Cover

Natural
Playgrounds
Toolkit
Talita van der Walt for Penreach

Roger Federer Foundation

 Natural Playgrounds Toolkit
Text © Talita van der Walt for Penreach

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).
Contents

Introduction 5

Section 1: Understand 9
The importance of play 9
What children need to develop 11
Learning through play 13
Age-appropriate play 14
Outdoor free play 15
Playground safety 15
How to design your natural playground 19

Section 2: Engage 25
Involving the community 25
How to handle community participation 27
Facilitating community meetings 27

Section 3: Assess 31
What is a needs assessment? 31
How to do a needs assessment 32

Section 4: Act 33
What is a playground action plan? 33
How to write a playground action plan 35

Section 5: Monitor and Evaluate 37

What is monitoring and evaluation? 37
How to approach monitoring and evaluation 38

Toolbox 41
Tools at a glance 41
Tool 1: Partner Finder 43
Tool 2: Playground Map 45
Tool 3: Playground Dreams 49
Tool 4: Resource Inventory 53
 Tool 5: Issue Finder 57
Tool 6: Risk–Benefit Assessment 61
Tool 7: Formulating Objectives 67
Tool 8: Activity Plan 71
Tool 9: Monitoring Summary 75
Tool 10: Monitoring Safety 79
Tool 11: Monitoring Maintenance 83
Tool 12: Evaluate Results 87

Facilitator’s Guide 89
Notes for facilitators 89
Using advocacy 93
Using participatory workshops 93
Using coaching 102
Using group study 105
Using guided self-study 107

Glossary 111

References 113
Introduction

When children play in the early years of their lives, they are developing
skills, habits, and attitudes that become the foundation for their schooling
and adult work life, and that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Play is so important for the development of a child that it has been
identified by the United Nations1 as a right of every child.
The skills required to properly develop self-discipline, motivation, and
the ability to collaborate, all start to take root in the first six years of life.
Through play, children learn how to cope with frustration, how to keep
trying until they get it right, how to share with others, and how to express
themselves. In addition, the foundations for reading, writing and maths
are laid down during play, ensuring that children are ready for school.

What is the Natural Playgrounds Toolkit?

In many places, children lack stimulating play opportunities. The Natural
Playgrounds Toolkit was developed by Penreach to raise awareness of the
importance of play and to empower communities, grade R teachers and
early childhood practitioners, by providing them with the skills required
to build a playground for young children out of natural resources.
Video: Introduction
(https://www.youtube.com/
Who is it for?
watch?v=726-ryXZOv0)
The Natural Playgrounds Toolkit is a manual designed for you as a grade R
teacher, early childhood development practitioner, community
development worker, or for any other interested stakeholders to study STAKEHOLDERS (PARTNERS)

individually or as a group. It is meant for you to study individually or to People who have an interest in
use for your discussions as a group, and provides you with the guidance realising the project in favour of
and tools required to build a natural playground. the children.

How was it developed?

Penreach, with the support of the Roger Federer Foundation, piloted the
natural playgrounds initiative in several locations in Mpumalanga, South
Africa, with local communities and schools. Another Roger Federer
Foundation partner, Molteno, also drew lessons from the Penreach natural
playgrounds initiatives and has also replicated natural playgrounds in
several schools and communities in Limpopo Province in South Africa.
5
 IN TRO DUCTION

Through this practical experience and lessons learnt during these pilots,
this natural playground manual was then developed. So, what you are
learning here has been successfully applied in practice!

How should it be used?

The toolkit is divided into five sections that represent the different steps to
NATURAL PLAYGROUND be followed in establishing a natural playground. In the toolkit, you will
An area where kids can play find a toolbox of practical tools and samples that will help you consider
with natural elements such as everything necessary to make a success of your project. The toolkit will
sand, water, wood, and living guide you step by step through the whole process of establishing a natural
plants. playground in collaboration with parents and your local community.
RESOURCES While you work through the toolkit, you are encouraged to keep a
A supply of money, materials, journal or a set of notes that can help you reflect on your journey and also
staff, volunteers, and other to note down discussion points for your learning group. At first glance,
assets that can be used by the some of the tools may seem to contain similar information, but they are all
project to effectively achieve its actually important in their own right and build on each other. Each tool,
aims. therefore, forms a specific part of the process that enables you to get to the
end result. There is no hard and fast rule that you must use all the tools, or
use them all exactly as they are presented – adapt and be creative as you
see fit. If you are an experienced community development worker, some of
the tools may seem so obvious that you could feel tempted to skip them.
We do strongly suggest that you consider the pros and cons carefully
before discarding a tool. Remember, however, that our goal is to leverage
the experience, expertise and resources that you and your community
members and stakeholders bring to the table collectively, and to help you
all successfully build your children the best natural playground with as
many natural resources and as little financial cost to you as a school or
community as possible.

1. United Nations High Commission for Human Rights

2. A Chance to Play Southern Africa. 2017. The Child’s Right to Play: A Policy Brief for South
Africa. Johannesburg: ACTPSA
3. Children’s Act 38 of 2005
4. The South African National Curriculum Framework for Children from Birth to Four Years

6
 CHILDREN ’ S LEGAL RIGHT TO PLAY

Children’s legal right to play

International laws and regulations on play

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Article 31:
• Right to leisure, play, and culture appropriate to the age of the
child.
• Right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life.
Article 12:
• Respect for the views of the child.
• Children have the right to have their opinions taken into
account.

African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child

Article 12:
• Right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and
recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child, and to
participate freely in cultural life and the arts.

National play policy and Regulations

The National Plan of Action for Children in South Africa

2012–2017
‘Play is part of early childhood development programmes and
school curriculum and children are aware of its importance in their
lives.’2
• Ensure that play is an integral part of all early childhood
development programmes supporting the early learning of
babies and young children.
• Encourage and resource play activities for children and
adolescents through the school curriculum.
• Ensure that each community has safe and well-kept play areas
for children.

7
 IN TRO DUCTION

Children’s Act 38 of 2005

• Recognises play as a right and requires that ‘all proceedings,
actions or decisions in a matter concerning a child recognise a
child’s need for development and to engage in play and other
recreational activities appropriate to the child’s age.’3

Regulations to the Children’s Act:

• Promote children’s rights to rest, leisure and play.
• Respect and promote cultural diversity and appreciation.
• Design programmes according to children’s age and capacity
for development, and meet the needs of the children for whom
the services are provided, including children with a disability.
• Provide a safe environment where premises and equipment are
safe and clean and children are adequately supervised.

The South African National Curriculum Framework for

Children from Birth to Four Years
‘Babies, toddlers and young children learn when they play with
things around them, what they smell and taste and sound like.
They also learn by watching other children play. They learn by
watching what adults do. This takes time and adults need to make
sure that all children have plenty of opportunities to learn through
play, also called active learning.’4

The National Early Learning and Development Standards

for Children From Birth to Four Years
• Recognise play as central to achieving early-learning
milestones.
• Recognises the provision of ‘opportunities for active play as a
universal strategy to be provided by all – parents, caregivers –
to enable positive growth and development.’

The National Integrated Early Childhood Development

Policy
• Play as a principle in early learning that government is
duty‐bound to provide.
• Increase the knowledge of parents and caregivers of the
developmental value of play.
• Play‐sensitive planning and increased allocation of resources
through town planning processes to make adequate play
facilities available.

8
Section 1
Understand

The importance of play

Play develops skills, habits and attitudes that stay with children for the
rest of their lives.
Play in early childhood has a strong and lasting influence on a child’s
health, wellbeing, and long‐term development. Studies show that early
play experiences shape a child’s physical growth, capacity for learning,
chances of finishing school, future employability, and even income.
Through play, children develop the brain pathways that are needed to
learn and grow.

Video: The importance of play

Brain pathways
(https://www.youtube.com/
The brain begins developing in the womb. During the first years of life,
watch?v=Jn3ruzb2n_8)
dramatic growth takes place and positive experiences at this stage of
development help to build strong brain connections.
PLAY

Towards an adult brain Play is the work of children. It

A baby’s brain has more connections than an adult’s. The connections consists of activities that are
quickly increase until the point where the brain starts to ‘prune’. Active performed for self‐amusement
pathways that are regularly used and reinforced by experience are kept, that have behavioural, social,
and the rest are ‘pruned’ away. and psychomotor rewards.

FACT BOX

The first one thousand days in a child’s life holds the

key to unlocking their life-long potential.

90% of critical brain development happens before age

five.

9
 S ECTIO N 1: UNDERSTAND

‘Delays in cognitive and Over time, children develop more and more complex skills by using their
overall development before different brain pathways.
schooling can often have long
lasting and costly
consequences for children, Sensory pathways
families and society. The vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell
most effective and cost-
efficient time to intervene is Language pathways
before birth and the early symbols, ideas, social relationships, talking
years of life. Investment in
Early Childhood Development Higher cognitive functions pathways
should be a key priority.’ critical thinking, reflective thinking, thoughtful actions

National Development Plan: Vision

for 2030
Healthy brain development is determined by a child’s early life
experiences, including a healthy pregnancy, safe and nurturing care,
nutrition, language stimulation, play, and lots and lots of attention and
interaction. The neural pathways that are developed in a child’s first three
years act like roadmaps for later learning.

10 Figure 1 Long-term benefits of active outdoor play

 W HAT CHILDREN NEED TO DEVELOP

More likely to: Less likely to:

Show improved literacy skills Drop out of school

Show improved mathematics skills Repeat grades

Stay in school longer Need special education

Complete high school

Study further

Figure 2 Likely effects on children who experience high-quality early childhood

development
‘A holistic development addresses all the developmental needs
of a child at the same time. In other words, Parents, Care
Takers and ECD Centres cannot just ‘look after’ children, they
have to make sure that children are developed to their fullest
potential.’

Children’s Act 38 of 2005

What children need to develop

During the first years of a child’s life, factors such as adequate healthcare,
good nutrition, good quality childcare and nurturing, a clean and safe
environment, early learning and stimulation will influence the child’s
future.

Figure 3 The hierarchy of needs that are important for early childhood
development

11
 S ECTIO N 1: UNDERSTAND

To ensure that these important factors are met, each day of a child’s life
should include:
• physical activities for large and small muscle development
• creative activities using different natural and other materials
• talking and listening activities with other children and with adults
• challenging and exciting activities to develop intellectual abilities
• opportunities for imaginative play
• opportunities for rest and quiet play.

Children learn best when they play and discover things for
themselves, relax and have fun, talk and interact with others,
and share their feelings and worries.

Guidelines for Early Childhood Development Services by the Department

of Social Development

Quality early childhood development covers a number of areas of a child’s

life, such as their physical wellbeing and social interactions. These are
summarised in Figure 4.

Figure 4 Quality early childhood development areas

12
 LEARNING TH ROUGH PLAY

Learning through play

Through play, children create new things, solve problems, and form an
understanding of the world.

Figure 5 The play wheel demonstrates the different ways children can learn
through play.

1. Curious 4. Fun 7. Confidence

Children are curious by nature. The child experiences exploring and A child who is mastering new skills
2. Explore learning as fun. feels confident.
Children’s curiosity drives them to 5. Repeat 8. New challenge
explore through play. Children (and adults) like to repeat A confident child will try new
3. Discover activities that are fun. challenges.
When children explore through play, 6. Mastery
they discover new things and learn. Repeating fun activities helps
children to master their skills. 13
 S ECTIO N 1: UNDERSTAND

Age-appropriate play
As children get older, they develop more interests and skills. This means
that their play gets more complicated.

0–12 months 1–2 years 2–3 years 3–4 years 4–5 years I enjoy:

• • • • • Discovering and exploring

• • • • • Interacting with adults

• • • • • Moving and practicing

• • • • Imitating

• • • • Creating

• • • • Stacking and building

• • • • Filling and emptying things

• • • • Pushing things together

• • • • Pulling things apart

• • • • Hiding and finding

• • • • Climbing and jumping

• • • Talking and asking questions

• • • Interacting with children

• • • Testing and matching

• • Dancing and singing

• • Sharing and organising

• • Playing simple games

• • Problem solving

• Running

• Understanding

• Choosing

• Playing with language and numbers

Figure 6 Activities suitable for age-related skills

14
 PLAYGROUND SAFETY

Outdoor free play

Free play has fewer rules, which leaves more room for self-discovery,
imagination and creativity. Watch the video to see the benefits and FREE PLAY

possibilities of outdoor free play. Unstructured, voluntary,

child‐initiated activity that
allows children to develop their
imaginations while exploring
Playground safety
and experiencing the world
How to keep a safe playground around them. It is driven by
Follow these guidelines to ensure that your playground is safe. children’s natural curiosity,
love of discovery, and
enthusiasm.
Check clothes
• Remove necklaces.
• Take off unzipped jackets, clothes with drawstrings, and scarfs.
• Children must wear sports shoes with rubber soles or no shoes.
• Children must wear a hat if there is no shade.
• Children must wear a raincoat if it is raining.

