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ALPHA AREA

Boundless™ playgrounds are designed to support the way children develop skills. This is age-related but can vary by child so new terms have been established. The ALPHA area is typically labeled for ages 2 – 5. Most often children will be seen playing individually or next to one another without much interaction. The environment should support two behaviors: repetitive (looping) activity for the development of physical skills; as well as gathering (branching out) practices for developing intellectual concepts by collecting, comparing, sorting and testing.

Cozy Spots - Child-sized spaces in the play environment support independent discovery. In cozy spots, children have a “place of their own” to explore new concepts. This can be enhanced by offering sensory activities or places to manipulate materials. These places also serve as a quiet area where a child can regroup from over-stimulation and provide a safe retreat before resuming play.

Circuits - Children engaged in looping behavior appear to complete the same activity over and over. As they do, they are gathering sensory information, gaining valuable experience and beginning to experience the concept of cause & effect. Planning and practicing ways to move helps them develop a system for mastering new skills. Circuits support this behavior by offering and combining at least two of a variety of movement opportunities such as climbing, crawling, sliding and balancing.

Vista - All children need to experience height for a variety of reasons. Smaller children who reach the highest place on the playground can see the larger world around them and begin to develop perspective of their own place in that world.

BETA AREA

Boundless™ playgrounds are designed to support the way children develop skills. This is age-related but can vary by child so new terms have been established. The BETA area activities are often incorporated into the two more traditional areas or labeled for 2 – 12. Having a separate area is ideal if space and budget permit. Children will generally be seen playing next to one another without much interaction or playing in pairs (or threes). The environment should support two behaviors: gathering (branching out) practices for developing intellectual concepts by collecting, comparing, sorting and testing; as well as planning activity for the development of games, rules and decision-making.

Manipulative Play - Manipulative play with natural elements, loose parts, and sand gives children of all abilities the chance they need to experiment and learn how things work and relate to each other. Activity zones and sand play areas enable children to collect, sort, organize, build and create things that are limited only by their imaginations!

Movement/Sensory Elements - Components are selected to help demonstrate natural consequences and observe cause and effect.

Activity Zones - A variety of elements are selected and placed within the environment in a manner to encourage creative, cognitive and social interactions as well as creating and playing games.

GAMMA AREA

Boundless™ playgrounds are designed to support the way children develop skills. This is age-related but can vary by child so new terms have been established. The GAMMA area is typically labeled for ages 5 – 12. Most often children will be seen playing in pairs, threesomes or groups. The environment should support two behaviors: planning activity for the development of games, rules and decision-making; as well as gathering together to allow for social interaction.

Alternate Play Routes - An alternate play route assists in the inclusion of all children in the play experiences. It allows interaction between children on the play structure and those using the equipment that connects, or is linked to, two or more platform decks. Even if they are not performing the same activity, they are able to communicate and be a part of the fun and games.

Gathering Spots - Children need places to gather together. These areas in the playground are where they plan their play and learn about social interactions.

Vista - All children need to experience height for a variety of reasons. For an older child, the highest place on the playground is a place to be in charge – organizing the play activities and interacting with others.

GENERAL

Choices - Offering many choices of activities allows children of different abilities to be engaged in play and supports decision-making skills. Each play platform should have three or more developmentally appropriate play choices for all children.

Swinging - The feeling of exhilaration that comes from the freedom of a swing is a pleasurable experience for most children. Within every play environment there should be swings, or another type of free movement activity, for everyone. Swings that provide high back support and arm rests should be included with unitary rubber surfacing provided up to and below the swing.

Safety Surfacing - The types and placement of safety surfacing within the play area requires careful planning. Unitary safety surfacing should be selected to maximize accessibility for anyone using walkers, wheelchairs or other support devices. Loose fill, like engineered wood fiber, can also be used in areas to minimize the severity of the impact of a fall.

Pathways - It is critical to have a barrier-free pathway to the playground that allows everyone to get to the fun. Within the environment, pathways create an accessible route of travel to all the features on the playground. Features added to the pathways like rumble strips and undulations create different sensory experiences.

Supervision - Benches should be strategically placed to allow parents and caregivers to supervise the activity.

Activity Transfer - Activity transfers are provided to allow children using mobility devices access to play equipment (slides, tunnels, etc.) that would otherwise be unusable. A handrail, grab bar or other device provides additional assistance.

Rigor and challenge - In order to develop an inclusive environment, it is critical to offer a variety of activities that offer rigor and challenge for children of different abilities. Visitors should find something of interest to engage them in play and challenge their abilities to help them learn. Even if not everybody can do everything, everyone can do something to participate in the fun and, best of all, they can do it together.