
Sam Leone Beach Park Nature Play Area
Location
Rogers Park, Chicago
Photographer
Self-Captured
This pro-bono effort is a special one for us. Located in Paul's neighborhood, where his own kids play regularly, we partnered with the Chicago Park District to add a "nature play" circuit around an existing playground.
We turned the simple materials that the Park District had readily available, including fallen trees and braided rope, into tunnels, balance beams, steppers, posts, and other ways of avoiding the hot lava surrounding this unique site.
An ever-changing collection of large sticks and branches provides the raw material for building forts and structures of all kinds.
Nodes at opposite corners provide natural gathering spaces and treasure chambers for collecting sticks, rocks, monsters, humans, and other animals.
A KIDS ONLY entrance leads through a magic hedge into another world beyond the typical playground.