Play strategy for England
This practical guide on nature play offers fun, simple and cost effective examples of play ideas from easily sourced materials. It will help Forestry Commission staff and other landowners or managers wanting to improve informal play provision for children. Its presentational style, through photographs, also illustrates clearly to practitioners and partner organisations what is meant by nature play.
Growing Adventure. Final Report to the Forestry Commission (PDF 1.7 MB)
This report sets out the activities, lessons, recommendations and outputs of Growing Adventure, a year-long project that aimed to develop the Forestry Commission’s activity around children and young people’s play and leisure. Central to the project are two connected ideas: that nature, adventure, challenge and even a little danger are part of the essence of woodland sites and make them ideal places for children to play, and that free play is a valuable developmental and learning process for children of all ages.
Design guidance for play spaces (PDF 341 kb)This short guidance note sets out principles for considering the needs of people who use play spaces. Our aim is to create naturalistic play spaces. They should encourage children to explore the natural environment and take part in active play where they have the opportunity to create their own play environments and activities.
Rope swings, dens, treehouses and fires (PDF 450 kb)
A risk based approach for Forestry Commission managers facilitating self-built play structures and activities in woodland settings. This should form part of a balanced management approach including risk assessment and inspection regimes.
