Welcome to the world of the Hamlet play structure. Toddlers and preschoolers will immediately not be sure where to start with the assortment of shapes and activities. When starting at the front, kids will immediately be drawn to the PlayPod Pedestals and Rock Climber. Like a beacon to little kids, they will be drawn to scramble up to the first deck to play on the Xylophone. Some kids will prefer to use the Access Deck to head up to the BigWheel to start instead. As they work their way upwards, they’ll find tucked away in the uppermost deck a Hideaway Bench with a Sand Chute next to it. At ground level underneath it, is a small wheel that when sand is sent down the chute, it will cause the wheel to turn as the sand falls in the bowl on the PlayCounter with Bowl. When kids are ready to switch places from the top and bottom the uppermost child can race down the DuoChute Slide while the lower one, after a quick jaunt on the PlayPod Pedestals by the PlayCounter, will find a way up to the top.
When choosing a playground it is important to consider where the components have come from. Conditioned wood or recycled metal posts are both opportunities to take part in environmental stewardship. Wood was once a staple of playground design, but as time has continued, it has become less common. But, wood and natural materials make for natural learning environments that can be important for children’s development. Several teaching methods use nature and natural tools as ways to reach children. On the other hand, the recycled metal used comes from items that would otherwise rust away in dumps. The recycled plastic comes from specifically milk jugs. As Americans, we tend to drink a large amount of milk every day. This results in millions of used milk contains every year. Even if the play set purchased only uses a few thousand of those milk jugs, its that many more that didn’t end up in a landfill. Your playground purchase can be part of the solution that limits waste.
For a similarly sprawling design, check out the Burrow. And for one without roofs, check out the West Hills.
