Natural playgrounds in Athens, GA provide a lot more for children than what most people may realize. Their natural appearance is not only eye catching and engaging, but also promotes an environmentally friendly area for kids to play and learn. The opportunity to use different real world elements to play and climb around on has actually proved that kids want to play more and use more of their imagination then they do with the traditional metal and plastic playgrounds that are full of color.

At Creative Playscapes, we have embraced the Natural Playground Concept. Natural Playgrounds have become highly popular with many of our customers. These playgrounds offer kids a soothing natural environment with educational and interactive natural play elements. We strive to heighten kids sensory skills, challenge their motor skills, and teach them about our world. These spaces often double as a natural classroom. We utilize natural and environmentally friendly materials to design hill slides, tunnels, play gardens, balance areas, swings and more. Adventure, curiosity and education are our goals for the design.

The natural playground offers many opportunities for creative play. They can sometimes be less expensive initially than a traditional playground. Our Landscape Architect embraces these jobs, and enjoys designing a space that meets the unique needs of your facility. We inventory the site, study use patterns, and interview the staff and the kids to develop a program for the play area that uniquely fits your vision and budget. We develop illustrative plans to document the project and help communicate the concept to your user group. We develop budgets, generate detailed designs, and then pull in our talented construction team to make the project a reality.

The possibilities of Natural Playgrounds in Athens GA are almost limitless. We use a variety of on-site aspects when Jon designs the natural playground, from parts of cool trees lying around for kids to climb and explore on, stumps we man make safe to climb on, or create a natural table tea parties. Rocks are an excellent avenue for kids to play and be active, we can incorporate specific rocks designed to generate interest and activity to most natural playgrounds Jon designs. We have used rocks where kids could pretend they are mountain climbing and numerous other imaginative adventures. You just never know what kind of journey a kid’s imagination will take them to on a Natural Playground.

Natural Playgrounds encourage children to explore, pretend and be adventurous, thus gaining motor skills while on their adventures without even realizing it. We continue to design and built natural playgrounds in and around the Athens area for schools, churches and Home Owner Associations, click here to see examples of our work

#AthensGANaturalPlaygrounds

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Athens GA Natural Playgrounds first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

LUMBERTON – Work is underway to place new playground equipment across multiple elementary schools within the Public Schools of Robeson County as part of the ESSER-funded playground project.

Workers could be seen assembling playground equipment Wednesday at Townsend Elementary School. One crew of AJ’s Company workers, contracted through Creative PlayScapes, plans to finish its portion of the project at the school next week so another team can place playground flooring made of rubber at the site.

“We’re really just getting it kicked off now,” said Kurt Karriker, owner of Creative PlayScapes.

The project is funded by $5.9 million from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. 

When the project is complete, all elementary schools will have new playground equipment, Karriker said. He estimates the project to conclude in about six months. The delivery and installment of ESSER-funded playground equipment began last week at Fairgrove Elementary School.

Workers recently finished assembling equipment at the elementary school and will return at a later date to install rubber flooring. 

“This allows children the opportunity to get out of the classroom and into fresh air during the school day,” said Bobby Locklear, assistant superintendent of Auxiliary Services at PSRC, of the additions.

St. Pauls Elementary School Principal Amanda Graham shared words of anticipation for the project’s reach to her school and schools throughout the district.

“I just can’t wait to see their faces,” Graham said. “This is state-of-the-art stuff.”

Locklear said the addition of new equipment also has an educational component.

“Placing new playground equipment at 22 of our schools also will allow our students to maximize their recreational time and engage in social activities that stimulate learning,” Locklear added.

The American Academy of Pediatrics released in September 2018 a clinical report that demonstrates the powerful effects of play on child development.

“Children need to develop a variety of skill sets to optimize their development and manage toxic stress,” the AAP report states. 

“Research demonstrates that developmentally appropriate play with parents and peers is a singular opportunity to promote the social-emotional, cognitive, language, and self-regulation skills that build executive function and a prosocial brain,” the report states. 

Playground equipment has a lifespan of about 15 years, according to Karriker.

