"It's like an imagination." — 13-year old Victoria Marceniuk, Winnipeg Free Press
Ducking through a child-sized door and dashing down a snaking tree-lined path brings you into Assiniboine Park Nature Playground. The playground was conceptualized as a place for childhood discovery and imagination. To realize that vision, Scatliff+Miller+Murray (S+M+M) embarked on an exploration of play which confirmed that for children to have rich, meaningful, playful experiences they need to have spaces that can be manipulated in ways as boundless as their own imaginations.
S+M+M created a space that brought cognitive, creative and active play all together. Features like the sand and water play area, elevated forts, musical instruments, and a garden inspired by the classic childhood board game of Snakes and Ladders each embody multiple elements of play: physical, intellectual and interactive.
This dynamic mix of play challenges kids, presenting them with the kinds of risks, learning and opportunities to conquer their fears and has kept kids and parents coming back.
The project's success would not have been possible without collaboration with talented Ken Beattie, Kaaren Pearce and their horticultural team; and with the enthusiasm and fortitude of the Assiniboine Park Conservancy led by CEO Margaret Redmond.
