We are pleased to release an
online playground designer, which is absolutely free. This online tool will help you design a playground, estimate costs and your design can be shared with others. You are just one click away from getting started!
Online Playground DesignerThe BNP Team is pleased to accept the following awards:
Hamilton Spectator Profiles BNP, our awards and a local project:
The YMCA announces their commitment to Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds.
Click here for the full Media Release.
Globe & Mail report on Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds
"Adam Bienenstock spends much of his day playing outside with his two children. But don't get the wrong idea. He is actually working. As the founder of
Gardens For Living, the 43-year-old's goal is to bring children and nature together through the installation of natural playgrounds..."
click here for full article...
Tots Learn to Answer Call of Nature - Wall Street Journal
"Each weekday, come rain or shine, a group of children, ages 3 to 6, walk into a forest outside Frankfurt to sing songs, build fires and roll in the mud. To relax, they kick back in a giant "sofa" made of tree stumps and twigs."
Click Here For Full Article
Nature's Instruments
This is a deeply resonant instrument with tongues that resonate at different wave lengths. This is our most durable instrument and is made of heavy gage, powder coated steel in any colour or design you can imagine. It is an ideal instrument for hearing impaired children and often we find a child lying on the ground beside the drum, giggling as the ground vibrates around them. To purchase this component and others visit www.naturesinstruments.com. For more information about our the components and design of Bienenstock Natural Playgroundsclick here
More News about Natural Playgrounds
"A weekend Back to Nature conference inside a concrete-walled auditorium at the Royal Botanical Gardens Centre resulted in a plan to bring together parks, recreation, health, education, church and environmental groups to promote the benefits of getting children outdoors to play and learn." Click here for the complete article...
~Across North America and around the Earth, children in affluent countries are living a lifestyle that is setting them up for a lifetime of health concerns.
~Reasons why the environment and nature should be incorporated into the curriculum of our youths.
~This research can apply to all levels of education: Toddlers, Preschool, Kindergarten and up.
Toronto Sun – July 13, 2008
By Marilyn Linton
Play is children's work, someone once observed, while author Diane Ackerman wrote that play is our brain's favourite way of learning.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, play allows children to use their creativity while developing imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive and emotional strength.
Undirected play helps kids to learn how to work in groups, share, negotiate, resolve conflicts and learn self-advocacy. Pica couldn't agree more.
The happy laughing, the sounds of the instruments and the smiling faces of the kids showed quite clearly that there is hope for a great future as long as we decide to take part in changing the way we live and teach and being more mindful. Interactive playing for kids doesn’t have to include an electrical plug or an internet connection!
"For a playground to be considered a "playscape" the space should be as natural as possible... Using native plants, rolling hills, lots of trees; playscapes represent a natural place."
"In a September 2004 study published in APHA’s American Journal of Public Health, researchers found that exposure to natural settings helped reduce the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children."