How our playgrounds are designed with your kids in mind!
As a childcare facility, you know there is more to caring for children than simply watching them swing and slide on the playground. Kids are much more complex than meets the eye—and so are our playgrounds! At Nature of Early Play, we are more than just a commercial playground equipment factory. We put extensive thought and consideration into each aspect of every product we design. Our unique design philosophy makes our inclusive playground equipment add value to a child’s development beyond entertainment.
Our talented team of playground imagineers recognizes that the kids who use our equipment are whole people. Therefore, we carefully consider your children’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being when we develop our products. We aim to help you create an educational playground beyond entertainment to inspire curiosity and learning while your kids play.
Take a look at just a few of the many aspects that go into designing a great play experience for the children at your daycare, church, community center, or preschool:
Playgrounds Designed for Safety
More than 200,000 children are treated in hospital ERs for playground-related injuries each year. Many of these accidents are preventable with safe playground design and adult supervision. So when our expert playground designers develop new outdoor play equipment, we hold ourselves to an extremely high standard.
Safety Certified
Our commitment to playground safety is unwavering—all of our equipment meets or exceeds the standards set by the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials). As Certified Playground Safety Inspectors, we understand that most injuries are a result of falls, sharp edges, and protrusions. That’s why our professionals have earned their CPSI certification from the National Recreation and Park Association to give our customers peace of mind that the children in their care are using only the safest playground equipment.
Infant Flooring Material—Cloud!
Introducing Cloud, a revolutionary flooring material for infant playsets! Cloud is an ideal surfacing for infant play spaces as its rubberized texture provides young children comfort and safety that goes above the norm. Whether hitting their knees or taking a tumble, infants are protected from traumatic accidents thanks to this surface’s ability to flex under pressure. As a bonus, its non-porous surface makes clean up easy as 1-2-3!
Safe for the Planet and Your Kids
Most of our products are made from Recycled Structural Plastic™ (RSP). Recycled plastic playground equipment does not rust, chip, or crack, which could result in scrapes and cuts for your little ones.
Playgrounds Designed for Accessibility and Inclusivity
Nature of Early Play is committed to ensuring that every child has the right to play in a safe, accessible environment. Our wide selection of playground equipment meets or exceeds ADA standards so that we can accommodate children of different abilities while creating a play space where all kids can join in on the fun! We understand the importance of play for the development of motor skills, social skills, and other cognitive skills during early childhood. This is why we make accessible playground design our priority.
What makes a playground appropriate for children of all abilities?
According to the ADA, an accessible playground offers a range of play experiences to children of varying abilities. This requires:
- An accessible path from the building or parking lot to the edge of the play space
- An accessible path from the edge of the play space to the playground
- Surfacing that complies with ADA regulations
- Once a child is in the play area, they must be able to access the playground equipment by transferring out of their mobility device onto the playground structure using a transfer station or by direct access in their mobility device using a ramp.
Accessibility Made for Inclusive Play
Creating an inclusive playground is essential for providing a safe, fun space where all kids can play together in harmony. Our accessible playgrounds are also designed to be inclusive playgrounds, a place that fosters social interactions between peers so no one feels excluded. Inclusive playgrounds mean no child should ever feel alone—instead, children of all abilities should be encouraged to engage in the same creative play and sensory experiences as their friends! Whether it be educational amusement with one of our great Activity Panels or an aquatic adventure on the Beach Boat, we want every child who enjoys our inclusive play spaces to come away with meaningful connections and lasting memories—that’s what makes for true inclusion.
Playgrounds Designed for All Ages
Although you may be tempted to join in on the fun at your nearest playground, not all playground equipment is appropriate for all ages! Children develop physically in different stages of size and ability. When creating a playground, it is essential to keep in mind the range of ages and stages of development that will be interacting with the equipment. Nature of Early Play helps ensure your little ones stay safe while exploring, learning, and playing with age-appropriate play equipment.
Providing activities that suit their sizes and capabilities can promote growth while stimulating exploration—even providing opportunities for children with disabilities who may not have been exposed to such environments before. After all, each child deserves to experience the joys of play!
You may not be up to reading all 61 pages of the Handbook for Public Playground Safety; thankfully, we did that for you! Our team of hard-working child play experts dedicates ample time and energy to making sure that our lines of playground equipment are appropriate for the targeted age group in size and design.