Go over the rules

Video: Outdoor free play
• Take turns and share.
(https://www.youtube.com/
• No pushing, hitting or shoving.
watch?v=Flz644RD61E)
• Show respect for others, themselves, and their space.
• Everyone must have good manners.
PLAYGROUND
• Clearly show where they may play and with what.
• No eating or drinking while playing. An outdoor area where children
can play.
Look up
• Is the area age appropriate?
• Nothing higher than 1,5 m.
• Nothing closer than 2 m from the next object.
• Are there broken or rusted parts on the equipment?
• Is there anything wet or slippery?
• Is all play equipment secured to the ground?
• Are there any small spaces where children can get stuck?

Look down
• Is the area clear of objects that are too small for the age group?
• Check that there are no poisonous or dangerous plants nearby.
• Check that there is no litter or broken glass.
• Check that there are no animals or dangerous insects in the
crawl spaces.

15
 S ECTIO N 1: UNDERSTAND

Stay close
• Stay engaged.
• Do not use your mobile phone while children are playing.
• Watch out for children who are not watching where they are
going.
• Watch out for any dangerous actions.

Playing allows children to make mistakes and learn through trial and
error. This helps them recognise their limitations and discover their
abilities. If play becomes too safe, it is not only boring, it also limits
children’s practical experiences of risk management, and their ability to
recognise and deal with risky situations. Keep your playground safe by
being aware of the risks involved. Most injuries on a playground can be
avoided by having proper supervision at all times.

16 Figure 7 Common playground injuries

 PLAYGROUND SAFETY

Figure 8 Age group most likely to be injured

Figure 9 Equipment causes of injuries 17

 S ECTIO N 1: UNDERSTAND

Playground safety checklist

South Africa has the following safety guidelines in place for early
childhood development centres:
• An outdoor play area of adequate size must be provided for use by
every child on the premises, including an outdoor play area of a
minimum of at least 5 m2 per child on the premises, and separate play
areas for children between the ages of 0–2 years and those between the
ages of 3–6 years.
• The premises must be surrounded by a fence constructed from an
approved material, with a lockable gate to prevent a child from leaving
the premises unnoticed and to prevent unauthorised entry by the
public.
• Ponds, pits and/or other hazards in any garden or external play area
must be fenced off to ensure the safety of children. No poisonous or
harmful plants may be grown on the premises.

Use the checklist as a guide for ensuring that your playground is safe.

Fall height and fall zones

Is the possible fall height less than 1,5 m from all pieces of equipment?
Is there a minimum clearance of at least 2 m separating each piece of equipment?

Safety surfacing
Is there impact-absorbing material under all pieces of equipment over 500 mm in height (e.g. sand,
bark, mulch or ground rubber)?
Is the surfacing well maintained (e.g. at least 300 mm depth of loose-fill material)?

Design hazards
Is the equipment free of possible spaces a child could get their head stuck in, such as openings between
80 mm and 230 mm?
Is all moving equipment free of any potential trapping and pinching points?
Are there sturdy guard- and handrails, appropriate to a child’s hand and grip size? Any platform higher
than 30 cm is required to have a rail.
Does the larger equipment prevent possible climbing on the outside of the structure? No structures
may be higher than 1,5 m.

Shading
Is all equipment suitably shaded, if there is no natural shade?

Maintenance
Is the equipment’s frame stable and free from movement?
Is the equipment free from rust, cracks or broken items?
Are timber items on the equipment free of rotten or splintered wood?
Is all equipment free of protruding fixings and sharp edges?
Is the play area free of loose stones or gravel?

18
 HO W TO DES IG N YO UR NATURAL PLAYGROUND

Is the play area free of trip hazards?

Is the play area free of tree branches or anything sharp at children’s eye level?

Slide
Is the slide securely anchored in the ground?
Does the slide have built up sides?
Do the slide steps have a guard rail?

Swings
Are the swings securely anchored to the ground?
Do the swings for children under 6 years of age have chair-like back support?
Do the tyre swings have drainage holes to let out rain water?
Is the area under the swings filled with sand?

Sandpit
Is the sandpit placed in the shade or have a roof for sun protection?
Is the depth of the sandpit at least 40 cm?
Is the sandpit filled with river sand?

Playground
Is the playground enclosed and gated?
Is there enough space in the play area for children to play?
Are all garden tools, equipment, and chemicals locked away?
Is the area free of all poisonous or thorny plants?
Is the area free of any litter or dangerous objects lying around, such as glass, tins, and rusty nails?

How to design your natural playground

For this step, you first need to understand how children play. When adults
design playgrounds, there is a danger that we think from our own point
of view. This means that we provide play spaces that are reminiscent of
our own experiences or what we’ve seen in other schools. We must also
remember that the more expensive option isn’t always the best option.
We need to think and design from the child’s point of view. What do
children need to develop holistically? How do children play at their best?
Design a playground for the children – not for yourself!

19
 S ECTIO N 1: UNDERSTAND

Figure 10 The steps to follow when creating your natural playground

Natural playgrounds vs traditional playgrounds

Natural playgrounds are different from traditional playgrounds in a
number of ways.

Traditional playground Natural playground

Expensive to install. Can be very cheap or even free to create.

Needs maintenance and surveillance. Needs maintenance and storage.

Focuses on gross motor play (running, jumping, Accommodates all types of play (gross motor, fine motor, social,
sliding, and climbing). etc).

Fixed equipment is intended to be used in a Loose parts, pathways, sand, water, trees, and plants can be
certain way. reimagined and redesigned by children daily.

Becomes boring over time. Becomes more engaging over time as the children’s skills
improve.

Inflexible to children’s ideas. Children can build their ideas in the real world.

Purpose is physical fitness and not always Play can be imaginative and is accessible to all children.
accessible for differently abled children.

Level of risk taking is predetermined by Children can take risks at their ability level in a variety of
equipment. situations.

Figure 11 The differences between a natural playground and a traditional

playground

20
 HO W TO DES IG N YO UR NATURAL PLAYGROUND

Natural playground ideas

Layout
Make different play spaces for different kinds of activities. Spread
the play spaces throughout the playground instead of squashing
them all together in only one area. Place larger or more popular
play spaces, such as climbing structures and sand play areas, where
they are easy to supervise. Make sure the supervisor can see all
areas where children can play.
Incorporate natural elements, such as trees or rocks, as part of
the play spaces. If you do not have trees, plant some for future
children. It can be a project where you involve the kids to help
protect and water the trees. Find out from your closest nursery
which trees grow fast, and be sure to limit the mess when planting
the trees.
These play spaces can be separated by paths. Well‐designed
borders that demarcate or separate play spaces can offer as much
(and sometimes more) play value than the play space itself.
Wherever possible, incorporate natural borders (boulders, stumps,
logs, shrubs, etc.) of varying sizes and diverse materials.

Natural elements
If you don’t have a hill in your playground, consider creating one
and covering it with grass. This provides opportunities for climbing
and rolling.
Consider creating a small vegetable garden where children are
involved in the planting and watering. Research shows that
children are more likely to eat vegetables that they helped to grow
themselves.
Simple natural elements, like rocks and stones, can have many
uses in a natural playground. Placing rocks and boulders in the
playground provides challenging routes, sitting places or climbing
opportunities. A ‘river bed’ can be made with stones. Select pebbles
and stones that are an age-appropriate size. Having a ‘table’ or flat
item in the sand play area encourages children to not carry the
sand away from the sandpit.
Trees and shrubs can be used as windbreaks, to provide shade,
moderate the temperature, reduce glare, separate play spaces, and
can be educational tools. Trees that shed their leaves can block out
the sun in summer but allow in the warmth of the winter sun.
Plants can also be used to create hidden spaces.

21
 S ECTIO N 1: UNDERSTAND

Loose parts
LOOSE PARTS Loose parts are materials with no specific set of directions, which can be
Loose parts are materials with used alone or combined with other materials. They can be moved, carried,
no specific set of directions that combined, redesigned, lined up, taken apart and put back together in
can be used alone or combined multiple ways.
with other materials. They can When you are wondering what will make a good loose part, ask
be moved, carried, combined, yourself the following questions:
redesigned, lined up, taken • Is it flexible or sturdy enough that it can be used and reused in
apart and put back together in different ways without breaking or becoming dangerous?
multiple ways. • Is it something you can give to children, to do whatever they want
with, even if that means finishing it or destroying it?
• Is it something that you can easily collect after playtime, or something
TIP
you can leave out all the time?

Use Tool 4 (page 53) to The list of possible loose parts is endless, but can include:
plan your natural • wooden coins (slices of wood about 3 cm thick)
playground and request • logs of different heights and widths
donations for equipment. • chalk
• cardboard boxes of various sizes and shapes
• leaves, feathers, shells, or pine cones
• stones, pebbles, or rocks
• milk and bread crates
• wooden pallets
• buckets, tubes, and plastic gutters
• funnels and hosepipes
• nets
• tyres of different shapes and sizes
• steering wheels
• computer keyboards
• old clothes for dressing up.

Loose parts should be easy to use and easy to put away. They can be stored
in containers, sheds or open boxes against the side of the playground. Old
suitcases or child-sized trolleys and wheelbarrows can be used for
transporting loose parts to and from the storage place and to encourage
children to keep the playground tidy. Many loose parts are unlikely to be
tampered with or stolen and can be left outside depending on local
circumstances.
Size is important. Large loose parts can be quicker to tidy away. Small
loose parts, like cones and shells, can easily get scattered outside. Having
them as part of the outdoor environment in a cone pit or using shells as
mulch in raised beds and containers means less gathering. Synthetic small
items are difficult to tidy and could impact the environment if left outside.
Think about how materials and resources will be dried on rainy days.
Quick-dry materials, such as tarpaulins and organza, can be easier to
manage than cotton‐based materials for den building and dressing up.

22
 HO W TO DES IG N YO UR NATURAL PLAYGROUND

Figure 12 Different types of play all fit together to form an environment of

holistic development.

1. Water and sand play 5. Drama play 8. Nature play

Water and sand offer opportunities Dramatic play is when children make Any play that involves exploring
to dig, pour, sift, scoop, and build. up stories and act them out. This nature. This can be watching insects,
This helps to develop big and small ‘pretend’ play improves literacy and planting plants, balancing on a rock
muscles, stimulates the senses, and reading skills. When children play or playing with feathers, leaves and
allows children to learn maths and ‘house’ or ‘teacher’, pretend to be an seeds.
science principles. animal or listen to a story they learn 9. Solitary play
2. Gross motor play how to communicate and take turns. Children need to be able to spend
Any play that involves movement 6. Music play time alone if they want to. It is
helps to strengthen the body and When given the opportunity to create important to provide spaces where
develop gross motor skills. When music, children develop their they can do this.
children crawl through a tunnel, creativity. When children play real or 10. Sensory play
climb a tree or run around they learn pretend musical instruments, sing Children develop sensory abilities
body coordination, spatial songs, and dance, they learn to use including sight, smell, touch and
awareness, and to enjoy exercise. their hands and fingers, about sound as they play. All forms of play
3. Fine motor play sounds, rhythm and tempo, and gain include sensory input. It’s important
Any play that involves using the self confidence. to provide your play environment
hands and fingers will develop hand 7. Art play with a variety of play equipment and
eye coordination and fine motor When given the opportunity to create loose parts to help children explore
control. art, children develop their creativity. their sensory skills.
4. Construction play When children draw, paint, scribble,
Any play that involves building or play with mud and clay, they learn
something with loose parts. When about different textures and cause
children balance blocks on each and effect. They also explore and
other, build a ‘house’ or create new experiment with their environment.
roads in the playground they learn
how to solve problems, use their
senses, and how shapes fit together. 23
Section 2
Engage

Involving the community

Community members are experts on what is happening in their
surrounding area.
Communities are not just groups of people who stay in the same area;
they are also a group with a common interest. Community members are in
the best position to identify and understand the problems and needs of
their community. They can bring in different cultures and habits. The
more diverse the people you involve, the more ideas, perspectives, and
resources will become available to your project.

Figure 13 The relationship between an individual and the wider community

25
 S ECTIO N 2: ENGAGE

A few examples to consider are listed below:

Parents and children can contribute with labour, assist with

funding, and help mobilise the community. Children have great
ideas and fantasies for their dream natural playground.
Community members can serve on committees, give and collect
information, participate in surveys, participate on task teams,
distribute flyers, promote the project, and help with some of the
planned activities.
Social workers and members of the Department of Social
Development can help you understand the developmental and play
needs of children.
Community-based organisations (CBOs and NGOs) can advise
on strategies, help facilitate meetings, share experience and
expertise, serve on committees, help implement plans, help you
identify service providers and existing projects. For example,
organisations or facilities for people with disabilities can give their
views on developing playgrounds that are inclusive and accessible.
Businesses can assist with products and services, serve on
planning committees, and can benefit by displaying their
marketing material in the playground or at community events.
Faith-based organisations and churches can provide insights
into the community, act as mentors, and offer support and
volunteers.
Schools can provide spaces for meetings, workshops or events,
allow talks at the school, put up posters, and encourage teachers to
participate.
Local radio and media can assist in promoting and supporting
events by creating awareness and helping you communicate with
the public.
Clinics can assist with the input on the health and nutritional
needs of children when active.
Philanthropists are individuals in a community who are willing to
invest in the growth of its members. These individuals can offer
ideas and financial assistance.

