Have you been to our innovative reimagining of soft play in Bristol? If you have then you will know, we aren’t really much of a soft play at all! We’re something different, something more exciting, and something we have reason to believe is more beneficial for little ones.
Instead of plastic-coated surfaces, you’ll find wood chips. Instead of suspicious-looking ball pits, you’ll find sand pits. We still have all the fun stuff like slides, tunnels and rope bridges – but ours have been ingeniously created by Touchwood Play using natural and repurposed materials.
So, why did we go to all of this effort to create a truly unique indoor play concept? Here’s 6 reasons that we decided to reimagine soft play in Bristol…
Wild Things Play Project in Cribbs Causeway is a sustainable indoor playground built mostly using natural materials. We keep plastic to a minimum, and where it is used – you can expect it to be repurposed, recycled plastic. We’re passionate about being an indoor play area with a positive environmental impact – especially when so many soft plays are made almost entirely out of plastic. 80% of the world’s plastic pollution could be erased by reducing the production of virgin plastic – and we’re proud to be doing our bit towards that.
We understand why it might seem like a good idea to pad and cushion every possible surface in a children’s soft play area. We want our children to be able to fully let themselves go and enjoy the benefits of play without risking injury. However, when these cushioned confines of traditional soft play are removed – we’ve found that children play another way.
When children a faced with materials and formations that they recognise from the natural world, they slow down, become more inquisitive, and engage in more imaginative play. In fact, studies have found that natural environments are more stimulating for child’s play.
Our carefully designed play area invites all types of play – from the physical (like climbing), to the imaginative (like role play).
Despite it being hard to imagine our lives before plastic, it’s actually quite a recent invention. When it was invented in 1907, it seemed like the answer to everything. Which is why it was used to make all manner of things – including the majority of children’s toys. While this certainly poses a problem to the environment, it also poses a problem to our immediate health. Recent studies have found a large number of harmful chemicals present in our everyday plastics – which is more than enough to make us wince when we see a baby chewing on a ball pit ball.
And while no children’s play area will be free of all germs, it’s comforting to know that wood is significantly more hygienic than plastic – killing most bacteria 3-10 minutes after contamination.
Our reimagined soft play in Bristol offers a quieter and calmer place to play. Firstly, our play area is only suitable for ages 7 and under – eradicating the risk of significantly larger children dominating the space. Secondly, we lack the garish colours of a traditional soft play, allowing children’s curiosity to be piqued by real-life textures and shapes. We also avoid playing music in our space, opting for calming nature noises instead.
Indoor play is an important part of a child’s development. It allows them to gain confidence in their ability to self-navigate, use their muscles, and enjoy a sense of freedom! It’s also a space where they can make new friends and work together on puzzles and games. We also recognise that not all children are ready to explore on their own just yet – which is why we designed a space for intergenerational play.
As adults we know that access to nature is hugely important to our mental and physical health – and it’s the same for our kids! Nature generates feelings of creativity, adventure and stewardship. However, playing in nature isn’t always easy when you live in a city. One of the reasons we created Wild Things was because we wanted to re-WiLD urban spaces, and allow children inner-city children the chance to experience the benefits of nature play.
Our all-natural play area has been designed with lots of wood, sand and bark to provide a play experience more akin to outdoor adventure play than plastic soft play. Taking inspiration from the Montessori theory of play, we’ve also got a wooden kitchen to fuel imaginative play, and a crafty corner where kids can get hands-on with natural materials to make masks, medallions, puppets and rafts. It’s the perfect place for kids to explore, challenge themselves, build confidence and resilience.
Find us in The Mall at Cribbs Causeway, right next to Nando’s!
Article written by Eleanor Margaret.
