Play experts from Wicksteed Playscapes, have developed a very clever and unique piece of play equipment which combines traditional play with electronics. The giant arachnid-shaped PlayAlive is interlaced with web-like climbing ropes with a central computer console that allows electronic games to be played via satellites around the structure.
Both individual and team games can be chosen and the satellites respond with sound and light through touch. The electronic system can be adapted to provide play for disabled children by creating linked satellites at low level, along a wheelchair friendly route or within a sensory garden for example.
Play expert, Stuart Wetherell from Wicksteed commented, “This is a real move forward in terms of play equipment design for older children as it really encourages physical exertion through presenting a tantalizing challenge. Kids are naturally competitive and this should really offer them exciting play that gets the heart racing!”
A recent survey has revealed that almost three quarters of children (72%)* are not getting 60 minutes of daily activity outside school and with obesity in children on the increase, this is a real concern. Some of the fundamental reasons for the decline in children taking part in outdoor play are a dependence on home entertainment; television, computer games and other digital media, as well as parents’ concerns about safety – creating a ‘cotton wool’ culture.
www.wicksteed.co.uk TEL 01536 410633.