26
 F ACILITATIN G COM M UNITY M EETINGS

How to handle community participation

We are often tempted to go ahead and do the work on a project ourselves
because it can be so much faster. Getting everyone to work together takes PARTICIPATORY WORKSHOP

a little more effort at the start – it may even be slower – but the more we An interactive workshop that
involve people in our projects, the better the results and impact will be. involves participants working
The community will have a stake or interest in the playground and each together towards a particular
community member will bring their influence, expertise, and resources to objective. It uses tools that
the table to build something far greater than each individual could have stimulate creativity through
done on their own. And finally, by including others, they will be working together and applying
empowered to create similar projects. participants’ experiences and
To increase the level of community participation in your project, work expertise.
through the four phases below, using the goals, messages, and tools as a
guide for each phase.

Inform Consult Involve Collaborate

Goals To give the To gather the opinion of the To work with the community To partner with the
community community on the problem to make sure that their community to assess the
helpful and possible solutions. views are considered and problem and develop
information. understood. solutions.

Messages We will keep We will keep you informed, We will work with you and We will get advice and
you acknowledge your concerns, the results will reflect how community-specific solutions
informed. and give you feedback on your input influenced from you and implement them
decisions. decisions. with your help.

Tools Fact sheets, Focus groups, surveys, the Workshops Participatory workshops,
posters, public task team membership
websites,
radio talks

Figure 14 How to increase the level of community participation

Inspired by the Engagement Continuum of the International Association for Public
Participation

Facilitating community meetings

Get the right people

Before you approach potential partners, make sure that you are clear on
exactly what you are doing and what you want them to do. Consider
Video: How to handle
writing your request in a short letter to take with you; it will show
community participation
potential partners that the project is organised and professional. ‘Sell’ the
(https://www.youtube.com/
project to potential partners by helping them understand what the need is
watch?v=riQQZl59_lo)
in the community, what your plans are, how they will be addressed, and
the benefits of partnering. Be specific and clear on what exactly it is you
want them to do.

27
 S ECTIO N 2: ENGAGE

Preparation for the meeting

Invite participants with a letter that includes a summary of your idea, and
the date, time, length, and location of the meeting. Select a meeting place
and familiarise yourself with it beforehand. The ideal meeting place is
easily accessible, has refreshments, toilet facilities, and enough space to
comfortably accommodate all participants. Once you have decided on
your facilitation methods, check that you have all the equipment required,
such as pens and paper. The most important tool is you! See that you are
neatly dressed and groomed, use movement wisely, and engage your
audience with gestures and facial expressions.

Use facilitation methods that require active participation

Activities should be participant‐centred and participatory, such as group
discussions and exercises. You should encourage participants to provide
feedback. Divide the presentation of information into shorter, mini
lectures and not one long session. Provide paper and pen for note taking
and exercises and provide participants with the relevant materials to
facilitate group discussions.

Brainstorm
A brainstorm is a rapid‐fire, creative thinking tool used to generate ideas.
It is based on a session of uncensored thinking and problem-solving
where no one criticises another’s ideas. It is often used to generate ideas
for a novel. You can do it with sticky notes or list all ideas on a flipchart.

Facilitator’s role
• Focus the group on the set agenda.
• Protect group members from personal attack.
• Remain non‐defensive and accept feedback.

During the meeting

Arrive early to allow time to set up the room and make last minute
preparations. Introduce yourself to the group and briefly outline the aim
of the meeting and the agenda. Follow the agenda and designated time
frames as far as possible. Avoid exceeding the allocated time. Provide clear
instructions and time frames for activities. Demonstrate your knowledge
and enthusiasm for the subject matter. Sessions lasting for two or more
hours should include a formal break. After the meeting, thank participants
and summarise key points in a written report.

Icebreakers and energisers

An icebreaker is any activity at the beginning of the meeting that is
designed to get people to know each other better, so that they can work
together more effectively. Energisers are games that are used when you
notice the energy levels of the group getting low. They usually involve
physical movement.

28
 F ACILITATIN G COM M UNITY M EETINGS

Splitting in small groups

When you want everyone to participate, splitting a big group into smaller
groups might be a good idea. Each smaller group either has the same task
or different tasks. You will see that you will get a lot done in a short time
and it is a good way to discuss values and beliefs or take a vote where
necessary.

Create a supportive environment

• Call group members by name.
• Each person’s questions and viewpoints should be heard.
• Be courteous and patient and do not ridicule or belittle people.
• Be encouraging and affirm effort and progress.
• Ensure that participants are comfortable.

29
Section 3
Assess

What is a needs assessment?

A needs assessment is a starting point for generating new ideas. It is best
to do a needs assessment at the start of a project.
A playground needs assessment will give you insight into what your
playground offers at the moment, the views of the children that use the
playground, and the views of other community members with experience
of children and play.
There are many reasons for doing a needs assessment. A few of them are:
TIP
• to collect information about the need (playground)
• to ensure we do not build a playground or parts of a playground that is
not needed or wanted by the community The playground needs
• to help you focus on the needs of the children and not on what we, the assessment tool is the
adults, want to do perfect starting point to
• to uncover things that you might have missed get community members
• to test assumptions and reduce the risk of doing more harm than good. involved. If people are
consulted about the
problem, they are more
likely to contribute to and
participate in the
solutions.

NEEDS ASSESSMENT
A systematic process for determining and addressing needs, or gaps
between current conditions (where we are now) and desired
conditions or ‘wants’ (where we want to be).

31
 S ECTIO N 3: ASSESS

How to do a needs assessment

To solve a problem, we first need to understand what the solution is. A
playground needs assessment gathers information about the ‘road’ we
need to take to create the natural playground we want for our children.
In short, it is finding out what needs to be done in order to move from
where we are to where we want to be. Watch the video to find out how to
conduct a needs assessment for your natural playground.

You can use Tool 2 (page 45), Tool 3 (page 49), Tool 4 (page 53),
Tool 5 (page 57), and Tool 7 (page 67) to help you conduct a needs
assessment for your playground.

Video: How to do a needs

assessment
(https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=qYGEj3ICKCI)

32 Figure 15 The questions to ask when doing a needs assessment

Section 4
Act

What is a playground action plan?

Action plans turn dreams into reality. A playground action plan is a tool
that shows your community and partners that you are serious about ACTION PLAN

getting things done; it helps you to make sure you don’t overlook A document that lists the steps
something; it also helps you use resources efficiently. An action plan can that must be taken in order to
be as detailed as you wish to make it. The level of detail will be determined reach your goals or objectives.
by what you want to use it for. OBJECTIVE

A good action plan is complete and includes all the activities you need A description of the thing that
to do to achieve your objective. It makes it very clear who will do what, by you plan to do or achieve.
when, and it also anticipates risk by considering what would limit
implementation of the plan and creates strategies to deal with this. An
action plan considers communication by making sure that you think of
everyone who needs to know something about the implementation, what
they need to know, and how this information will be communicated to
them.
A good action plan will answer:
• Why are we doing this? What is our vision and mission?
• What are the objectives we want to achieve with these activities?
• How will the activities be conducted?
• Who will do the activities?
• When will the activities be completed?
• What human resources and material resources are needed to do the
activities?
• What risks or challenges do we anticipate, and what will we do to
address them?
• Who needs to know what about the project?

33
 S ECTIO N 4: ACT

The importance of budgeting

The best way to stick to your budget is to have one.
BUDGET The budget shows the amount of money you plan to raise and spend
A budget is a financial plan that for the purpose of establishing a natural playground. If your ECD centre
shows what money you expect is registered as an NGO or NPO, you have the responsibility to be
to have and what money you transparent with the money you spend.
expect to spend to achieve your
plans. A budget is needed for planning
ECD Budgeting helps you to plan and monitor how much money is spent. It
ECD stands for Early Childhood helps us to think before we buy things, because if we do not stick to the
Development. budget, we will not be able to do what we planned.

A budget is needed for fundraising

The budget is an important part of the proposal sent to potential donors.
It gives a detailed account of what you plan to do with the money or goods
received, and what results will be achieved.

A budget is needed for monitoring

You need resources to implement your plans. If you do not spend your
resources as planned, the completion of the project will be affected.

A budget is needed for accuracy

A budget will help you consider all the little things that will require
money, such as:
• Workshop costs: when you invite people to help you think in a
workshop, you must provide refreshments, or lunch if the workshop
takes the whole day. Remember that most of us have a sandwich for
lunch, so don’t waste money by trying to impress people with
expensive lunches.
• Travel and subsistence costs: even if you get materials donated, you
may need to pick them up. If the journey is long, you must plan for
refreshment.
• Materials and assembling: in addition to the actual materials to build
or make an item, you will need things like screws, sandpaper, and
cleaning materials to maintain the playground.
• Labour costs: if you cannot find volunteers with the right tools, you
may need to hire tools or workmen with the right tools and expertise
for building certain aspects of the playground.

34
 HO W TO WRITE A P LA YGROUND ACTION PLAN

How to write a playground action plan

Vision
The vision is the dream you have for your natural playground. Your vision
communicates what you believe the right playground will do for the
children who use it. The vision will make your beliefs about play clear to
the staff, children, parents, volunteers, and the wider community. This
information is gathered using Tool 1: Partner Finder (page 43).

Objectives
This section describes what you want to achieve. It describes how you
plan to address the gap between where you are now and where you want
to be. Twelve priority objectives were identified in the Visioning
Workshop, and each of these objectives were formulated as smart
objectives using Tool 7: Formulating Objectives (page 67).

Activities
You can use as much detail in this section as you think is necessary to run
your project smoothly. Always remember to identify the following:
• what do you plan to do
• what activities do you plan to achieve the objective
• who is responsible for each aspect of the activity and seeing that it is
completed within a set time frame.

Activities and timelines were identified when the objectives were

formulated using Tool 8: Activity Plan (page 71).

Resources
What do you need in terms of human resources and material resources to
do the activities? You must identify what you already have, what you still
need, and what this will cost. Use Tool 4: Resource Inventory (page 53) to
assign resources to each activity.

Risks and challenges

We know that things do not always work out as we plan. If we plan for
things that could go wrong, we are prepared to react quickly and take
action to avoid or minimise the impact. It is important to identify what
risks or challenges are anticipated and, if a challenge is encountered, what
you will do to address it.
For instance, frequent electricity interruptions will make it difficult to
do the administration necessary for the project. We can anticipate this
challenge by buying a generator or laptops that run on batteries, if
possible, or we can identify tasks we could do during electricity
interruptions. Risks and challenges and possible solutions were identified
using Tool 6: Risk–Benefit Assessment (page 61).

35
 S ECTIO N 4: ACT

Communication planning
We could have the best action plan possible, but if we do not
communicate it clearly, it will just remain a plan on paper. For each
activity, you need to consider what needs to be communicated about the
project, to whom and in what way.

Monitoring implementation
Your monitoring plan will help you to check that your activities are
implemented as planned. Your monitoring plan was formulated using
Tool 9: Monitoring Summary (page 75).

36
Section 5
Monitor and Evaluate

What is monitoring and evaluation?

Monitoring and evaluation is an important part of every initiative and
project as it allows you to track the progress of your initial idea and MONITORING

document results and success. It is also called outcome-based The systematic process of
measurement. collecting, analysing and using
Outcome-based measurement is a universal approach that information to track a
strengthens accountability and encourages clarity about what your programme’s progress toward
project is doing and what it is changing. Outcome-based measurements reaching its objectives.
follow a logical chain of events that link resources to activities, activities to EVALUATION

products or results, and results to outcomes and impact. Each step of the The systematic process of
project process is linked with the next step, as demonstrated in Figure 16. collecting, analysing and using
Monitoring and evaluation cannot be done at the end of a project, it information to determine the
needs to be designed as part of the chain of events when objectives are impact of a project; is it making
formulated. a difference?

• Efficiency determines the extent to which human and material

resources are well used. It tells us if the input is worth the
output it achieves.
• Effectiveness assesses the extent to which a project achieves its
objective. It tells us if the input is worth the output it achieves.
• Impact determines whether or not we are making a difference
to the problem we are trying to solve. It tells us if the project is
producing change.
• Sustainability estimates the extent to which changes are likely
to continue after the project ends. It tells us if the changes are
lasting.

37
 S ECTIO N 5: M ONITOR AND EVALUATE

Figure 16 Once you have decided that your approach to play needs to change,
follow these steps in the creation of your natural playground.

How to approach monitoring and evaluation

Monitoring

Are we getting where we want to be?

In Section 1 (page 9), we saw that play is important for early childhood
development and that it offers many varied benefits to the child; in the
short term but also and especially in the long term. The ultimate goal of
our project is that we want to offer a play environment or space where
children can develop the skills, habits and attitudes that they will need for
the rest of their lives.
Monitoring and evaluating the project helps us to make sure we reach
our goal of having a natural playground. Good intentions are not
enough. We want results that will lead to the achievement of our goal.
Once the children start using the natural playground, it is important to
keep monitoring and evaluating on a regular basis to ensure that the
playground is a safe and exciting play space. Use Tool 9 (page 75) as a guide
for monitoring the playground and Tool 10 (page 79) to monitor that the
playground stays inline with safety standards. Tool 11 (page 83) helps to
monitor that the playground is maintained so that the performance and
safety of the equipment in your playground remains at a high standard.
We want to show that our project has made a real change in children’s
lives and that any donations of money or resources were not wasted. If
there are places that children don’t use or like, we need to adapt and
change it to keep on offering play opportunities that address the holistic
developmental needs of the children. Tool 12 (page 87) can be used to
evaluate if there are opportunities that will have a positive impact on
38
children’s development.
 HO W TO AP P RO ACH MO N ITORING AND EVALUATION

Evaluation
Monitoring is often about facts and figures, things you can count and see.
It is relatively easy to do if you work in a systematic, organised manner.
When you evaluate you make judgements. You weigh the facts that
you have analysed against a standard. Choose indicators of evaluation by
considering your activities and outputs.
The standard that you use to judge or weigh, is determined by a
combination of:
• theory and research,
• societal norms (including laws),
• practice experience (informed opinion),
• your personal beliefs, attitudes and views.

