Risky Challenge Beats Boredom At Playdays Playgroup

Staff at a Sunderland playgroup have installed challenging adventure play equipment to combat boredom and teach the children how to handle risk.

Playdays Playgroup offers childcare to youngsters from age one to 11 years and the new playground equipment is delighting and being used by them all.

Before the playground make-over the children only had a yard to play in and sometimes found outside play boring, but as one member of the Playdays after-school club said: “This new playground is mint!”

“It’s fantastic,” said playgroup manager, Jackie Collins. “It’s stretching all our children from the eldest to the very tiny ones. We sometimes have to offer the babies a helping hand but they really rise to the occasion.

“We think taking risks in a safe environment is very important. In this day and age when all risk is being taken away from our children we are giving them some back because you have to learn how to deal with it!”

Mrs Collins explained that, after lots of fund raising and grant applications, the expertise of award-winning playground equipment provider, Playforce, was called on to design a timber trail to satisfy everyone’s needs.

The children played a part in choosing the playground equipment and the finished result was a series of six obstacles including a swinging bridge, climbing wall, stepping posts, rope traverse, log bridge and stepping tyres.

Playforce prides itself on the ability to create play areas that stimulate children’s imaginations and improve social behaviour at the same time as stretching their muscles. Each piece of play equipment is designed to work on developing specific areas of the body and motor-skills.

Mrs Collins said they had chosen Playforce after a recommendation from the head teacher of a nearby school who was very please with her Playforce equipment.

“We are all so happy with this new playground and Playforce couldn’t have made it an easier experience, we’ll be recommending them as well from now on!” she said.