“These playgrounds are additions we know students will enjoy as they continue to learn, grow and embark on the path to a brighter future through the Public Schools of Robeson County,” PSRC Superintendent Freddie Williamson said.

Shown below are photos of equipment recently installed at Fairgrove Elementary School.

The post Robeson County Public Schools first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

Many initial meetings with school boards, churches, and parks and rec committees who are looking for a new playground start with the same statement: “We just don’t know where to begin.” It can be easy to dream up a grand vision of a new park space that allows engagement, learning, and play for all age groups, but making these dream projects come to fruition can be a daunting task. Our recent project with Davidson Day School, a private K-12 school located in Davidson, North Carolina, is a perfect depiction of how a large-scale, multifaceted several year project can come together to enrich a community. 

The playground designed for the lower elementary school kids was designed to accommodate different forms of play that begin to emerge in early elementary school such as building upon gross motor, social, and creative skill sets. A traditional play unit outfitted in blue and silver to match the school colors provides a space for active play alongside one of our favorite playground elements: a playside hill. These playside hills are a unique take on a more traditional play unit which incorporate embankment slides, hop-rocks, and boulder outcrops which provide kids with an innovative space to develop gross motor skills through climbing and balance. An architectural sunshade was also built into the hill to provide sun protection for kids and their adult supervisors. In designing this space we wanted to be conscious that kids of different temperaments have different play styles. For this reason, we provided “high energy play spaces which include the hillside as well as overhead hanging bars with hop-rock access for kids who enjoy active physical play. We also designed spaces for kids who are more inclined to express themselves socially or creatively by introducing natural seating areas with the use of faux rock boulders in addition to paint and chalk boards. All of the fall zones of the playground were surfaced with Pour-In-Place (PIP) rubber to accommodate playground safety codes. In addition to a PIP trike path which circles throughout the play space passing storefronts and traffic signs which encourage kids to play imaginatively with one another to strengthen important social skills during unstructured play time. The remaining areas of the play space were surfaced using bonded rubber mulch and artificial turf to provide a safe, clean and low maintenance space for kids to play.

The playground designed for the upper elementary kids was designed to encourage more fitness style play. We were able to achieve this by working with staff to pick out a play unit that incorporated a variety of net, boulder, and overhead climbers, balance pods and a slide. It was surfaced in engineered wood fiber to help the equipment blend into the natural landscape aesthetic. Overall this playground supports the development of motor skills and strength building in older kids. Outdoor learning elements and spaces for social interaction were also designed into the space to support students and faculty. A circle of faux tree stumps and a large “birds nest” basket swing provide great places for peers to mingle with one another at recess.

Our final, and most improved phase of the project is the communal outdoor learning space adjacent to the front entrance of the school. At the beginning of the design process this area was heavily used by students and faculty as an outdoor gathering space that was shaded by trees; but unfortunately, grass struggled to survive. As a solution we proposed replacing the grass with artificial turf that provided a clean space beneath the shade canopy provided by the existing trees. One of our top priorities was to design this space to be aesthetically pleasing as staff and visitors entered the school for events. A hardscape patio with landscaping to match the school’s architecture provides the community a multipurpose space for gatherings, creative fairs, concerts, outdoor dining, socialization and learning.

In a rapidly changing environment with community safety mandates liable to change at any given moment, we have found outdoor learning spaces to be valuable for flexibility in educational settings. Not only are these environments great multi-functional settings, but they provide students and faculty a safe space to engage in learning and socialization. This is especially important in a digital age where the freedom to socially distance while fostering a sense of community is a major priority for educators and community leaders. 

Five years ago when we started this project we never could have predicted a health crisis would disrupt our daily lives and gathering patterns. As we begin to navigate out of this situation we are reminded how integral outdoor gathering spaces are for our communities, places of worship, and education centers. We are extremely excited that we were able to take what may have seemed like a far fetched vision to some and make it a reality over the course of four years. This project couldn’t have been completed without the hard work, dedication and support from the community at Davidson Day School. Even Though the design process for a project like this may take multiple iterations before reaching a final product, it shows the power of unity and commitment to achieve a long term vision. We are very pleased to have played a role in helping Davidson Day school invest in outdoor educational and social centers that will benefit multiple generations of kids in the future.

