Playground “De Wildernis” Sloterpark, Amsterdam - C-Change

offered. The meeting itself was very good and creative. It delivered lots of ideas for the
project team.
Children’s press agency
The children’s press agency is embedded in the curriculum of one of the neighbourhood’s
primary schools. During half a year a group of 15 children (age 9 to 11) got lessons on a
natural playground, they made interviews with different stakeholders, like de landscape
architect, the alderman of the city district, with people on the street etc. The report is
available on the website www.natuurspeeltuinsloterpark.nl
Parents panel
Input of parents, with a Moroccan and Turkish was still lacking. We decided to discuss the
playground in a meeting of mothers at one of the schools in the neighbourhood. They are
used to meet there and to talk about different topics. We discussed the natural playground in
one of these meetings and got insight in the ideas and dreams of this heard to reach group.
The meeting was very successful with a lot of comments on the design of the playground.
Results of participation:
Excitement and adventure
Especially the children would love excitement, adventure, action and discovery in the
playground, risks and areas to hide. They imagined games, they would normally do, but with
an extra element such as mud, water, building huts in the nature, swinging on ropes,
climbing trees, running and moving. Besides that they would also like an area to relax.
Feeling of nature
Parents talked about addressing the senses of children. Children should be encouraged to
explore nature. It is good to combine education with the feeling of feeling at one with nature.
Children, especially the girls like to nurse animals, watching and observing nature, birds, live
of insects, feeding ducks etc. The girls would like a place with flowers to relax.
Diversity
The playground should offer a place for small children and older children. In addition to that
children would like separate places for boys and girls. Girls preferred more contemplative
places, watching and observing nature, flowers and critters. Boys dreamt of places to
explore, climb, run and fly through the nature.
Education
Many parents indicated that the natural playground would have an added value by
constructing the playground with natural materials to have the feeling to be in nature.
Education seemed interesting to them. Education has to follow playing. The playground is in
first intention a place to play in a natural environment. Learning about nature and climate
change is an outcome of playing. Parents find it important that children learn about nature
and their environment, about what grows, flourishes and dies in the nature such as flowers,
plants, birds, insect and animals. Children said they like education in the playground. The
elements to play in the playground are very important and leading, like a search with
questions about nature and keys for following.
Safety and supervision
Parents find security important. They made a distinction between physical and social safety.
Concerning physical safety they worried about accidents, the level of the water to play with,
to keep dogs away, climbing in trees and on rocks can be dangerous. They suggested to
look for a soft underground. Social safety: make a demarcation to keep street children away.
Closing times will make it easier to keep street children away from the playground. The