See Tool 12 (page 87) for examples of the types of evaluations you can do.
Evaluation is a little more tricky than monitoring. It helps if you have
experience in evaluating projects when you do it. If you do not have a
person on your team that is familiar with identifying indicators for
evaluating, try to get someone from your community or from a local NGO
to assist you. On the upside, evaluations usually happen further apart
than monitoring, generally every three to six months and at the end of a
project.

39
Toolbox

Tools at a glance

Tool 1: Partner Finder (page 43)

Find out who cares about your community or school by defining who has
an interest or investment in it.

Tool 2: Playground Map (page 45)

Explore how people experience the playground by mapping the
playground and how they use it.

Tool 3: Playground Dreams (page 49)

Explore what you want to include in a playground by defining
opportunities and activities for all types of plays and ability levels.

Tool 4: Resource Inventory (page 53)

Explore what resources are available by listing resources in different
categories.

Tool 5: Issue Finder (page 57)

Explore the legal and practical issues of creating a natural playground by
examining policies, regulations and access to resources.

Tool 6: Risk–Benefit Assessment (page 61)

Explore the risks and benefits of playing with loose parts by weighing the
likelihood of dangers against the potential benefits.

Tool 7: Formulating Objectives (page 67)

Formulate smart objectives by describing exactly what you want to
achieve.

Tool 8: Activity Plan (page 71)

Ensure that everything you have planned can be completed on time and
on budget by creating an activity plan that is easy to understand.

41
 TO O LBOX

Tool 9: Monitoring Summary (page 75)

Ensure that everything you planned gets done by monitoring
implementation.

Tool 10: Monitoring Safety (page 79)

Ensure that the playground is a safe place by monitoring safety standards.

Tool 11: Monitoring Maintenance (page 83)

Ensure that your natural playground remains safe by monitoring
maintenance issues.

Tool 12: Evaluate Results (page 87)

Ensure that the natural playground offers a variety of opportunities by
evaluating it against developmental play needs.

42
 Tool 1
Partner Finder

Find out who cares about your community or school by defining who has
an interest or investment in it.

When do you use the Partner Finder tool?

Communities are not just groups of people that stay in the same area, they
can also be groups with a common interest like a school or workplace or
people that live elsewhere but have an interest in the area like business
owners, organisations or government departments.
Defining your community helps you to decide who should be
involved or can contribute to your natural playground Needs
Assessment with manpower, resources, perspectives, experience,
expertise, and insights.
You can use the Partner Finder at the start of a project to help you
define who the stakeholders are in your community.

Who can use the Partner Finder tool?

• Individuals
• Groups or teams
• Workshop facilitators

How do you use the Partner Finder tool?

Work individually or as a group to come up with as many names as
possible to complete each column. The more people that contribute to the
worksheet, the more ideas you will have. Remember that there are no right
or wrong answers, just come up with as many ideas as possible. When you
plan, you can decide who to use or not to use. The next step after you’ve
43
 TO O LBOX

completed the Partner Finder tool is to appoint someone to get the contact
details for each of the people you listed.

Partner Finder

People who know something about child development and

play.
Social workers, academics, occupational therapists, nurses, doctors, teachers,
psychologists, etc.
Enter your ideas here.

People who are affected by the lack of a playground.

Children, community members, local government, school principals , youth
workers, local businesses, etc.
Enter your ideas here.

People who come from different cultures.

Culture, nationality, language, interest groups, etc.
Enter your ideas here.

People who have special needs or different abilities.

People with disabilities, old people, youth, children, women, etc.
Enter your ideas here.

Organisations that work with children.

NGOs, CBOs, faith-based organisations, shelters, schools.
Enter your ideas here.

44
 Tool 2
Playground Map

Explore how people experience the playground by mapping the

playground and how they use it.
This tool forms part of your needs assessment.

When do you use the Playground Map tool?

The playground map tool is great to use when making improvements to an
existing playground. It allows you to clearly identify what you want the
new playground to offer. People’s perception of the existing playground
can provide information that cannot be obtained any other way. It can
reveal areas children avoid or use often, areas that are important or areas
that can be developed.
The playground map is a cheap and easy tool to use with young or old.
The only requirement is that you have a facilitator and someone to take
notes. The playground map helps you get perspective on the existing
playground, how children use and access resources and where they prefer
to be.

Who can use the Playground Map tool?

• Groups or teams
• Workshop facilitators

How do you use the Playground Map tool?

To use the Playground Map tool you will need a venue that is close to the
playground, a diverse group of at least ten to fifteen people, large sheets of
blank paper, and coloured markers or crayons. Additionally, it could be
useful to have tables and chairs for participants to use while creating their
45
 TO O L 2 : PLAYGROUND M AP

maps (younger participants can use the floor if necessary) and masking
tape to stick the completed maps to the wall during the final discussion.
The facilitator should provide their workshop with the required
equipment and follow the outlined steps. The exercise should take
approximately one hour in total.

Playground Map

Step 1: Frame and explain the exercise

Explain the exercise to participants by telling them that they will be
drawing their playground so that everyone can better understand what it
offers and what its problems are. Assure everyone that this is a fun
activity, that there is no right or wrong way to complete the task, and that
the groups are made up of many people because many different ideas and
perspectives are needed. Divide participants into groups of five to six
people and give each group a piece of paper and set of markers or crayons.
This step should take five minutes.

Step 2: Establish a starting point

Ask the group as a whole what the centre of the playground is. This is
usually the most used or most prominent area. Once the group agrees, ask
each smaller group to make a mark in the middle of their paper
representing that central point of the playground. Next, ask them to mark
the fence or boundary line of the preschool or playground area. This step
should take five minutes.

Step 3: Walk about and draw playground

Once they have completed step 2, participants are to go for a walk about the
playground and to continue to draw their map using the following prompts:
• Draw the main roads going past the school or playground.
• Draw any water, trees, rocks or paths in the playground.
• Draw the current playground equipment. Participants can draw simple
symbols, as long as they are easy to interpret.

Once the general map and layout of the playground is established,

participants should map out their playground concerns and opportunities
using the following prompts:
• Mark with a blue dot places where there is playground equipment and
write the name of the equipment.
• Mark with a green dot places where there are natural resources and
name them (tree, plants, or rocks, etc).
• Mark with a black dot places where children play and write which type
of play and the approximate age of the children who use each area.
• Mark with a yellow dot places where nothing seems to be happening.

46
 PLAYGROUND M AP

• Mark with a pink dot any items that cannot be moved, such as a
building, big trees, taps, or fences.
• Mark with a red star any areas or aspects of the playground that pose
any dangers or concerns and make a note of what you observed.

Once each group has completed their map they should return to the venue
to discuss their findings. This step should take fifteen minutes.

Step 4: Feedback to the group

Ask each group to send a representative to give feedback and talk through
their map. If possible, stick each map on the wall so that they are easy for
all to see. This step should take fifteen minutes.

Step 5: Group discussion

Ask the following questions to the group as a whole (and any other
questions that might arise). It is important that either the workshop
facilitator or a helper takes notes on what is discussed.
• What is most obviously the same in all of the maps?
• What is most obviously different in all of the maps?
• What have you learned about the playground by drawing the map?

This final step should take twenty minutes.

47
 Tool 3
Playground Dreams

Explore what you want to include in a playground by defining

opportunities and activities for all types of plays and ability levels.
This tool forms part of your needs assessment.

When do you use the Playground Dreams

tool?
You should use the Playground Dreams tool at the start of a project to help
you define what you want to include in a playground.
A good natural playground offers opportunities for all types of play.
Use Figure 12 (page 23) as a guide on the different types of play to include
in your playground. The playground should cater for all the senses (see,
hear, touch, smell, and taste) and have activities and opportunities for
users of all ages, abilities, and developmental stages.

Who can use the Playground Dreams tool?

• Individuals
• Groups or teams
• Workshop facilitators

How do you use the Playground Dreams tool?

Work through the tool and come up with as many ideas as possible to
complete each block. In each block, write down what activity or
opportunity you would like in your playground for that type of play. You
can do this exercise on your own or with small teams or groups at a
community participation workshop. The more people who contribute to
the worksheet, the more ideas you will have.
Remember that there are no right or wrong answers. Just come up with
as many ideas as possible. When you plan, you can decide what to use or
not to use. Make sure to include activities and opportunities for children
younger than two years and for children with disabilities.
49
 TO O L 3 : PLAYGROUND DREAM S

Playground Dreams

Gross motor play

TIP

Enter your ideas here.

It is not always possible to
fill every block with play
ideas and many ideas will
overlap across types. If
you’re stuck you can Fine motor play
always look at Section
1 (page 23) to refresh your Enter your ideas here.
memory on the different
types of play and
examples of each.

Sensory play

Enter your ideas here.

Drama play

Enter your ideas here.

Music play

Enter your ideas here.

Art play

Enter your ideas here.

50
 PLAYGROUND DREAM S

Nature play

Enter your ideas here.

Sand play

Enter your ideas here.

Water play

Enter your ideas here.

Construction play

Enter your ideas here.

Solitary play

Enter your ideas here.

Loose parts play

Enter your ideas here.

51
 Tool 4
Resource Inventory

Explore what resources are available by listing resources in different

categories.
This tool forms part of your needs assessment.

When do you use the Resource Inventory

tool?
You should use the Resource Inventory tool at the start of a project to help
you define what resources you have available for each different type of
play.
Any space will already have resources that can be used, even if it is only
the soil in the yard. By listing the resources into categories, you may find
that you have a lot of resources for one type of play but nothing for others.
TIP

Who can use the Resource Inventory tool?

It is a good idea to
• Individuals complete Tool 3 (page 49)
• Groups or teams and Tool 4 at the same
• Workshop facilitators time to get an idea of
what resources you have
and what you will need in
the future.
How do you use the Resource Inventory tool?
Work through the tool and come up with as many ideas as possible to
complete each block. In each block, write down what resources you
already have that can be used to create an activity or opportunity for that
type of play. You can do this exercise on your own, with small teams, or
with groups at a community participation workshop. The more people
who contribute to the worksheet, the more information you will have.

53
 TO O L 4 : RESOURCE INVENTORY

Resource Inventory

Gross motor play

Enter your ideas here.

Fine motor play

Enter your ideas here.

Sensory play

Enter your ideas here.

Drama play

Enter your ideas here.

Music play

Enter your ideas here.

Art play

Enter your ideas here.

54
 RESOURCE INVENTORY

Nature play

Enter your ideas here.

Sand play

Enter your ideas here.

Water play

Enter your ideas here.

Construction play

Enter your ideas here.

Solitary play

Enter your ideas here.

Loose parts play

Enter your ideas here.

55
 Tool 5
Issue Finder

Explore the legal and practical issues of creating a natural playground by

examining policies, regulations and access to resources.
This tool forms part of your needs assessment.
TIP

When do you use the Issue Finder tool?

See Section 1 (page 15) for
The Issue Finder tool helps you to plan for the practical implementation of playground safety
a playground that meets the safety regulations and standards prescribed regulations and a useful
by your local authorities. checklist to guide you
This tool is designed to be used together with your local guidelines and through this tool.
laws that exist to ensure inclusion and safety in the playground. While we
want to offer an exciting playground for children, we also want to make
sure that we have considered the guidelines and laws that will help reduce
the risk of injury to the children who will be playing there.
Any plan has practical issues that will affect how we implement it.
Considering this in advance will prevent us from getting surprised,
discouraged or overwhelmed when we start to build our playground.

Who can use the Issue Finder tool?

• Individuals
• Groups or teams
• Workshop facilitators

How do you use the Issue Finder tool?

Work through the tool and answer each question as best you can. You can
do this exercise on your own or with small teams or groups at a
community participation workshop. The more people who contribute to
the worksheet, the more ideas you will have.
57
 TO O L 5 : ISSUE FINDER

Remember that there are no right or wrong answers. Just come up with
as many ideas as possible. When you plan, you can decide what to use or
not to use.

Issue Finder

Age groups
Different age groups have different developmental needs. How will your
playground address this?
Enter your ideas here.

Capacity
How many children can be using the space and equipment?
Enter your ideas here.

Zones
How much space is there between equipment?
Enter your ideas here.

Equipment
Does the equipment meet the requirements in terms of height and design?
Enter your ideas here.

Installation and maintenance

Will this be done by staff, volunteers, or paid for?
Enter your ideas here.

58
 ISSUE FINDER

Resources
What do you need to build the playground? Don’t forget about transportation
of the new equipment to the playground.
Enter your ideas here.

