lines, so we reflect this in our methodology. Each design we create is a unique representation of the natural world and the community it is to serve. Our understanding in the development of the whole child, and commitment to the children and the planet is woven into the design solutions in each Nature Playscape. A comprehensive design process ensures well considered ideas are possible, affordable, and able to be achieved within the scope of the project.

Our team brings lifetimes of experience to ensure your design is considered through many lenses. Our roles as educators, landscape designers, outdoor risk management advisors, builders, permaculture planners, parents and nature lovers assist us to work with you to achieve your vision.

Our designers provide creative solutions to problematical places, and the ability to continuously come up with innovative concepts to present the child opportunity to explore through play the beauty of the world which sustains them.

Through careful consideration we work to establish an environment which has embedded in it systems and approaches which will generate behaviours which honour and uphold the earths natural cycles and rhythms. Incorporating sustainability concepts sows the seed for a future of sustainable living.

Our design work is hand drawn upholding the beauty of fine art at affordable prices. A final concept plan is a real treasure to hold the vision of your project.

VIEW DESIGN PROCESS

Before & After

The Nature Playscape Treatment

BEFORE

Titoki Playcenter

AFTER

Titoki Playcenter

Before

Ormiston Primary

After

Ormiston Primary

Before

Wee Wisdom Montessori

After

Wee Wisdom Montessori

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We love designing and building Nature Playscapes. Our vision is fuelled by seeing generations of children grow up immersed in the wonder of the natural world. Connected and engaged with life.

Once they love it they will understand it, and once they understand it they will care for it in turn it will care for them!

If you are interested to find out more of how we can assist you to bring your vision into reality, or support you with ongoing maintenance and safety support please make contact.

You can keep up to date with our current inspirations on our facebook page.

Nature Playscapes was established in 2009 by Nature Play New Zealand - leaders in professional educational support services for Nature Education in NZ.

James Dolphin
Construction and Design Enquiries
0211317937

Ellen-Mary Dolphin
Account and General Enquiries
096009077
0221524044