Nshwaasnangong Childcare Centre

A nature-based playground that encourages active play, creative exploration, and sensory engagement for children of all abilities

At Nshwaasnangong, which is an Indigenous-led childcare centre, we designed a natural playground that invites children to explore, imagine, and connect with the environment. The space uses natural elements and open play surfaces to support physical activity, creativity, and hands-on learning, creating an inclusive and engaging outdoor environment for children of all abilities.

The natural play setting encourages varied movement and challenge, helping children develop strength, coordination, and balance as they run, climb, and navigate diverse terrain. By engaging with textures, plants, and sensory features, kids strengthen motor skills and enrich their sensory experience. Natural play environments also spark creativity and problem-solving through open-ended play, allowing children to invent games and explore at their own pace.

Designed with partner architects, this space fosters social interaction, confidence, and connection to nature giving children a place to learn, grow, and play in ways that are both joyful and developmentally meaningful.

A playground with wooden climbing and balancing equipment, large rocks, and a green lawn, surrounded by a black metal fence and residential apartment buildings in the background.
Close-up of wooden logs and ropes in a playground structure with a wood chip ground cover, fence, trees, and a building in the background.
A small fenced playground with a grassy area, pink flowers in the foreground, wooden structures including two blackboards or chalkboards, and a wooden climbing frame with a slide in the background. There are trees, a parking lot with cars, and an apa
A wooden outdoor display case with a glass front, mounted on a garden bed with pink coneflowers, in front of a gray building with large windows. There are a couple of stickers on the corner of the display case, one of a blue utility knife and one of
A playground with wooden structures, including a small bridge, logs, and a balancing beam, surrounded by green grass, a wood chip ground cover, a black chain-link fence, trees, and buildings in the background.
Wooden outdoor playground with logs, stepping stones, a slide, and a teepee structure. Building with dark gray exterior walls is visible in the background, surrounded by green grass, a tree, and a cloudy sky.
Children's outdoor playground area with wooden climbing structures, balance beams, and a rope bridge on wood chip ground, surrounded by a black chain-link fence and a building with benches and greenery in the background.
School playground with wooden swing set, grassy area, stone stepping stones, small trees, flower bed, and a gray building with large windows and outdoor furniture.
A wooden boat-shaped structure in a green grassy area in a playground, with a wood chip surface and a wooden play set with a rope and logs in the background, surrounded by trees and apartment buildings.
Wooden playground with a climbing wall, logs, and a tipi-style structure surrounded by wood chips, with a grassy area and trees in the background.
A landscaped garden with purple and pink flowers, a tipi tent, a modern building, and trees under a partly cloudy sky.
Modern building with large glass windows, wooden accents, and a concrete walkway, surrounded by a green lawn and landscaping with rocks and logs.
A fenced outdoor play area with a small wooden playhouse, a chicken coop with a chalkboard, a wooden bench, and plants, trees, and parked cars in the background.
A fenced outdoor area with a grassy yard, wooden pipe structures, and a small garden bed in the foreground. Neighborhood houses are visible in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
An outdoor playground area with a black chain-link fence, three wooden stepping stools, a wooden structure with a chalkboard, a rock climbing wall, and a small wooden house in the background. The area is surrounded by trees, grass, and nearby residen
Backyard with a small tree, wood benches, a doghouse with a green roof, a wooden fence, and a paved walkway under a partly cloudy blue sky.