Other
Are there any other rules, regulations, or issues that need to be considered?
Enter your ideas here.

59
 Tool 6
Risk–Benefit Assessment

Explore the risks and benefits of playing with loose parts by weighing the
likelihood of dangers against the potential benefits.
This tool forms part of your needs assessment.

We should encourage opportunities for children to define and take

their own risks, but it is of the utmost importance that adults are
not negligent and do not permit avoidable dangers and injuries.

When do you use the Risk–Benefit

Assessment tool?
The Risk–Benefit Assessment tool helps you to decide if the benefits
outweigh the risks when introducing loose parts play.
Childhood is an ongoing process of trial and error with the potential
for achievement, but also the certainty of accidents. Children would never
learn to walk, climb stairs or ride a bicycle unless they were strongly
motivated to take the risk of injury.
Taking risks is how we learn what we are capable of, what we can
achieve and how to survive failure. Opportunities for risk in play are very
important if we want our children to develop into brave, confident,
competent, and resilient people. When we select loose parts for play, we
are offering opportunities for children to create and experience new kinds
of risk.

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 TO O L 6 : RISK–BENEFIT ASSESSM ENT

Who can use the Risk–Benefit Assessment

tool?
• Individuals
• Groups or teams
• Workshop facilitators

How do you use the Risk–Benefit Assessment

tool?
Work through the tool and come up with as many ideas as possible to
complete each block. For each group of loose parts, write down the
potential physical and emotional benefits for the child, the potential risks
of injury, and how best to reduce those risks without limiting the benefits.
You can do this exercise on your own or with small teams or groups at a
community participation workshop. The more people who contribute to
the worksheet, the more information you will have.
TIP

Risk–Benefit Assessment
When determining the
risks for each group, order Tyres, hoops, pallets, boxes, and crates
them according to the
likelihood of them Potential physical and emotional benefits
happening. Put risks that
are likely to happen daily Enter your ideas here.
first, followed by risks
likely to happen weekly or
monthly and lastly put
risks that are likely to
happen once a year or Potential risks of injury
never. This is useful in
determining the risk to Enter your ideas here.
benefit ratio. However,
remember that some risks
are not worth taking even
if they aren’t likely to
happen. How to reduce risk without limiting the benefits

Enter your ideas here.

62
 RISK–BENEFIT ASSESSM ENT

Blankets, sheets, tarps, ropes, and tape

Potential physical and emotional benefits

Enter your ideas here.

Potential risks of injury

Enter your ideas here.

How to reduce risk without limiting the benefits

Enter your ideas here.

Buckets, cups, containers, gutters, bottles, and pipes

Potential physical and emotional benefits

Enter your ideas here.

Potential risks of injury

Enter your ideas here.

How to reduce risk without limiting the benefits

Enter your ideas here.

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 TO O L 6 : RISK–BENEFIT ASSESSM ENT

Kitchen utensils and digging tools

Potential physical and emotional benefits

Enter your ideas here.

Potential risks of injury

Enter your ideas here.

How to reduce risk without limiting the benefits

Enter your ideas here.

Wood pieces, blocks, planks, and sticks

Potential physical and emotional benefits

Enter your ideas here.

Potential risks of injury

Enter your ideas here.

How to reduce risk without limiting the benefits

Enter your ideas here.

64
 RISK–BENEFIT ASSESSM ENT

Seeds, rocks, leaves, and other small items

Potential physical and emotional benefits

Enter your ideas here.

Potential risks of injury

Enter your ideas here.

How to reduce risk without limiting the benefits

Enter your ideas here.

Sand

Potential physical and emotional benefits

Enter your ideas here.

Potential risks of injury

Enter your ideas here.

How to reduce risk without limiting the benefits

Enter your ideas here.

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 TO O L 6 : RISK–BENEFIT ASSESSM ENT

Water

Potential physical and emotional benefits

Enter your ideas here.

Potential risks of injury

Enter your ideas here.

How to reduce risk without limiting the benefits

Enter your ideas here.

66
 Tool 7
Formulating Objectives

Formulate smart objectives by describing exactly what you want to

achieve.

When do you use the Formulating Objectives

tool?
Someone once said, ‘If you don’t know where you are going, how will you
know that you got there?’
Well-formulated objectives lead to successful, measurable projects.
When you have established the priority issues that you want to address in
your project, you need to formulate an objective for each one of those
priorities.

Who can use the Formulating Objectives

tool?
• Individuals
• Groups or teams
• Workshop facilitators

How do you use the Formulating Objectives

tool?
For each objective, answer the prompts to help you identify how exactly to
achieve your goals. For multiple objectives you can copy the prompts onto
a piece of paper and write down your answers.

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 TO O L 7 : FORM ULATING OBJECTIVES

TIP
Formulating Objectives

Objective 1
Goal: What aspect of the playground do we want to complete and by when?
A goal is the big picture, Enter your objective here.
what you are working
towards. For us it is to
create or update a natural
playground.
Activity
Objectives: What do we need to do to reach this objective?
Each objective is a step Enter your ideas here.
you need to take to reach
the goal.

Activities:
Are the different things we Output
do or deliver (produce) to What is the result or product of this activity?
reach each objective. Enter your ideas here.

Responsibility
Who is responsible for completing this activity and by when must it be
completed?
Enter your ideas here.

Inputs
What resources (people, things, and money) do we need to complete the
activity?
Enter your ideas here.

Monitoring
How can we check that the activity is complete?
Enter your ideas here.

68
 F ORM ULATING OBJECTIVES

Objective 2
What aspect of the playground do we want to complete and by when?
Enter your objective here.

Activity
What do we need to do to reach this objective?
Enter your ideas here.

Output
What is the result or product of this activity?
Enter your ideas here.

Responsibility
Who is responsible for completing this activity and by when must it be
completed?
Enter your ideas here.

Inputs
What resources (people, things, and money) do we need to complete the
activity?
Enter your ideas here.

Monitoring
How can we check that the activity is complete?
Enter your ideas here.

69
 Tool 8
Activity Plan

Ensure that everything you have planned can be completed on time and
on budget by creating an activity plan that is easy to understand.

When do you use the Activity Plan tool?

Once you have outlined your objectives it is important to determine the
resources needed to achieve your goal. You can use the Activity Plan tool
to draft a budget for your project. Summarising all resources on one sheet
prevents you from duplicating items or persons needed.

Who can use the Activity Plan tool?

• Individuals
• Groups or teams
• Workshop facilitators

How do you use the Activity Plan tool?

For each objective and activity, identify the resources needed to complete
the activity, potential places or people to source the resources from and
the overall cost of resources for that activity. Do this by completing the
prompts in the tool below. Once you have completed the tool, use the
request for donation sample letter as a guide when contacting possible
donors.
For multiple objectives you can copy the prompts onto a piece of paper
and write down your answers.

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 TO O L 8 : ACTIVITY PLAN

TIP
Activity Plan

Reference 1
Use the resource Objective and Activity
inventory you created
using Tool 4 (page 53) to Enter your objective and activity here.
answer the prompts and
add in new resources only
if necessary. This helps
you make sure you’re
using everything you have Resources
and keeping costs down. Describe what item or person is needed.
Enter your ideas here.

Possible sources
Who could be approached to contribute?
Enter your ideas here.

Cost
How much will these resources cost?
Enter your ideas here.

Reference 2
Objective and Activity

Enter your objective and activity here.

Resources
Describe what item or person is needed.
Enter your ideas here.

72
 ACTIVITY PLAN

Possible sources
Who could be approached to contribute?
Enter your ideas here.

Cost
How much will these resources cost?
Enter your ideas here.

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 TO O L 8 : ACTIVITY PLAN

Sample Letter: Request for donation

Dear parent / guardian / community member

Request for loose parts for our new playground

At the Most Fantastic Pre‐School we believe that play is critically important to the development of our
children. We would like to empower our children’s creativity! We want our children to have a variety of
different materials and objects (loose parts) to move, carry, combine, redesign, line up, take apart and put
back together in multiple ways!
By stocking our new active open play space – located in the centre of our school – with loose parts, we
want to offer children:
• daily inspiration
• endless possibilities
• a chance to think
• encouragement to be creative.
Why do we believe this is important? With children’s natural curiosity and creativity, using loose parts
will support brain development, scientific experimenting, mathematical thinking, risk-taking, and
learning by trial and error – skills we want our children to have in order to be successful for the rest of their
lives!
In order to stock up, we need your help to gather all that we need for our ‘loose parts’. If you have
anything at home, or anything you can perhaps gather with your children on an outing, we would very
much appreciate it. Please see the list below for items we are looking for.
We appreciate your help and thank you for your support
Kind regards,
MS E.C, Diva
Principal Teacher

Loose parts:
• wooden coins (slices of wood about 3 cm thick)
• logs of different heights and widths
• chalk
• cardboard boxes of various sizes and shapes
• leaves, feathers, shells, or pine cones
• stones, pebbles, or rocks
• milk and bread crates
• wooden pallets
• buckets, tubes, and plastic gutters
• funnels and hosepipes
• nets
• tyres of different shapes and sizes
• steering wheels
• computer keyboards
• old clothes for dressing up.

74
 Tool 9
Monitoring Summary

Ensure that everything you planned gets done by monitoring

implementation.

When do you use the Monitoring Summary

tool?
Monitoring is a regular, ongoing activity that provides information you can
use to make sure that the implementation of the project is on track. The
Monitoring Summary tool helps you summarise your monitoring activities.

Who can use the Monitoring Summary tool?

• Individuals
• Groups or teams

How do you use the Monitoring Summary

tool?
Just as cars have indicators to show the direction you are going, projects
need indicators to show the direction it is going. Once you know where to
look you will see that there are many indicators that you can check.
Performance indicators monitor that activities are completed during
implementation of the natural playground.
For each objective and activity, identify the indicators needed to
measure progress, the way that you will check this indicator, how often
you will check it and when it should be completed by. Do this by
completing the prompts in the tool below.
For multiple objectives you can copy the prompts onto a piece of paper
and write down your answers.
75
 TO O L 9 : M ONITORING SUM M ARY

TIP
Monitoring Summary

Reference 1
Indicators were already Objective and Activity
identified when you
formulated objectives Enter your objective and activity here.
using Tool 7 (page 67).

Indicator
Indicators that you identified to measure progress.
Enter your ideas here.

Means of verification
How will you check the indicator?
Enter your ideas here.

Frequency
How often will you check?
Enter your ideas here.

Date
When will this be completed?
Enter your ideas here.

Reference 2
Objective and Activity

Enter your objective and activity here.

76
 M ONITORING SUM M ARY

Indicator
Indicators that you identified to measure progress.
Enter your ideas here.

Means of verification
How will you check the indicator?
Enter your ideas here.

Frequency
How often will you check?
Enter your ideas here.

Date
When will this be completed?
Enter your ideas here.

77
 Tool 10
Monitoring Safety

Ensure that the playground is a safe place by monitoring safety

standards.

When do you use the Monitoring Safety tool?

Nothing stays new forever. Once your new playground is built, it is
important to regularly monitor the equipment and spaces against safety
standards to make sure that the playground remains a safe and exciting
space for children. The Monitoring Safety tool helps you continuously
check the safety of your playground over time.

Who can use the Monitoring Safety tool?

• Individuals
• Groups or teams

How do you use the Monitoring Safety tool?

Once you have completed the safety checklist in Section 1 (page 15), use
the Monitoring Safety tool to check that your playground continues to be
safe for children. It is important to do a thorough safety check of the
natural playground from time to time to reduce the risk of unnecessary
injuries to children.
Other ways to avoid unnecessary injuries:
• Regularly talk to children about the rules
• Make sure to always have active and attentive supervision by adults

You can fill it in below.

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 TO O L 1 0: M ONITORING SAFETY

Monitoring Safety

Fall height and fall zones

Is the possible fall height less than 1,5 m from all pieces of
equipment?
Is there a minimum clearance of at least 2 m separating each
piece of equipment?

Safety surfacing
Is there impact-absorbing material under all pieces of
equipment over 500 mm in height? (e.g. sand, bark, mulch or
ground rubber)
Is the surfacing well maintained? (e.g. at least 300 mm depth of
loose fill material)

Design hazards
Is the equipment free of possible spaces children could get their
heads stuck, such as openings of between 80 mm and 230 mm?
Is all moving equipment free of any potential trapping and
pinching points?
Are there sturdy guard and handrails, appropriate to a child’s
hand and grip size? Any platform higher than 30 cm is required
to have a rail.
Does the larger equipment prevent possible climbing on the
outside of the structure? No structures may be higher than
1,5 m.

Shading
Is all equipment suitably shaded, if no natural shade applies?

Maintenance
Is the equipment’s frame stable and free from movement?
Is the equipment free from rust, cracks or broken items?
Are timber items on the equipment free from rotten or
splintered wood?
Is all equipment free of protruding fixings and sharp edges?
Is the play area free of loose stones or gravel?
Is the play area free of trip hazards?
Is the play area free of tree branches or anything sharp at
children’s eye level?

Slide
Is the slide securely anchored in the ground?
Does the slide have built up sides?
Do the slide steps have a guard rail?

