You can't rush nature

A site inspection today has confirmed we have a green tinge on the wildflower meadow! The seeds have appreciated the rain and are starting to show in patches. Let's hope another month before opening will give them time to really have an impact.

Contractors are back on site next week to start the final push towards completion......watch this space.

Showtime

Mulberry Tree Gardens open their show garden at Sandringham Show today.

Their garden is in aid of Action for Heroes (both of them are ex forces) and they even have a Red Arrows flypast!!!........clearly they are well connected....(now that's an idea. I wonder if their people could speak to our people.........)

We wish Jody and Chris good luck for the judging today!

FREE Drop in and Play Sessions!!

With the Playground out of action during the school holidays we have arranged three FREE Drop in and Play Sessions. These will take place at Walsham Primary School on;

Tuesday 4th August 10am - 12pm
Wednesday 5th August 10am - 12pm
Thursday 6th August 10am - 12pm

These events coincide with National Playday an annual event with the theme this year 'Make Time to Play'. This theme will carry across to our GRAND OPENING of the playground, which will be a fantastic family fun day out. Please see menu to the right for events planned.

Busy planning...

The committee are busy planning a weekend of celebrations for the Playground opening.
The opening is a National playday event, which celebrates and encourages play. The theme for this years annual event is 'make time to play' How do you make time for play?

A really wet day

The concrete delivery had to be called off today because the lorry would've chewed up the entrance which is looking boggy with all the rain. The monster swing needs some heavy foundations to cope with 8 kids giving it some!

The small slide was lifted into position on the back of the small mound. This new orientation has cleared a potential bottleneck at the entrance to the tunnel and exit of the slide making it safer and encouraging kids to explore the 'ditch'.

Best laid plans

The edging posts arrived on site the other day. They were a little larger than we had anticipated, so Mia had to do a quick 'redesign'

..and the boys started putting her plan into action. It's looking great! Kids (and adults) will be able to run through these posts from grass to meadowland, balance on them, or use them as a seat. We're sure the kids will think of plenty more ways to incorporate them into their playground games.

The Sand debate

All current research is big on the advantages of 'natural play' - indeed that is why there is grant money available for creating opportunities in our communities for children to play in natural environments.

This is taken from a Play England website;

"Sand, water, boulders and fallen trees are all great things to leave about to stimulate play in a park or school playground. I have heard apparently sane people give the opinion that sand is dangerous for children, they are simply wrong. The beach is one of the finest natural play environments, just build a sand-boat to sit in when the tide comes in, or add a small stream flowing across it to be dammed up, and I could play all day."

Children know what is interesting when they see it. (Pyle 2002)

RoSPA states the following on their website:
'Sand is one of the most popular - and developmentally appropriate - pieces of equipment which can be provided on a children’s playground. It provides:
opportunities for creative and construction play
opportunities for fine-tuning physical movements'

RoSPA recommends that 'wherever possible the sandpit should be an odd or irregular shape to offer a range of spaces within the area to allow for quiet secluded areas for individual play. Small platforms for putting things on (for example, sandcastles) can be provided'.
In our new playground the boulders in the sand pit will act as small tables and/or seats to enhance children's overall play experience.

The sand we are using in our new playground is fine rounded play sand and complies to BS5665. Sand is by its very nature non slippery. The main risk associated with sand and sand play is if children get it in their eyes therefore children should be actively discouraged by their carers to throw sand. Sand, pebbles and boulders can be found in nature and children have enjoyed playing in these environments for many years and we are delighted that we are able to recreate this environment in our new playground.

Please look at the following link for examples of other playgrounds where sand has successfully been included in public play spaces
www.playengland.org.uk/resources/design-for-play-introduction.pdf

The fencing at the entrance

To enable us to create a much safer entrance to the playground we had to remove a large section of hedging. This will allow us to make a wider entrance which will be set further back from the road. We are going to reinstate the hedging where the old entrance was and also along most of the length of the new entrance. Unfortunately July is not a good time to plant hedging so in the interim we are fencing the playground in with chestnut pale fencing, which many of you may have seen on the site. We realise that this is not a hugely 'sturdy' construction, but, it is a cost effective and temporary solution that still allows a barrier to stop the children being able to run straight out onto the road. The native hedging will grow up through and around this fencing in the autumn.

Jungle drums....

The Walsham jungle drums did us proud this evening. David Moore had this wagon show up with our playground swing from Germany at 7.00pm, long after the contractors had gone home. David rang Kate (who didn't know WHAT to do) and then he rang a man who did.

R&D jumped to our rescue and sent up a fork lift to get the enormous bit of kit off. David is storing it until the morning when R&D can get it down to the playground for us.

Big thank you to David and to R&D for the rescue package. VERY much appreciated!

Legend has it...

.....that dinosaurs lived in Walsham millions of years ago.

Excavations in the playground have uncovered exciting new evidence.

Fossilized footprints

Ammonite fossils

and what are rumored to be dinosaur eggs...?

When the playground opens, will you be able to find them?

The playground roadshow!

We want to continue to keep people informed of the project,hence this Blog and also 'The Playground Roadshow'. Pictured is our publicty stand which we took along to the Walsham Primary School summer fete. This week we have visited the local toddler group with it and also the village post office and coffee shop.

Testing the tunnel

Playbuilder site visit

We met up with Denise Causier and Peta Jones from SCC who are working with us on behalf of the Playbuilder scheme. The site visit was very positive with Denise and Peta commenting on how well the scheme is coming together. Peta is organising the FREE drop in play sessions that we are providing at Walsham Primary School on the 5th and 6th August this year.

and today we are mostly....

surveying the site in preparation for the installation of the climbing nets and swinger in the coming weeks.


and digging very deep and very big holes!!

Thankyou....

to Clarkes of Walsham Limited Tel 01359 259 259 for their unbeatable support for our build. Collecting random fallen trees, supplying materials (sometimes at short notice) and for being all round good sports!

Who's coming?!!

Chris hears that the Primary School children are coming to visit!

The tunnel that will be buried in the small mound

Craig digs out the mound in preparation

The fallen trees are placed in the small mound.

Latest progress

The final shaping of the sandpit and placing of the boulders. Ready for play sand!

The Sandpit takes shape. The second wetpour was completed on Monday 6th July and the edging is now in place.

The Huck Swing is due on site today