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Playgrounds can be a sanctuary for children, the place where they have a break from the demands of the school day, get some fresh air, make friends, explore and have fun.

As part of our ���˿��� micro:bit – the next gen campaign, we are asking primary schools across the country to investigate their playgrounds with seven activities that aim to get pupils outdoors and learning new digital, data and machine learning skills.

Inspired by the survey, we thought we would take a look at five examples of playgrounds from around the world that have been innovatively designed with a focus on STEM/STEAM integration and use the environment surrounding them to aid children’s learning and exploration skills.

Note: Some of the parks listed are free and some are paid entry.

Nature Playground is situated in Copenhagen’s Valbyparken Park, which was once an old rubbish dump. At 20,000 square metres it’s the largest natural playground in Denmark. The playground features five towers, placed at precise points on a circular bridge with their own theme; light tower, wind tower, green tower, bird tower and tower of change in order to help children understand and engage with the world around them.

Architect Helle Nebelong, who designed the park, believes that “Children need to use their own imagination and creativity when playing. There is one type of play where you run around and try a lot of predetermined activities and get physically fatigued, and another type of play where you are immersed in creating and testing possibilities yourself. The latter type of play provides deep mental stimulation, new energy and a feeling of joy that you carry with you in your memory throughout life." The playground also features a large area with sand and gravel, small green islands, winding paths, and a village of woven willow huts and plaited fences. Wild flowers are also present across the site to boost biodiversity and provide children with a peaceful and calm space to explore.

Bounce Below, located in Blaenau Ffestiniog (Snowdonia National Park) in North Wales is a first of its kind subterranean playground. Interactive from the start, the children’s journey begins by taking an old mining train, 100 feet underground, to a 176-year-old cavern which is twice the size of St Paul’s Cathedral. Once they reach the cavern, children are met with the playground itself - an interlocking spider’s web of six trampoline-like nets hanging from the rocky walls and ceiling.

The netted web-like platforms are linked together by walkways and slides, creating a unique space for children to play and learn about their natural environment. The jutting rock walls surrounding the playground are bathed in multicoloured lights to highlight the natural beauty of the rock formations in the cavern.

Woods of Net at the Hakone Open Air Museum, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan is situated inside a 350 metre squared pavilion made of thick timbers of Douglas Fir, intertwined to resemble the interlocking twigs of an inverted bird’s nest. The installation features a bright, colourful, knitted climbing net moulded into different shapes and sizes.

Artist Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam knitted the entire net by hand and it was designed for children to interact with in any way they imagine, whether that’s climbing, swinging or lying down. The bright colours aim to boost positivity and stir the imagination. The gaps in the timbers leave children with the feeling that they’re still playing outdoors, whilst being protected from the sunlight or adverse weather.

Malešický Park Playground, situated in the middle of Prague features two children’s playgrounds – one in the lower part of the park for younger children and one in the upper part for older children. The park is also designed to provide creative movement possibilities for senior citizens and is built around a forest fountain, which allows water to flow and cascade over natural stone terraces, giving the calming effect of a stream or river.

The park also features a water forest, where large steel spirals shuttle water from one level to the next using an Archimedes’ Screw, an ‘ancient machine’ that uses rotation to make water rise upwards. The playground was built using recycled materials and features 366 newly planted trees to help nurture the local biodiversity. The park also encompasses a water world with inclusive sound elements and toys.

Mammoth Community Park is situated in Wrocław, Poland and was built on re-wilded industrial land. It features a huge 8m interactive sculpture of a Mammoth, colourfully painted and made from sustainable timber and natural materials featuring slides as the tusks.

The Mammoth design was chosen as in the 1990s, a huge mammoth’s tusk was found near the area. Designed close to the river Ślęza, this link to natural history invites children to imagine the species that used to roam in the area, which were plentiful in Poland around the Ice Age, . The park was the winning project of the Wrocław Citizens’ Budget in 2014.

The ���˿��� micro:bit playground survey was created to help children aged 7 - 11 get to grips with data science and digital skills in a fun and practical way. Find out more about the seven activities and get free resources on the playground survey site.

This article was published in May 2024.

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