According to the National Program for Playground Safety at the University of Northern Iowa, there are three major age groups when it comes to playground design.
Ages: 6 months – 23 months
This age group is learning to: ■ Push and pull up ■ Sit without support ■ Crawl, cruise or walk using objects or adults for support ■ Begin to stand and walk alone
Recommended equipment includes:
- Soft surfaces (see our Cloud surfacing!)
- Tactile materials like the gear panels on the Cubs and Kittens Infant Playset
- Water and sand – our Shady Sand House is perfect for sand play on a sunny day!
- Objects to crawl through like the Choo Choo tunnel
- Places to sit with adults and engage in solitary play – check out all of our comfortable playground seating options!
- Wind chimes and other play items for sensory play, like our Square Chime
- Safe plants to smell and touch
- Toys to push and pull
- Sturdy equipment to pull up on – like all of our durable playground equipment!
Ages: 2-5 years
This age group is characterized by: ■ Highest activity level of any age group ■ Very adventurous ■ Running ■ Throwing and catching ■ Pedaling tricycles ■ Gymnastics (rolling, tumbling) ■ Climbing stairs and walls ■ Pushing and pulling larger toys ■ Hopping, skipping and jumping
Recommended equipment includes:
- Structures for climbing and sliding
- Riding toys and paths to ride on – check out our great Trike equipment and accessories!
- Balance beams
- Playhouses like the Kids Kabin
- Water and sand equipment for sensory play – our Water Troughs are a popular option for water play
- Loose parts for pretending, creating, building
- Places to run, jump, play ball
- Natural elements to enhance all senses (wind chimes for sound, flowers for smell) – our Planters add a great touch of nature to any playground
- Shade to sit, eat, read, relax like our kids ADA Accessible Picnic Tables
- Places to paint, draw and create a la our Paint Panel & Magnetic Chalkboard Combo
Ages: 5-12 years
Check out our Play Mart line of playground equipment for a wide selection of exciting and stimulating elementary age-appropriate playground equipment.
This age group is characterized by: ■ Physically competent ■ Climb well, enjoy trying to go higher and higher ■ Enjoy challenges ■ Roll balls ■ Skip on alternating feet ■ Able to begin riding a two-wheel bike
Recommended equipment includes:
- More challenging climbing and sliding structures
- Bikes and bike paths
- Water and sand equipment for sensory play
- Art playground equipment for creative play
- Structures for imaginative play and pretend play
- Natural features to experience seasons
- Places to run, play ball, and play games that encourage cooperative play
Playgrounds Designed to Last
It’s important for your inclusive playground equipment to be made from quality materials that stand the test of time. Traditional metal and wood playgrounds reduce longevity substantially compared to those made from recycled plastic like ours!
Recycled Structural Plastic (RSP)
We are excited to bring a sustainable solution and top-tier durability to commercial playgrounds through our proprietary Recycled Structural Plastic (RSP). Our RSP offers superior strength and prioritizes safety with textured walking surfaces. Plus, it’s resistant to fungus, rust, and vermin—saving you time on maintenance! With its long lifespan and high-performance benefits, why settle for anything less?
Stainless Steel Hardware & Attachment Plates
We coat our climbers and sliders with a uniquely strong, textured surface “wrinkle coat” to increase friction and reduce falls. We are the only playground manufacturer currently using this slip-resistant powder coat. We replaced our welding wire with stainless steel wire and require our welders to create super-smooth welds. The smooth welds prevent jagged edges from being susceptible to chipping and protect children from cuts and prevent rusting!
EcoColor Plastic
Our EcoColor Plastic means the vibrant colors of your inclusive playground won’t fade in the elements. It is made with UV protection and duo colors to create eye-catching contrasting graphics that little eyes will appreciate for years to come!
Play Equipment Created Just for Your Little Ones!
While our amazing playground engineers make conceiving new playground design ideas look like child’s play, you can see an incredible amount of thought goes into each piece. Our goal is to make inclusive playground equipment that caters to the whole child. This means we consider safety, durability and longevity, and the specific needs of the age group that will be using it.
Contact us and together we will make your play space a place where all of your infants, toddlers, and preschoolers can bloom!
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