Rossmoyne Community Kindergarten students will be able to get back to nature soon following the construction of their nature playground.
The kindy received a $67,000 Lotterywest grant recently to build the rest of the nature playground, which a group of parents started last year.
Kindy treasurer Amanda Spencer-Teo said the teacher, parents and especially students were all really excited for the playground to open next month.
“It’s been a dream of the teacher to turn the whole place into a nature area,” she said.
“Where it was, was pretty barren, it was basically just a large soft floor area covered with these amazing trees but there was nothing these kids could do.
“The Rossmoyne Riverton area doesn’t have any nature playgrounds either so it will be the first of its kind in the area.”
Nature playgrounds use natural materials like wood, sand and water in a less fixed way than prefabricated playgrounds.
Ms Spencer-Teo said research into nature playgrounds was finding massive benefits including improved cognitive function, increased creativity, improved interaction with adults, reduced ADHD symptoms and reduced rates of aggression.
“Researchers at the University of WA have found that natural playgrounds provide children with more opportunities than typical pre-formed playgrounds to develop gross-motor skills,” she said.
“Their imaginations open up tenfold.
“We’re going to have a mud pit so basically it will turn into an outdoor kitchen and they’ll make mud pies and things like that.”
She said the childrens’ faces had been glued to the window while the playground was being constructed.
The City of Canning and Member for Riverton Mike Nahan helped the kindy secure the grant funding.
The official playground opening will be on November 11 at 4pm.
