An existing slope and a narrow site offered some unique design challenges for our team. The result is a series of engaging areas.

Catherine Humphreys established Alpha Child Care, and its new playground was the brainchild of Adam Bienenstock and Catherine, although unfortunately the licensing and planning process delayed the completion of the project until after her death. The playgrounds are dedicated to her passion for connecting today’s children to nature and developing the sense of wonder that seems to be missing in our urban centres. The design involved four separate play areas that connect seamlessly between the spaces and age groups for which they were developed. Attention to the finest details of appropriate challenge for all ages—infants, toddlers, preschool and after school—were created in tandem with the pedagogy of the program.

Each area of this playground is sensory rich and engaging. The infant area has an amazing grass hill with the slide just the right size. The toddlers have clusters of serviceberry shrubs for convenient snacking. The water feature in the preschool area is fantastic. It starts on the top of a small hill and ends in the sand pit, which makes it ideal for making dams and creating sand sculptures.