To help design our new Nature Exploration Area, we polled a few play experts:
See the creative inspiration from our pop-up nature play days:
Community Hubs
4/12 | Design Jam @ Joe Lee Rec Center
4/13 | Design Jam @ Garfield Center
4/14 | Design Jam @ YMCA Hunter’s View
4/30 | Design Jam @ Bayview YMCA
Family Design Jam
4/24 | Design Jam @ Heron’s Head Park
Video: Time-lapse video from the YMCA’s Hunter’s View
Design Jams at Community Hubs
@ Joe Lee Rec Center
@ Joe Lee Rec Center
@ YMCA’s Heron’s View
@ Bayview YMCA
@ Bayview YMCA
@ Bayview YMCA
@ Joe Lee Rec Center
@ Joe Lee Rec Center
@ Joe Lee Rec Center
@ YMCA’s Heron’s View
@ YMCA’s Heron’s View
@ YMCA’s Heron’s View
@ Joe Lee Rec Center
@ Bayview YMCA
@ YMCA’s Heron’s View
@ Bayview YMCA
Description
@ Joe Lee Rec Center
@ YMCA’s Heron’s View
@ YMCA’s Heron’s View
@ Bayview YMCA
@ YMCA’s Heron’s View
@ Bayview YMCA
@ Garfield Center
@ Garfield Center
@ Joe Lee Rec Center
@ Garfield Center
Family Design Jam at Heron’s Head Park
Community Feedback
I love the combination of the kids being able to feel truly immersed in natural elements, as well as being able to practice their gross motor/fine motor movements. I’m also an SFUSD teacher and know that many of our students do not get to access the natural elements frequently. So, being able to incorporate as many of those as possible would be a huge benefit to our city’s children!
Don’t replicate play activities that other playgrounds offer. Instead, offer a unique way of engaging with natural textures.
Kids have lost the connection to the natural world. They need binoculars they can check out and a city paid park naturalist that can teach kids that it’s okay to get dirty, pick up snails, catch a butterfly in a net and ID the shoreline birds at Heron’s Head. An escape from the pressure of the city.
Would love to see multiple climbing structures for children to have open-ended play: jumping, climbing, hide and seek. Would love to see obstacle courses for kids to interact with.
Fort building is fun. Following a path is fun. Collecting things is fun.
I am opposed to loud musical and play structure areas for hyper tots when we have so much of that here in the city. Heron’s Head is our quiet reflective place.