80
 M ONITORING SAFETY

Swings
Are the swings securely anchored to the ground?
Do the swings for children under 6 years of age have chair-like
back support?
Do the tyre swings have drainage holes to let out rain water?
Is the area under the swings filled with sand?

Sandpit
Is the sandpit placed in the shade or have a roof for sun
protection?
Is the depth of the sand pit at least 40 cm?
Is the sandpit filled with river sand?

Playground
Is the playground enclosed and gated?
Is there enough space in the play area for children to play?
Are all garden tools, equipment and chemicals locked away?
Is the area free of all poisonous or thorny plants?
Is the area free of any litter or dangerous objects lying around,
such as glass, tins, and rusty nails?

81
 Tool 11
Monitoring Maintenance

Ensure that your natural playground remains safe by monitoring

maintenance issues.

When do you use the Monitoring

Maintenance tool?
Preventive maintenance is an important part of managing your natural
playground. Once your new playground is built, it is important to
regularly monitor the state of your equipment.
When you have a maintenance programme in place, you will maintain
the performance and safety of the equipment on your playground. Regular
upkeep and consistent checks help you to avoid major damage in the
future.

Who can use the Monitoring Maintenance

tool?
• Individuals
• Groups or teams

How do you use the Monitoring Maintenance

tool?
Use the tool as a guide for monitoring the maintenance needed in your
playground. Walk through your playground and take note of the issues
listed on the tool. When you find an issue, comment about it in the space
provided.

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 TO O L 1 1: M ONITORING M AINTENANCE

Monitoring Maintenance

Broken equipment
Check for broken equipment, such as loose bolts, missing caps, and cracks. Be
sure to check for cracks in the plastic. If you do find a broken piece, remove it
(or block it from use) until it is fixed or removed.
Enter your ideas here.

Broken glass, trash, and fragments

Keep your playground clean by disposing of broken glass and other trash; this
can prevent cuts and unsanitary conditions.
Enter your ideas here.

Loose anchoring
Check that all play equipment higher than 50 cm is anchored or firmly fixed to
the ground. If you find equipment that is not anchored, remove it (or block it
from use) until it is fixed or removed.
Enter your ideas here.

Insect damage
Insects can damage wooden equipment. Keep in mind that, if you include
natural materials in your play area, they will require annual upkeep. You
should check for rough spots and regularly sand them down to help prevent
splinters.
Enter your ideas here.

Animals, rodents, and pests

Make sure there are no animals, rodents, or pests in hollows and hide-outs in
the playground.
Enter your ideas here.

84
 MO NITORING M AINTENANCE

Problems with surface under play equipment

Is the surfacing underneath equipment well maintained? For example, does it
have at least 300 mm depth of loose fill material underneath? Check high-use
areas, such as under swings and slides, regularly and fill up if necessary. An
easy trick is to mark the ideal surfacing depths on the equipment’s ‘legs’.
Enter your ideas here.

User modifications
Check if children have tied ropes or other things to parts or equipment or if
have they left things out of place.
Enter your ideas here.

Rusted or corroded metals

Metal becomes weak (and dangerous) where it rusts or corrodes. Check
carefully where metals come into contact with the ground. It is also important
to check between each piece of swing chain and connection points on the
swing frame.
Enter your ideas here.

Tyres
Remember tyres are a fire hazard and should be stored safely. Drill holes in
tyres to make sure water can not get trapped inside. Make sure the tyres have
no metal wires sticking out.
Enter your ideas here.

85
 Tool 12
Evaluate Results

Ensure that the natural playground offers a variety of opportunities by

evaluating it against developmental play needs.

When do you use the Evaluate Results tool?

When you evaluate, you want to establish if your playground is offering
play opportunities that will impact on the holistic development of
children. The evaluate results tool helps you to check that as many as
possible of the developmental play needs of children are catered for in
your playground.

Who can use the Evaluate Results tool?

• Individuals
• Groups or teams

How do you use the Evaluate Results tool?

Work through the tool to determine whether your playground offers a
variety of play opportunities for children. Mark if the listed opportunity is
available in your natural playground.

87
 TO O L 1 2: EVALUATE RESULTS

TIP
Evaluate Results
Does your playground offer opportunities for…
Use Figure 12 (page 23) to
refresh your memory on
the different types of play Physical play:
and the play opportunities Running, walking
in Section 1 (page 14) as a Crawling under and over
guide for the appropriate Skipping, hopping, and jumping
type of play for different Climbing
age groups. Sliding
Balancing
Rocking
Rotating and spinning
Playing with a ball
Riding scooters and bikes

Social and solitary play:

Quiet places to sit, talk, or think
Places to hide
Interaction with other children
Playing on their own

Creative play:
Sand and mud
Water
Natural loose parts
Recycled loose parts
Chalk, drawing, or painting
Music or sound making items
Pretend play items and places
Performing areas

Does the playground?

Encourage play
Stimulate the senses
Stimulate curiosity
Stimulate imaginative play
Support maths and science play
Support opportunities for communication
Encourage a love of nature

88
Facilitator’s Guide

Notes for facilitators

These notes were developed to guide facilitators of the Natural
Playgrounds Toolkit. To meet the needs of each individual group,
facilitators will need to adapt as required.

Target group of the workshop

This workshop will be useful to many people, such as volunteers on
management committees, managers and staff (at least ECD NQF level 4 or
5) of schools, provincial and district officials, social service professionals
who are employed by schools, ECDs, NPOs, DSD, sports and recreation
departments, and municipal officials. Organisations are assumed to have
specialists in ECD who are able to train using the toolkit.

Purpose of the workshop

People who attended this workshop and received the materials are able to:
• Describe the importance of play.
• Discuss strategies to engage communities.
• Implement a playground needs assessment.
• Develop a playground action plan.
• Track the progress and success of the project.

Duration
The duration of this workshop is a minimum of twelve hours. It can be
presented over two days or session by session on different days if it is
more convenient for the group.

Selection of facilitators
The ideal facilitator for this programme will have:
• at least five years of experience in the early childhood development field
• a demonstrated ability to work effectively with people whose cultures
are different from their own, including differences in race, religion,
ethnicity, national origin, gender, socio‐economic status, level of
education, age, etc
89
 F ACILITATOR'S GUIDE

• prior experience as a facilitator and knowledge of outcome‐based

training
• a command of the language of instruction and terminology related to
early childhood development.

Selection of training venue

The ideal training venue has:
• adequate free parking and easy access to public transport
• enough light, but also the possibility to make the room dark enough to
see PowerPoint slides, if the facilitator decides to use these in their
presentation
• air conditioning, fans, heaters, or other ways to make the room
temperature comfortable
• a place to prepare and serve tea and refreshments
• limited disturbances
• good acoustics so that your voice will carry
• enough space to comfortably accommodate your group and their
movement, including small group discussions
• toilet facilities
• accessibility for people with disabilities.

You must familiarise yourself with the venue beforehand, so that you can
check that you can set up the room as you require. This includes checking
for enough electrical outlets for a laptop and data projector if you choose
to use these, planning for your position with a table, etc. If you plan to use
a data projector, you must ensure that there is either a screen or a smooth
wall to project against; also check to see that the projector works so you
can make alternative arrangements before the audience arrives, if
necessary.

Toolkit package
• Facilitator’s guide (this section of the toolkit) that guides the
facilitator in implementing the workshop.
• Participants’ toolkit with information for participants to use during
training; this can either be access to the toolkit on an electronic device,
printed copies of relevant sections, or both.

90
 N OTES FOR FACILITATORS

Tips for handling the workshop

Prepare yourself with the necessary material to conduct a workshop.

The most important tool is you

See that you are neatly dressed and groomed. Use movement wisely and
engage your audience with gestures and facial expressions.

Set up of workshop space

The ideal room setup permits easy viewing of the facilitator and slide
Video: Workshop facilitation
projections. The facilitator should be able to move about and engage the
tips
audience. It should also facilitate ease of group discussions. Figure 17 gives
(https://www.youtube.com/
examples of possible workshop arrangements.
watch?v=hhutBzS8_8s)

Refreshments
Scheduling enough body and refreshment breaks is vital. Serving
refreshments is key as it impacts on the atmosphere and mood of the
workshop. Arrange for someone to help you have tea and refreshments
ready.

Tips for adult training

Knowledge of a few basic principles that underlie the learning process can
guide facilitators in presenting in a way that optimises participants’
learning.
Adults learn because they want to. They know what they need to learn.
Adults learn better by doing. This is why we need to actively engage the
participants in the learning process. Participant’s involvement has many
benefits. It can help to improve retention and generate interest.

Figure 17 Arrangement of workshop space. 91

 F ACILITATOR'S GUIDE

Training methods

Facilitator’s role
Your role is to serve as the facilitator of the group’s learning. A good
facilitator should be a neutral servant of the group. This is achieved by
focussing the group on the given task and overall agenda, suggesting
methods and procedures for achieving the task, protecting all group
members from personal attack, and remaining non‐defensive and
accepting of feedback with goodwill. It is importnant that you help the
group to reach win‐win decisions or a common consensus.

Facilitation methods
There are several facilitation methods utilised in this workshop, such as a
mini lecture, which is similar to a lecture, but shorter and actively involves
some level of group participation.

Multi-sensory approaches
People process information through different perceptual styles, including
auditory and visual. Using a variety of activities to create multi‐sensory
experiences can accommodate different learning styles and can help to
reinforce skills or knowledge acquired through other senses. Beside your
material, enrich the learning experience by offering opportunities for
individuals to share relevant knowledge and experiences. Involvement
techniques are a must.
Engage the audience with methods like seeking their agreement to a
statement, asking for examples or applying your own experience.

Group discussion
Group discussions can take a variety of formats. One form is the
structured discussion which involves guided interactions among
participants. The facilitator sets the direction and tone of the discussion
and keeps the group on track.

Brainstorming
The facilitator will pose a question or problem to the group and will ask
participants to generate as many ideas or responses as possible. The
facilitator records each response and at the end discusses the ideas with
the group. Brainstorming is an effective method of both generating
participant involvement and drawing on the resources of the group to
enrich the learning experience.
PowerPoint pointers:
If you choose to create powerpoint slides for your workshop, make sure
to practice the slides so you know them. Do not turn your back to the
audience and read from the screen. It makes you look unprepared. Rather
position the screen of your laptop so you can read from it but make
consistent eye contact during the presentation.

92
 US IN G P ARTICIPATORY WORKSH OPS

Using advocacy
Advocacy is when someone speaks on behalf of or in support of a
vulnerable group and their rights and needs with the aim of gaining
support or commitment.
When we advocate for natural playgrounds, we want to ensure that:
• The voice of children is heard on playgrounds and its importance for
healthy development is reiterated.
• The right of children to play is achieved at a nominal cost.
• The play needs of children are considered when developing
playgrounds.
• Those with influence in government departments create a supportive
environment for the implementation of natural playgrounds at school
level.

Advocacy for the toolkit

The goal for using advocacy in the Natural Playgrounds Toolkit is to gain
support and commitment from decision makers for the implementation of
natural playgrounds.
In Section 1 (page 9) of the toolkit, you will find information to use
when advocating. Depending on the audience, venue and the amount of
time available, you should plan your talk to cover the importance of play
in child development, and advocate for natural playgrounds as a solution
to providing play opportunities to children at a nominal cost.

Qualities of advocates
Effective advocates can influence policy and budgets by using facts and
strong relationships to educate government officials and the public on the
changes they want to bring to play opportunities for young children.
Effective advocates have:
• good communication skills to argue their side
• analytical skills to analyse the situation and argument
• good people skills to make and build connections
• perseverance to keep on trying until they succeed
• creativity to find different ways and angles to present their side
• passion and a firm belief in the cause they are advocating for.

Using participatory workshops

Most of the tools in this toolkit are specifically designed to be used by
groups of diverse partners and stakeholders.
There are two workshops that cover the tools. At the end of each
workshop, a task team is elected to summarise the information gathered
in the workshop.

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 F ACILITATOR'S GUIDE

Exploration Workshop guide

Pinpoint stakeholders and where to begin in the creation of your natural
playground by facilitating the participation of community members.

When should you run an Exploration Workshop?

Finding a starting point for your playground needs assessment can be
daunting. There are so many possible things that could be investigated.
This community participation workshop uses the community as experts of
their environment to pinpoint issues that can be explored. Certain issues
will be explored on the day, others will be identified and then explored by
a task team after the workshop.

Before the workshop

Identify facilitators: You will need an experienced person to facilitate the
TIP
community participation workshop. In addition you will need a
co‐facilitator to take notes of the group discussions and feedback. The
These activities can be facilitators need to prepare by:
done in one day or over • Reading through all sections of the Natural Playgrounds Toolkit and
several sessions ensuring they understand the process of creating a natural playground
depending on how much from start to finish.
time people have • Reading through the necessary tools in the Toolbox (page 41) and
available. The allocated these instructions for this workshop in the Facilitator’s Guide.
time and starting times
indicated can be adjusted Identify participants: Use Tool 1: Partner Finder (page 43) as a guide to
to suit each workshop as identify as many people as possible to attend the workshop. There should
needed. be at least one or two people per category.
Identify a venue: Find a venue that is in the community and close to
the existing playground you want to update or the site for the new
playground.
Arrange the workshop: Make necessary arrangements for the
workshop, such as refreshments, meals, stationery, and devices pre-
loaded with the Natural Playgrounds Toolkit. Arrange for a facilitator and
two or three note takers. Remember to check for any dietary requirements
of participants and cater for the special needs of people with disabilities.

