LEARN TO DESIGN PLAYGROUNDS FOR CHILDREN
This course emphasises the design and construction of playgrounds and small community parks. This is a valuable course for parks managers or landscape designers. It includes playground philosophy, design of play structures (for function & safety), materials selection, community participation and park design.
COURSE STRUCTURE
There are eight lessons in this unit as follows:
1. Overview of Parks and Playgrounds
- Types of Playgrounds
- Big Toy Playgrounds
- Community Playgrounds
- Adventure Playgrounds
- Manipulating the Environment to provide for play
- Play Forests; bamboo, pine, eucalypt, deciduous
- Evaluating a Playground's value
- Checklist for Functional Value of a Playground
- Site Planning Process
- Planning and Design
- Insurance Considerations
- Planning Theories: comprehensive, structure, systems, advocacy
- Central Place Theory
2. Playground Philosophy
What is Play- Children interacting with the Environment
- Nature and Scope of Adventure Playgrounds
- Establishing an Adventure Playground
- The Adventure Play Leader
- Site Design
3. Preparing a Concept Plan
- Planning for Play; planning levels, planning participants, processes
- Stages of Planning
- Project Questionnaire
- Planning Principles
- Design Procedure Step by Step
- Minimising Costs in a Playground Development
- Catering for Disabled People
- Special Playgrounds
- Case Study Playground in a Child Care Centre
- Case Study in a Public Park
4. Materials
- Characteristics
- Comparing and Choosing Options for Construction Materials
- Barriers and Walls
- Fences
- Surfaces, paths and hard surfaced areas
- Safety Characteristics of Different Surfaces
Construction with Wood
5. Park & Playground Structures and Materials
- Components of a Playground
- Further Design Factors
- Using Plants in Playgrounds
- Buildings and Structures; gazebos, outdoor rooms, cubbies, shelters, sheds, belvederes, pergolas etc
- Planting around a Building
- Siting of Buildings
- Building Floors
- Deciding what building to use
- Earth Forming, Shaping and Earthmoving Equipment
- Checklist for Construction Issues to Watch Out For
6. Local and Neighbourhood Parks
- Considering Local Needs
- Fun and Fitness Trails
- Skateboarding Facilities
Multi Purpose Courts- Park Interpretive and Environmental Facilities
- BMX Facilities
- Motor Vehicles
- Case Study: Community Play Park
7. Community Participation In Park Development
- History, Attitudes, Philosophy
- Making a Working Bee Successful
- Community Gardens
8. Special Assignment.
Duration: 100 hours
AIMS
Determine the procedure to plan a park development, including a playground and other facilities.- Prepare a concept plan for a park or playground.
- Assess the design of park components, including materials and equipment used in parks and playgrounds.
- Determine appropriate design characteristics for a local or neighbourhood parks.
- Determine legal implications involved in the design of a playground.
- Design facilities to cater for movement throughout a park or playground.
- Manage appropriate community participation in development of a park or playground.
WHAT THE COURSE COVERS
Here are just some of the things you will be doing:
- Explain how an understanding of play theory can be applied to the design of a playground.
- Explain how the concept of recreational planning may influence the design of a specified park.
- Determine factors which distinguish park design from home garden design.
- Compare different planning processes used for developing designs for public landscapes, including: advocacy planning, strategic planning and community participation.
- Explain historical influences upon park design, in your locality, including: *local history *national history.
- Evaluate the functional depreciation of a specified playground over a period of at least ten years.
- Explain the significance of demographic considerations on park design.
- Evaluate the designs of different established parks, and their respective established playgrounds.
- Develop a brief for a park plan, through an interview with management of a specific site.
- Collect preplanning information for a proposed park design; through surveying the site and interviewing both managers of the site, and intended users of the site.
- Develop alternative concept plans for a proposed park development; in accordance with a real design brief, either prepared by you with a client, or obtained as a brief for a job being put to tender.
- Compare alternative concept plans in an interview with a client, or prospective client, for a proposed park development; recording the interview session on audio tape.
- Describe the design features of different items of outdoor furniture intended for use in parks and playgrounds.
- Compare the suitability of different barriers, including bollards, fences, plantings and walls, used in three different parks and/or playgrounds; which you visit.
- Assess the design of garden constructions inspected by you in a childrens playground.
- Compare various ground surfacing materials in terms of their application in park or playground design.
- Explain design considerations for earth forming, in a specific park and playground.
- Design a park plan for a specified site of 1,000 to 10,000 square metres, incorporating a themed play area.
- Prepare a costing for the construction of a themed play area, designed by you.
- Compare the appropriateness of many different plants for use in a playground in terms of different factors including: -play possibilities -hardiness -toxicity.
- Determine appropriate design criteria for the use of water in playgrounds.
- Determine appropriate functions for neighbourhood parks.
- Determine inappropriate functions for a neighbourhood park.
- Analyse different neighbourhood parks by both; surveying users and observing users.
- Evaluate the design of different neighbourhood parks, visited and studied by you, against different criteria including: *Function *Aesthetics *Maintenance requirement *Environmental sympathy.
- Recommend design modifications for a surveyed neighbourhood park.
- Explain the significance of danger to the childrens learning experience.
- Determine how different specific playground designs have been influenced by concerns about legal liability.
- Conduct a legal risk analysis of a playground which is well established.
- Develop guidelines for minimising legal liability in playground design, for an authority responsible for a specific playground.
- Determine design criteria for different types of trails in parks including: *Fun and fitness trails *Environmental interpretation trails *Cycle paths *Linkages between parks *Roadways.
- Compare the construction of different specified paths within parks with reference to: *Durability *Safety *Function *Maintenance requirements.
- Prepare a concept plan for a "specialist trail" in a park, such as; a fun and fitness trail, a cycle path or an environmental interpretation trail, following design standards in the industry.
- Determine factors which impact on the success of a park/playground development which involves community participation.
- Analyse community attitudes to a park or playground development, which has used community participation, by either: * survey * discussion with local Parks Department management.
- Explain how to promote community involvement in park development in a way which will optimise the chance of success.
- Determine a procedure to involve a community in the development of a park/playground facility, on a site visited by you.
RECOMMENDED E BOOKS -Written by our Principal and founder, John Mason
Buy, download and rad immediately on your computer, i pad or reader ... or download a sample extract for free.
Garden Design Volume 1 (e book with around 300 colour photos) http://www.acsbookshop.com/products/2243-garden-design-part-1-pdf.aspx
Garden Design Volume 2 (e book with around 300 colour photos) http://www.acsbookshop.com/products/2245-garden-design-part-2-pdf.aspx
Starting a Garden or Landscape Business (e book) http://www.acsbookshop.com/products/2241-starting-a-garden-or-landscape-business-pdf.aspx
RECOMMENDED TEXT
THE ENVIRONMENT OF PLAY by John Mason 2nd edition (publisher: ACS) Ebook
- Click on above link for info
- Sample pages available to download for all ebook
- E Books can be purchased online for immediate download (Can be read on a computer, ipad, iphone, lap top, most book readers or similar devices).
- GO TO www.acsbookshop.com for more titles
