Chestnuts Preschool – Making a space for outdoor play

Chestnuts Preschool serves an overwhelmingly underprivileged community in Haringey. Many of the children who attend the preschool don’t have any outdoor space at home, and this trend was echoed at the preschool. However, research has shown how outdoor play benefits children’s physical health, social skills, and even their concentration and school readiness.

The existing play area was in dilapidated outbuildings paved with aging astroturf. They had no external windows and the roof had been patched with tarpaulins. It was an uninspiring environment. A parent-led initiative took on the challenge to renovate the outbuildings, as well as an adjoining and disorganised storage area as an outdoor play area to support the children’s experience and learning.

Adopting low cost but effective design solutions the design re-used and upgraded the existing structures. A new world for play and exploration was created through the use of joinery, colour and depictions of nature. Using a woodland theme, joinery ‘branches’ provide a system for storage and play and webbing from childrens den building kits suggest a leafy canopy.

A local artist continued the natural themes in a woodland mural for the end wall,  and planting creates a natural border and defines the space.

Despite a tiny budget, we were able to create an appropriate, sensory, and enjoyable outdoor play space for the children attending Chestnuts Preschool.