just add water

Welcome to the second post in our series "how to create an irresistible outdoor playspace for children" where we are looking at what children want in their natural playspaces.  It probably comes as no surprise that water is at the top of the list.

Certainly no surprise to Teacher Tom, who currently has a preschool full of children intent on flooding the place!

But really, is there anything more wonderful than water to a child of any age?
And the good news is, no matter the size of your playspace or budget, adding the natural element of water is something we all can do.




Rain Water Tanks

Image:  Tessa Rose Playspace and Design

With the need to conserve water, a rain water tank could almost be described as an essential resource for a preschool or a backyard.  Its at the top of our wish list at preschool - my director even wants to put one slap bang in the middle of the playspace, rather like a design feature!

Water tanks give children easy access to a water supply for their play, and when the water runs out is sends a powerful message about the origin of water, water conservation and the water cycle.  You can even get tanks with transparent pipes and a water level gauge so that children can observe the water level. 

Water fountains or features

Ideal for small spaces, water fountains add the soothing sound of water and aesthetic beauty to a playspace.  Used with a solar pump they are also a terrific way to explore solar energy.

One centre I visited buried beautiful shallow bowls in unexpected places in garden beds to catch rain water to great effect.

If space is no issue, here is some inspiration from the other end of the spectrum:

Water courses

We took a look at dry creek beds here:  by putting a water source nearby in the shape of a hand pump or water tank dry creek beds become ideal water playgrounds:

Image: Tessa Rose Playspace and Design

Or how about this beautiful sandstone sandpit, with an inbuilt water course and pump?

Image: Ric Mcconaghy

Another option is a trickle stream, which is basically a dry creek bed with a pump that recycles the water through the course:

Or this inspiring water course built at Woodland Park Community Preschool from an old slide, bungie cords and plastic guttering:

Water Wall

With some imagination and ingenuity (and a drill) you can introduce water into your playspace in ways that will be irresistible to children.  One of my amazing colleagues knocked up a water wall with the kids and it was a big hit:

Any old puddle or container will do

And finally, as these pictures from my preschool show, any old container or piece of boggy ground will be irresistible to children as long as it has water in it:

Read the Full Series
This post is a part of a series on how to create irresistible outdoor playspaces for children.  You can start reading this series here. I hope you enjoy it and feel free to share ideas that have inspired or worked for you in the comments section.

Tomorrow:  Just Add Sand