Kids give nature playground thumbs-up

Goodstart Early Learning’s new nature playground will be officially opened this weekend after meeting with a hugely positive response from children and parents alike.

The work was carried out by Nature Play Solutions and was completed in mid-December after eight weeks of work.

Centre director Emma Wittek said the playground was designed to allow the children to go back to basics in their play and let them discover nature.

“The way the world is going, some children don’t even get to explore outside or don’t know what it is to have dirt under their fingernails... we’re coming into a space that is very digital-minded and children need to be able to learn to be a child,” she said.

Centre assistant director Belinda Lees said the new playground allowed the children to take safe risks and build their confidence in their surroundings.

The centre will host a community open day tomorrow to serve as a grand opening of the playground for families to attend, when children and parents can inspect and test the new facilities for themselves.

The event will get under way at 10am.