Exploration Workshop schedule

1. Welcome and logistics
• 10 minutes
• 9:00am
Introduce yourself, explain the programme and point out the amenities to participants. State the goal for
the workshop and the group rules.

2. Ice breaker
• 15 minutes
• 9:10am

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Begin your workshop with an ice breaker. This allows participants to introduce themselves and feel more
comfortable.
Stand in a circle, holding a ball. As an example, state your name and a game that you enjoyed playing
as a child. Throw the ball to someone else in the circle. When they catch it, they say their name and a game
that they enjoyed playing as a child, or something similar, such as their favourite place to play. This person
then throws the ball to someone else, who shares a similar thing about themselves. Follow the pattern
until everyone has a chance to introduce themselves.

3. Set the scene

• 45 minutes
• 9:25am
Give each participant a copy of the Natural Playgrounds Toolkit to use as a guide during the workshop.
Set the scene for the day by doing a thirty minute presentation on the concepts in the booklet and why
the workshop is being held.

4. Define ‘where we want to be’

• 30 minutes
• 10:10am
Use Tool 3: Playground Dreams (page 49) to explore what you want to include in your playground.
Divide participants into small groups of approximately five people. Each small group follows the
instructions on the tool. Each small group provides feedback to the bigger group. Note takers should
compile a combined list of ideas from the group feedback.

5. Define the ‘who’

• 30 minutes
• 10:40am
Use Tool 1: Partner Finder (page 43) to define who has an interest or investment in your playground.
Divide participants into small groups of approximately five people. Make sure participants understand
the concept of brainstorming (page 28). Each small group follows the instructions on the tool. Each small
group provides feedback to the bigger group. Note takers should compile a combined list of ideas from the
group feedback.

6. Tea break
• 30 minutes
• 11:10am
Break for tea to allow participants to rest and relax with refreshments. As a facilitator, you can network
and answer individual questions or comments if necessary.

7. Define ‘where we are’

• 60 minutes
• 11:40am
Use Tool 2: Playground Map (page 45) to explore how people experience the playground.
Divide participants into small groups of approximately five people. Each small group follows the
instructions on the tool. Each small group provides feedback to the bigger group. Note takers should
compile a combined list of ideas from the group feedback.

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8. Lunch
• 45 minutes
• 12:40pm
Break for lunch to allow participants to rest and relax with food. As a facilitator, you can network and
answer individual questions or comments if necessary.

9. Define ‘what we have’

• 60 minutes
• 1:25pm
Use Tool 4: Resource Inventory (page 53) to explore what resources are available.
Divide participants into small groups of approximately five people. Each small group follows the
instructions on the tool. Let each small group complete the tool by brainstorming. Each small group
provides feedback to the bigger group. Note takers should compile a combined list of ideas from the group
feedback.

10. Define ‘where we are’

• 30 minutes
• 2:25pm
Use Tool 5: Issue Finder (page 57) to explore the legal and practical issues of creating a natural playground.
Divide participants into small groups of approximately five people. Each small group follows the
instructions on the tool. Each small group provides feedback to the bigger group. Note takers should
compile a combined list of ideas from the group feedback.

11. Define ‘where we want to be’

• 30 minutes
• 2:55pm
Use Tool 6: Risk–Benefit Assessment (page 61) to explore the risks and benefits of loose part play.
Divide participants into small groups of approximately five people. Each small group follows the
instructions on the tool. Each small group provides feedback to the bigger group. Note takers should
compile a combined list of ideas from the group feedback.

12. Tea break

• 20 minutes
• 3:25pm
Break for tea to allow participants to rest and relax with refreshments. As a facilitator, you can network
and answer individual questions or comments if necessary.

13. Elect a task team

• 45 minutes
• 3:45pm
Ask participants to nominate five to ten people to process the information that was gathered during the
day. Confirm that the nominees are willing to serve on the task team. If not, ask for another nominee.
Make sure to include people who work in the field of early childhood development on the task team.

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Visioning Workshop guide

Develop a shared vision and goals for a natural playground by facilitating
the participation of community members.

When should you run a Visioning Workshop?

Once you have had an Exploration Workshop where you have identified
stakeholders, problem areas, and services in the community, the next step
is to hold a Visioning Workshop for your natural playground.

Before the workshop

Identify facilitators: You will need an experienced person to facilitate the
TIP
community participation workshop. In addition you will need a
co‐facilitator to take notes of the group discussions and feedback. It is best
if the same facilitator and co-facilitator who ran the Exploration These activities can be
Workshop also run the Visioning Workshop. The facilitators need to done in one day or over
prepare by: several sessions
• reading through all sections of the Natural Playgrounds Toolkit and depending on how much
ensuring they understand the process of creating a natural playground time people have
from start to finish available. The allocated
• reading through the necessary tools in the Toolbox (page 41) and these time and starting times
instructions for this workshop in the Facilitator’s Guide. indicated can be adjusted
to suit each workshop as
Identify participants: Invite all participants that attended the needed.
Exploration Workshop and invite all partners and stakeholders that were
identified using Tool 1: Partner Finder (page 43) in the Exploration
Workshop.
Identify a venue: Find a venue that is in the community and close to
the existing playground you want to update or the site for the new
playground.
Arrange the workshop: Make necessary arrangements for the
workshop, such as refreshments, meals, stationery, and devices pre-
loaded with the Natural Playgrounds Toolkit. Arrange for a facilitator and
two or three note takers. Remember to check for any dietary requirements
of participants and cater for the special needs of people with disabilities.

Visioning Workshop schedule

1. Welcome and recap
• 10 minutes
• 8:30am
Introduce yourself and welcome participants. Summarise where we are in the process of building a natural
playground and where we want to get to by the end of the day. Ask for comments on the previous
workshop session.

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2. Develop a common vision

• 30 minutes
• 8:40am
Divide participants into small groups of approximately five people. Each group is to either draw, write,
make a poem, do a rap song or commercial or use any other creative means to share their vision for their
playground to the group as a whole in sixty seconds.
Each group has ten minutes to prepare, ten minutes to practice and then there is two minutes per
group to present feedback.
Your vision communicates what you believe the right playground will do for your children.
Vision statements should be inspiring and uplifting to everyone involved in the project and easy to
communicate. The statement should be short enough to fit on a t-shirt.
Here are a few vision statement examples:
• Inspire kids to play.
• Make time for play.
• Dream a playground.
• When kids play, we all win.
• Play – the work of children.

3. Results of Exploration Workshop

• 30 minutes
• 9:10am
Divide participants into five groups:
• Group 1 get the summary of Tool 2: Playground Map (page 45)
• Group 2 get the summary of Tool 3: Playground Dreams (page 49)
• Group 3 get the summary of Tool 4: Resource Inventory (page 53)
• Group 4 get the summary of Tool 5: Issue Finder (page 57)
Each group is to discuss the summary for fifteen minutes and then there is two minutes per group to
present feedback.

4. Finding priorities
• 30 minutes
• 9:40am
Before the workshop, write out the summary of Tool 3: Playground Dreams (page 49) on twelve separate
pieces of large paper. Each of the categories, (for example, Gross Motor Play,) is written on its own sheet of
paper with the corresponding suggestions from the Exploration Workshop written underneath.
Participants must vote for one item in each category by writing their initials next to it. Facilitator is to
count the votes, determine a winner in each category, and mark it clearly. If there is a draw, simply revote
that one category. Make sure to assure participants that the other ideas are not thrown out, they are
simply reserved for another time.

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5. Tea break
• 30 minutes
• 10:10am
Break for tea to allow participants to rest and relax with refreshments. As a facilitator, you can network
and answer individual questions or comments if necessary.

6. Develop the goals

• 60 minutes
• 10:40am
Use Tool 7: Formulating Objectives (page 67) to formulate smart objectives by describing exactly what you
want to achieve.
Divide participants into twelve groups. Each group gets one of the twelve priorities to work with (or
more than one if there are less than twelve groups). Make sure participants understand what they need to
do by going through the tool with them, using examples. Let each group complete the tool by
brainstorming. Remind them that they must keep the information discussed earlier (results of Exploration
Workshop) in mind when writing up objectives. They have fifteen minutes to do this. Each small group
provides feedback to the bigger group.

7. Activity plan
• 40 minutes
• 11:40am
Use Tool 8: Activity Plan (page 71) to see that everything you have planned can be completed on time and
on budget.
Divide participants into twelve groups. Each group gets one of the twelve priorities to work with (or
more than one if there are less than twelve groups). Make sure participants understand what they need to
do by going through the tool with them, using examples. Let each group complete the tool by
brainstorming. Remind them that they must keep the information discussed earlier (results of Exploration
Workshop) in mind when writing up objectives. Each small group provides feedback to the bigger group.

8. Monitoring and evaluation

• 40 minutes
• 12:20pm
Give a short overview of the concepts in Section 5 (page 37). Use Tool 9: Monitoring Summary (page 75) to
see that everything you planned gets done.
Divide participants into small groups of approximately five people. Make sure participants understand
what they need to do by going through the tool with them, using examples. Let each group complete the
tool by brainstorming. Remind them that they must keep the information discussed earlier (results of
Exploration Workshop) in mind when writing up objectives. Each small group provides feedback to the
bigger group. Discuss Tools 10, 11 and 12 with the group and explain when to use them.

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Use the following draft documents to tell people about your natural
playground.

Sample meeting invitation

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Saturday 18 October, 9am to 11am at The Most Fantastic ECD
Centre
Dear
The Most Fantastic Pre‐School is planning an exciting new
natural playground. Please join us for an informational meeting to
find out how a natural playground can benefit our children. Learn
more and come and help us think.
Many of you will still remember playing outside until your
parents called you. Today’s children are experiencing a different
kind of childhood. Television and mobile phones mean that many
children spend as little as thirty minutes in free, outdoor play each
day. Research shows that playing outside can improve vision,
reduce ADHD symptoms, improve school performance, reduce
anxiety, and encourage a love for exercise.
A natural playground provides simple structures and natural
materials that inspire imagination! Rocks, sand, hollow logs and
water encourage climbing, construction, experimentation and
problem‐solving.
The Most Fantastic Pre‐School values your input on this
project, and your support will help us to put a plan into action. The
meeting will be hosted by Ms. E.C Diva at The Most Fantastic
Pre‐School.
Please let us know if you can make it at 555 555 5555.
Yours in playing,
Ms E.C. Diva

Sample introduction letter to parents

Dear Parents
We send this letter in case you missed our last meeting where
we discussed the new way of play we are embracing at our school.
We are excited to announce that we are introducing loose parts
play in the Most Fantastic Pre‐School.
Staff will be encouraging children to use their imagination by
playing with resources including cardboard boxes, tyres, baskets,
old sheets, wooden planks and plastic gutters. These are called
‘loose parts’. They can be used in many different ways, allowing

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children to make anything from a pirate ship or castle to a road or

house.
Loose parts play will happen in and out of class time. It will be a
chance for children to play freely with friends, investigate, discover,
explore, create, use lots of trial and error to learn for themselves,
learn to make their own judgments about adventurous play, and
recognising safety limits.
Please ensure your children are dressed for the weather so they
can join in properly – they might need a raincoat or sunscreen, sun
hats, or a spare set of clothes depending on the weather.
• Staff and children will be working together to start the loose
parts play.
• Staff will receive additional information on loose parts play.
• Issues including how to use the resources safely have been
investigated.
• Children will be involved in discussing health and safety issues.
• All items will be checked initially and on a regular basis for
safety.
Parents and carers, would you like to come and see what’s
happening? Do you want to understand why we are moving to this
type of play? Phone me on 555 555 5555 so we can arrange a time to
meet.
Do you have any resources to donate? We will need loose parts
to keep things interesting.
Let us know if you’d like someone to collect donated items.
Yours in playing,
Ms E.C. Diva

Sample play policy

The Most Fantastic Pre-School recognises that:

• Children have the right to play.
• Play is the work of a child.
• It is important to have enough time and good places to play
freely.
Playing is one of the most important aspects of a child’s life.
Playing helps children be healthy, well, and happy.
Playing is the way that children learn best, and it makes them
positive about learning later in life.
Most importantly, playing improves children’s ability to
develop and grow.
We value the children’s urge and desire to play and therefore
aim to provide for a broad range of play opportunities within the

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school playgrounds before, during, and after the school day.

The Most Fantastic Pre-School recognises that:
• Children will naturally create and/or seek out challenging
situations.
• Some children may have accidents, get dirty, wet or upset when
playing.
• Any potential risk of harm to children needs to be balanced
with the benefits that free play offers.
We will do our best to avoid children getting hurt by providing
supervision for the play opportunities that we provide.
The Most Fantastic Pre-School believes that adults’ attitudes
towards, and understanding of, children’s play will have a huge
effect on the quality of the play opportunities we offer at school
and at home. We will, therefore, seek out training opportunities
and support research among our staff so that they are confident to
facilitate children’s freely chosen, self‐directed play. We will do our
best to advocate play with parents when we have meetings.

