Youngsters will be clambering over boulders, sliding down an embankment and balancing on logs and root balls at Hamsterly Beach playground once it’s transformed into a nature-themed experience.
The 33-year-old playground in Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park is destined for a makeover by mid-October.
A total of $200,000 has been allocated for the project by the Capital Regional District.
Nature playgrounds are aimed at encouraging children to make a connection with the outdoors and providing sensory opportunities for youngsters as they explore.
“In a nature playground, it may not be immediately obvious how the playground elements should be used because it is up to children and adults to use their imagination as to how to best engage with what they find,” said Christina Jones, spokeswoman for CRD parks.
“It provides a different play experience for children than a traditional playground.”
This is the first nature playground in the CRD’s park portfolio, but there are others in the region. View Royal Elementary School opened its nature playground in June 2018.
The school project included natural materials such as sand pits, native plants and locally sourced tree stumps and boulders.
The CRD has issued a request for a contractor to design and build a new playground meeting the Canadian Standards Association’s safety criteria. The opportunity closes April 9.
Plans should allow children ages 18 months to five, and five to 12, to use their imaginations while playing.
Jones said the park, which had about 1.7 million visitors last year, is the most visited in the CRD system.
“So this playground will see a lot of use.”
The existing playground is about 19 metres long and 15 metres wide, while the new play space will be about 45 metres long and 29 metres wide, the document said.
However, Jones said, the actual size won’t be known until the design has been approved.