The post Davidson Day School Playground first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

Buyer Beware!!

I recently got a phone inquiry from a daycare director at a Church in Greenville, South Carolina. She had found us online and read about our playground services on our website. She was about to purchase a playground from an online vendor. She was exasperated and exhausted from research and shopping for a playground on the web. She had shopped diligently, seen multiple “special price” offers, done her research as a smart shopper like we all do for a major purchase. When she went to complete the purchase she found that she was hit with huge shipping fees, little or no on site support with installation and no one to turn to after the equipment landed at her facility. When we visited the site we found the equipment use zones would not even fit the site….OOPS!

She needed help in a big way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a common problem in the playground equipment industry. The internet is a wonderful tool but a playground purchase is too complex to simply type in a keyword and slide a credit card. There are so many issues to consider when you purchase your playground. The world wide web is an awesome resource to generate ideas, brainstorm concepts and generalize your budgets. But when the rubber hits the road (or the playground) NOTHING beats having a trusted adviser to meet you at your facility, define your needs and help guide you through the process. A playground is a vision and requires a thorough design process to be a success. Also, be aware, commercial playgrounds must be constructed and certified by a CPSI (Commercial Playground Safety Inspector) to be code compliant and help avoid liability issues.

Kurt and I own Creative Playscapes and will personally meet you to help you wade through the myriad of questions that need answered prior to selecting and constructing your playground. We will make sure it’s built to code requirements and monitor it after it’s installed to make sure it’s safe and standing the test of time. We will also be straight forward with price points, budgets, including freight, installation, maintenance costs and surfacing requirements. We will also look at the site from a design perspective unlike our competitors. We are licensed Landscape Architects and General Contractors. We know how to design and build playscapes that are more than a playground.

Call us at Creative Playscapes to discuss your needs. Consultations are always free. We promise you the best value and customer service in the industry!

Jon Dumont, CPSI
Landscape Architect, Owner
Creative Playscapes, LLC
704-929-2603

The post Online Playgrounds??? first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

Natural playgrounds in Winston Salem, NC provide a lot more for children than what most people may realize. Their natural appearance is not only eye catching and engaging, but also promotes an environmentally friendly area for kids to play and learn. The opportunity to use different real world elements to play and climb around on has actually proved that kids want to play more and use more of their imagination then they do with the traditional metal and plastic playgrounds that are full of color.

At Creative Playscapes, we have embraced the Natural Playground Concept. Natural Playgrounds have become highly popular with many of our customers. These playgrounds offer kids a soothing natural environment with educational and interactive natural play elements. We strive to heighten kids sensory skills, challenge their motor skills,and teach them about our world. These spaces often double as a natural classroom. We utilize natural and environmentally friendly materials to design hill slides, tunnels, play gardens, balance areas, swings and more. Adventure, curiosity and education are our goals for the design.

The natural playground offers many opportunities for creative play. They can sometimes be less expensive initially than a traditional playground. Our Landscape Architect embraces these jobs, and enjoys designing a space that meets the unique needs of your facility. We inventory the site, study use patterns, and interview the staff and the kids to develop a program for the play area that uniquely fits your vision and budget. We develop illustrative plans to document the project and help communicate the concept to your user group. We develop budgets, generate detailed designs, and then pull in our talented construction team to make the project a reality.

The possibilities of Natural Playgrounds in Winston Salem NC are almost limitless. We use a variety of on-site aspects when Jon designs the natural playground, from parts of cool trees lying around for kids to climb and explore on, stumps we man make safe to climb on, or create a natural table tea parties. Rocks are an excellent avenue for kids to play and be active, we can incorporate specific rocks designed to generate interest and activity to most natural playgrounds Jon designs. We have used rocks where kids could pretend they are mountain climbing and numerous other imaginative adventures. You just never know what kind of journey a kid’s imagination will take them to on a Natural Playground.

