Living Playgrounds, an Atlanta-based company focused on designing and building nature play environments where children can thrive, announces the completion of its newest playground at Woodson Park Academy YMCA Early Learning Center in Grove Park. 

The addition marks Living Playground’s second build for the YMCA of Metro Atlanta. The first is located at the organization's headquarters on Atlanta’s Westside at the former site of the E.A. Ware School, one of the City’s first schools serving the African American community. Both playgrounds were created for the YMCA’s Early Learning Centers, the largest provider of early learning in Georgia.

“As children return to school, outdoor play is such an important part of the day — and one of their favorite times,” said Lauren Koontz, president and CEO of the YMCA of Metro Atlanta. “We are thrilled to open these playgrounds to offer our Early Learning Center students the opportunity to socialize and explore together outdoors in a safe environment. The unique natural - and often handcrafted - spaces add a depth to their experience at school that can’t be found in a space that is stripped of all that nature has to offer our children.”

The two playgrounds were designed for infants through pre-K students. Fun features include treehouses, slides, outdoor “mud kitchens”, green-roof playhouses, sensory gardens, and creativity walls, featuring chalkboards where kids can write and draw. The team also imprinted concrete sidewalks with leaves and butterflies to add additional interest to the grounds.

“Our No. 1 goal when we design a playground is to inspire wonder and joy for the children who will play there each day,” said Cynthia Gentry, founder/president of Living Playgrounds. “Play is such an important part of early childhood learning and development. After being cooped up inside for a year we want to inspire, captivate and challenge the children with all that is possible outdoors. We hope we’ve done that by using natural elements that we find in our everyday lives and landscapes, but not usually found on playgrounds.”

Living Playgrounds uses biophilic design principles to create living play spaces that help children explore the connection between themselves and the natural world. Common elements are native plants, natural materials such as wood chips, living roofs on playhouses, and trees that become part of the structures. The team also loves to incorporate water elements and sand areas for experimental play.

“Children need places for experimenting and discovery, developing their natural curiosity, learning communication and cooperation skills and even exploring risk and resilience. That doesn’t happen in the same way in a classroom as it does when they are outside engaging in undirected play with their peers,” Gentry said. “We aim for these spaces to grow with the children and allow them to enjoy the outdoors no matter what their interest that day.”

The team also created nooks at both playgrounds where children can be quiet or meet with friends. Both playgrounds feature natural teepees where willow will grow and cover the structure. At Woodson Park, there is space to explore underneath the tree house with a little hidden seat built into the faux bois tree created just for the site. At YMCA Headquarters, kids can explore The Nest, a reading nook shaped with sticks and built-in looms for children to weave in found objects like grasses, flowers, and ribbon much like a bird would do to create home. The Nest even features a giant storytelling egg.

Living Playgrounds partnered with Collins Cooper Carusi Architects on both projects, as well as with ServeScape, which provided the native plants for the green roofs and sensory gardens. 

“The kids are ecstatic about these playgrounds,” said Andria McMichael, senior vice president of Early Learning at the Y. “We’ve heard some of them gush to their parents that they get to go to school in a park. Seeing their eyes light up, we all know we’ve accomplished exactly what we set out to do!”