A child’s desire to play is, well, natural.
Getting outdoors in the winter is the best place for kids to blow off steam. There are hundreds of parks in Niagara, but there are a handful with playgrounds that encourage kids to be kids and connect with nature while they’re at it.
They’re natural playgrounds and these unique structures incorporate logs, boulders, slopes, flowers and trees for climbing, all to encourage healthy and positive relationships with nature.
How healthy? A 2012 University of Tennessee at Knoxville study found that children who play on natural playgrounds tend to be more active than those who play on traditional play structures with brightly coloured equipment or metal. They also stimulate discovery and learning — and, of course, fun for the whole family.
Here are eight natural playgrounds in Niagara that do that.
Queenston Heights Park, Queenston