Natural Playgrounds encourage children to explore, pretend and be adventurous, thus gaining motor skills while on their adventures without even realizing it. We continue to design and built natural playgrounds in and around the Winston Salem area for schools, churches and Home Owner Associations, click here to see examples of our work

#WinstonSalemNaturalPlaygrounds

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Winston Salem NC Natural Playgrounds first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

Designing, building and supervising the construction of a natural playground is a thrill for Jon.  As we work together and interact, we often times get separated for extended periods of time and when we regroup to discuss our projects, Jon always wants to talk about the natural playgrounds he is working on.  It’s a lot of fun to see a grown man so happy and enthusiastic about his job.  Jon is by far, the most entertaining co-worker I’ve ever had!

The other week, Jon and I were talking about natural playground products and how to implement them into his designs.  He likes to use a variety of man-made replicant products (because they are safer and more durable) in conjunction with the natural pieces that fit into the design for the customer.

• Dirt, ground, earth (or whatever you want to call it) is a great natural playground product. We can build mountains, make valleys or move it around to literally any design.
• Trees, stumps or tree trunks work great for a variety of applications. Jon will hand pick the piece and supervise the preparation prior to installation to ensure it is to our standards of safety.  But a good tree trunk can easily make steps, small jumps and obstacles on the play course.
• Tires from heavy equipment are an option Jon considers on our larger projects. The placement of a very large tire can create a sitting/reading area or sand box.
• Man made products are an excellent option. Poles and be designed as trees and used for supporting climbing nets or slides.
• Concrete can easily be formed and coated with a safe and vibrant exterior and made into an un-imaginable number of natural playground products. These are Jon’s favorites because they are the safest and built to industry standards from the factory.

When considering a natural playground, do some online research at the many options available for the children to play and learn on.  You will be pleasantly surprised at how many cool things are available.

#NaturalPlaygrounds

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Natural Playground Products first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

Playing with my children and watching the other kids at the playground is an enlightening experience that I cherish.  Nothing replaces the time with my children, especially when they are having fun at the playground!

Unfortunately, my kids are not perfect (not their Mother’s opinion) and sometimes have issues being patient, waiting their turn and overall be polite while playing with other kids.  I did some research on playground etiquette and here are 2 scenarios that you may find at the playground and how I try to address them.

The line at the swing:  my kids don’t like to wait; they want to swing now or when they are on the swing, don’t want to stop.
Option 1:  If my little bundle of joy is on the swing, I may say “OK, 5 more minutes and we will go play on the slide” (or any other piece they like).  This gives them a sense of closure and euphoria for the next play opportunity.
Option 2:  If he is waiting to get on the swing, I may say “Let’s only wait a few more minutes and then we will go to the slide”, again, a sense of closure and new opportunity.

Not your toy:  kids will play with anything, especially if another kid is having fun with it.  A toy truck in the sandbox is an excellent toy and often times when abandoned for a brief second, another child will assume possession, even if the toy belongs to the first kid.
Sharing is one of the hardest lessons to learn for kids (adults too…right Jon).  If the truck belongs to my son, I may say “Why don’t you play together, get the sand shovel and play like you are building something”.  This (hopefully) has two benefits: 1) my son learns to share; 2) my son develops his social skills.

These are just 2 common things I see and use to guide my children to learning to share and work with others; I welcome your comments and suggestions on playground etiquette.

#PlaygroundEtiquette

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Playground Etiquette first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

We had a banner year in 2014, especially in the fun category!

Our goals for this New Year are very simple:

1. Be Safe
2. Have Fun
3. Healthy Play

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Welcome 2015! first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

We love kids, so naturally Christmas is our favorite time of the year!  Our children get so excited just thinking about Santa, Stockings, Snow and Presents (of course) that is flows over to us.

We will have another fantastic holiday season with our families and hope you do too!

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Happy Holidays from Creative Playscapes first appeared on Creative Playscapes.

The project has been completed using our PIP (poured in place) Rubber Playground Safety Surfacing.  We are always happy to provide a safer environment for children to play and learn.  Our #1 Goal is Safety First!

#HopePark

Safety Starts w/ Stability!

Kurt Karriker
704-589-7455
Creative Playscapes

The post Hope Park Mooresville first appeared on Creative Playscapes.