Using coaching
Coaching is done to improve performance and to develop specific skills, in
our case this is the development of a natural playground. Coaching
usually takes place on a face‐to‐face, one‐to‐one basis and has a very
specific planned programme with a short timeframe. For a coaching
relationship to work, it must be based on a foundation of mutual respect
and willingness to participate.
Coaching is an effective development approach because it:
• Develops competencies, skills and abilities.
• Provides corrective feedback to the participant.
• Empowers participants to learn and grow.
• Helps participants clarify their thinking.
• Identifies and solves problems.
• Makes decisions, implements changes, and overcomes obstacles.
• Provides flexibility in the learning process.
• Helps participants to implement new knowledge and skills into their
practice.

Coaching for the natural playground workshops

The goals of using coaching sessions as part of the Natural Playground
process is to work with the participant to solve implementation problems
and to improve the quality of natural playgrounds that are developed at
schools and in the community. The ideal situation is that each participant
is paired with a coach to reach these goals.

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Skills and qualities for coaches

Coaches assist participants to develop to their full potential. They help
participants grow and develop a skill by analysing their performances,
instructing in relevant skills and by providing encouragement. Coaches
should be:

Good communicators
Coaches should have strong written and verbal communication skills.
They must have an excellent ability to listen, good presentation skills,
ability to summarise information, and experience in giving feedback.
Coaches can recognise changes in mood and body language and adapt as
needed. They should also have the ability to write action plans, SMART
goals, and summarise discussions.

Knowledgeable on the relevant coaching topics

Coaches should be knowledgable of all the topics and tools covered in the
Natural Playgrounds Toolkit, such as early childhood development,
children’s developmental needs, play, natural playgrounds, loose parts,
free play, design processes, and the grade R curriculum.

Experienced in training or coaching sessions

For example, they should have experience in generating new ideas,
encouraging participation, managing disagreements, facilitating a
process, and guiding participants.

Strong in soft skills

Coaches should be emotionally intelligent, be good with people and able
to establish trust and rapport with people. Coaches can build warm,
confidence‐inspiring relationships.

Non-judgmental, respectful, and accepting of other people

Coaches should remain objective and impartial and be understanding and
compassionate of the participant and maintain confidentiality.

Respectful
A coach does not treat participants like children, wanting to solve their
problems for them, rather a coach sees the participant as able,
responsible, resourceful and capable to choose.

Up to date
A coach is willing to commit time and energy to learn coaching skills.

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Coaching do’s Coaching don’ts

Serve as a facilitator. Tell participants what to do.

Serve as a non-judgemental outsider. Grade participants’ ideas, plans or

actions.

Use a defined model. Dictate all the details.

Ask questions. Provide answers or solve problems.

Listen. Be the expert.

Ask for details. Dwell on mistakes.

Serve as a sounding board. Act as a therapist.

Challenge perceptions. Argue that participants are wrong.

Focus on the future. Dwell on the past.

Call for action. Insist or demand.

Challenge participants to meet their Be afraid to give feedback to

goals. participants.

Figure 18 The do’s and don’ts of coaching

Coaching model for the natural playground process

There are many different coaching models in circulation. The one that will
work well in the natural playground process is the GROW model that
stands for Goal, Reality, Options, Way forward. It provides a structure for
coaching discussions. The model places the responsibility for
development on the participant. They must come to the coaching session
with goals for discussion.
The GROW model is used as a discussion tool with four stages for each
coaching session.

104 Figure 19 The GROW model.

 USING GROUP STUDY

Stage 1 The participant brings the issue they want to work on and solve to
Goal: the session and writes it down. The coach uses questioning and
listening skills to help the participant to define exactly what they
want to achieve.

Stage 2 The coach uses questioning and listening skills to help the
Reality: participant define the issues that need to be addressed. The
participant talks about the reality they are facing (issues and
obstacles) and writes it down.

Stage 3 The coach uses questioning and listening skills to help the
Options: participant to identify obstacles and options. The participant
brainstorms obstacles and options and writes it down.

Stage 4 The coach helps the participant to develop an action plan to

Way establish what specific actions the participant will take. Gives
forward: feedback on the participants’ progress. The participant writes
down an action plan and makes sure to implement it before the
next coaching session.

Using group study

Group study is when a small group of people meet regularly to discuss
toolkit material. Each group is unique and benefits from the backgrounds
and abilities of all of its members. Forming study groups is a strategy to
supplement learning. Groups can share unique insights and learn from
each other. For group study to be effective, a leader that is more
experienced or has a higher level of education is a prerequisite.

Benefits of group study

Improve your notes
Comparing notes allows participants to fill in any information or
important concepts they may have missed.

Sharing talents
Groups provide participants an opportunity to benefit from the
talents and knowledge of the other group members.

Support system
Group is a great way to give and receive motivation and support
from fellow students.

It makes learning fun

Studying in a group environment breaks the monotony of spending
long hours studying on your own.

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Group study in the natural playground process

The goals of using group study in the natural playground process is to
create an environment where:
• Participants can motivate and encourage each other to progress and
avoid procrastination.
• Participants can bring and discuss questions about the toolkit
material.
• Participants can ask and discuss practical questions about the
implementation of the learning.

Group study sessions should include foundation phase teachers with

Grade R teachers. The group study can follow the structure of the guided
self‐study toolkit outline. Give members time (one week) to work through
a section on their own and then discuss that section at the group study
session.

Skills and qualities for group study leaders

The group study leader should have a higher qualification or more
experience than the rest of the group. They should be able to keep the
group focused on the agenda and goals for the day and keep the group
study session from becoming a social group. Groups can always socialise
at other times. They must see that each group member does their share by
preparing for the session and ensure that no one dominates the group. It is
important that all members have an equal opportunity to participate.

Forming a group study

Study groups are effective only if they are taken seriously and conducted
regularly with a key focus every time.
Use the following guidelines when forming a group study.

How many:
Group study sessions are best kept smaller with three to six participants.

Who:
Group study sessions should be have participants with the same goals,
such as working through, understanding, and implementing the Natural
Playgrounds Toolkit.

Duration:
Keep your sessions between one to two hours long. Anything longer is
difficult to fit into busy schedules.

When:
Try to have the group study in the same place and on the same day and
time every week. This will help people to remember when to attend.

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Where:
Make sure you do it in a location with none or very little distractions and
where group members can communicate freely.

Managing a successful study group

Decide on basic ground rules to keep order and structure

Make rules about participation, cell phone use, respect for each other,
keeping to the agenda and so on.

Create clear goals and objectives for every study session

Knowing what you want to achieve in a study session will help keep the
group on target and prevent you from losing track of time.

Be prepared
Unprepared participants are a frustration to themselves and the members
who did prepare. Each member should review the material and make
notes on insights they had and questions they want to discuss

Ensure participation
In this way everyone has an equal opportunity to benefit from the group. A
good way is to assign topics to each person to lead the discussion on.

Be willing to ask for help

No one knows everything, and that is okay. If there is a disagreement in
the group on a topic, commit to get the answers from a senior staff
member and get back to the group.

Stay focused
Before each session, someone should be assigned to lead the session. The
leader must ensure the group sets goals, is productive, stays on track and
achieves all the goals. Remember to take a break during the study session.

Using guided self-study

Guided self-study handbooks allow independent learning in a structured
format delivered entirely online or electronically. Participants are given all
the materials needed to complete the process without supervision or
attending classes. Guided self‐study fosters a self‐reliant learning
experience where participants work through the content provided in the
toolkit completely autonomously.

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Benefits of guided self-study

Fewer distractions
You face fewer distractions when you are on your own. This helps
you to get focused and stay focused.

Control your study environment

When you study on your own, you can choose the environment
that is perfect for you; maybe you like soft background music, a
desk and bright lights.

Control your study schedule

Some people prefer to work at night, others early in the morning.
Some need a break every 30 minutes, others can work for two to
three hours at a time. Some want to study every day, others want to
study twice a week.

Control your study agenda

Studying on your own gives you the freedom to spend more time
on a specific topic, even doing more research on it, if you are
interested in it or want to understand it better.

Guided self-study in the natural playground process

The goal of using guided self‐study in the natural playground workshops
is to encourage participants to explore topics and assist participants to
develop study skills.
Participants are required to keep a study journal. After each topic, there
are self‐reflective questions that need to be answered before they can
progress. The answers, in addition to any other notes participants wish to
make, are written in the study journal.
In addition, coaching and group study sessions are available to discuss
and clarify the topics further.

Managing to be successful at guided self-study

Before you start studying, clarify the following for yourself:

Are you ready to learn?

• Do you believe you can do it? If not, consider what you need to do to
believe in yourself. What is your mindset? Are you positive? Do you
believe you can grow?
• Are you organised? Do you have a place and time to learn? Did you
inform family members? Do you have access to the internet and a
device to go online? Do you have a notebook (study journal) and pens?
Did you switch off everything that can distract you?

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• Are you self‐disciplined? Can you stick to your decisions or do you

need to ask someone to hold you accountable?
• Can you be honest with yourself? Self reflection and self‐evaluation is
part of learning. If you want to improve, research information on how
to improve your self‐reflection skills. If you do not stop and pause to
consider what you have learned, you do not give your brain a chance to
evaluate and integrate the information.

Do you have learning goals?

• Set timeline goals for each module and the entire process and clearly
indicated when you want to complete it. If you are part of a
group‐study or have a coach, this may influence your timing.
• Set your own goals for what you want to achieve by completing the
playground.

How do I learn best?

• Can you sit quietly and read the material? Do you need to take notes or
draw pictures to understand the material? Do you need to find
someone to tell them what you learned so that you can remember it?
• Do you need to go and do what you learned to remember it? You can
read up on learning styles if you are unsure how you learn best. When
you know your preference, find ways to make it work for you.

How do I know that I am learning?

It is important to reflect on what you have learnt. After each topic answer
these three reflective questions honestly:
1. What information surprised you?
2. What do you know now that you didn’t know before?
3. What will you do better or differently from now on?

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Glossary

Action plan: A document that lists the steps that must be taken in order
to reach your goals or objectives.

Budget: A budget is a financial plan that shows what money you expect to
have and what money you expect to spend to achieve your plans.

ECD: ECD stands for Early Childhood Development.

Evaluation: The systematic process of collecting, analysing and using

information to determine the impact of a project; is it making a
difference?

Free play: Unstructured, voluntary, child‐initiated activity that allows

children to develop their imaginations while exploring and
experiencing the world around them. It is driven by children’s natural
curiosity, love of discovery, and enthusiasm.

Loose parts: Loose parts are materials with no specific set of directions
that can be used alone or combined with other materials. They can be
moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up, taken apart and put
back together in multiple ways.

Monitoring: The systematic process of collecting, analysing and using

information to track a programme’s progress toward reaching its
objectives.

Natural Playground: An area where kids can play with natural elements
such as sand, water, wood, and living plants.

Needs Assessment: A systematic process for determining and addressing

needs, or gaps between current conditions (where we are now) and
desired conditions or ‘wants’ (where we want to be).

Objective: A description of the thing that you plan to do or achieve.

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 G LO S S ARY

Participatory Workshop: An interactive workshop that involves

participants working together towards a particular objective. It uses
tools that stimulate creativity through working together and applying
participants’ experiences and expertise.

Play: Play is the work of children. It consists of activities that are

performed for self‐amusement that have behavioural, social, and
psychomotor rewards.

Playground: An outdoor area where children can play.

Resources: A supply of money, materials, staff, volunteers, and other

assets that can be used by the project to effectively achieve its aims.

Stakeholders (Partners): People who have an interest in realising the

project in favour of the children.

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References

• Penreach Research Documents

• Penreach ECD Handbook
• www.playscotland.org/wp‐content/uploads/assets/Documents/
CYWUResearchComplete.pdf
• www.firstthingsfirst.org/early‐childhood‐matters/
investing‐in‐early‐childhood/
• www.developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/inbrief‐science‐of‐ecd/
• www.gooeybrains.com
• www.childrenandnature.org
• www.childrenssafetynetwork.org
• www.playgroundideas.org
• www.inspiringscotland.org.uk/wp‐content/uploads/2017/03/
Loose‐Parts‐Play‐web.pdf
• www.kidsafensw.org/imagesDB/wysiwyg/
NaturalPlayspaces2015_2.pdf
• www.playwales.org.uk/eng/schoolstoolkit%20
• www.playgroundideas.org
• http://www.playengland.org.uk/media/70684/design‐for‐play.pdf
• http://valerianllc.com/wp/wp‐content/uploads/2017/11/
Nature‐Play‐Design‐Guidelines.pdf
• A Chance to Play Southern Africa. 2017. The Child’s Right to Play: A Policy
Brief for South Africa. Johannesburg: ACTPSA (http://www.a-chance-to-
play.org.za/downloads/
Play%20Policy%20Brief%20-%20ACTPSA%20-%20launched%2031%2
0May%202017.pdf)
• Children’s Act 38 of 2005 (http://www.justice.gov.za/legislation/acts/
2005-038%20childrensact.pdf)
• The South African National Curriculum Framework for Children from
Birth to Four Years (https://www.education.gov.za/Curriculum/
NationalCurriculumFrameworkforChildrenfromBirthtoFour.aspx)

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