FAQ's Adventure Park Project

Project Description     

The Nakusp Natural Adventure Park will consist of a collection of 4 to 6 unique areas or zones, developed in phases as funding allows, which encourage children of ages 2 to 12 to meet, socialize, learn and play. The areas will be equipped with structures formed from natural materials (such as trees and rocks) which act as climbing walls, fairy castles, dens, … or whatever the children’s imagination conjures up. Accessibility to the features in the Park will be a key aspect of the design.

The project has incorporated feedback from the community through an “Idea Jamming” event to which Nakupsians, especially children, were invited to express their desires. Over 75 separate ideas were captured and will be integrated into the design.

The internationally recognized firm of Bienenstock Design and Consulting has been engaged to develop the design of the Park. Their work is based on extensive research into the benefits to children of different types of play and we anticipate that the Park will have a positive effect on children’s health, their schoolwork and their social behaviour. Natural playgrounds have been found to engage children for much longer periods than the typical “steel and plastic” playgrounds, thus having a greater impact on reducing “screen time” in front of computer devices. 

We anticipate that the construction of the Park will be undertaken predominantly by local businesses and organizations, with much of the natural material being donated.

What need(s) will be addressed by the Adventure Park?

Currently, the existing playground is critically underused by our community. Despite the natural beauty of the wooded area and its adjacent facilities of the pavilion, the beach, the Community Recreation Centre, and the Early Childhood centre, it is a lonely place without many children utilizing it throughout the day. The newer play structure is not attracting children and families to come and stay and to play and meet with each other. The old structure is non-compliant with CSA requirements and must be removed. This provides us with the opportunity to build something that reflects the community and leverages our current capacity and talents to create a park that will greatly enhance children’s play and the natural beauty of the area. 

The existing playground creates little incentive to for our children to stop, play, learn, and socialize together. We need play features and gathering spaces in this park that reflect and respect the beautiful natural landscape of Nakusp. Built by the people of Nakusp using natural materials from here, this community project will enhance this beautiful wooded area and improve the level of engagement of our community with the tourist families and visitors that are so vital to our local economy. Our children’s play opportunity will invite visitors to pause and play along side our community.

How will the Adventure Park increase participation or expand the quality and diversity of physical activity?

Unstructured, freely chosen, open ended, and fully sensory play in the Early Years is a precursor to physical literacy, balance and agility. Studies have clearly shown that balance and agility scores as well as cognitive engagement and risk assessment skills thrive in a natural environment. Yet, in such a beautiful natural place as Nakusp, we just don’t see our children out in our public spaces like they once were.

Studies on screen time show us that the average for our kids is close to 50 hours a week, while time outside with their peers is dwindling to just an hour a day. At the last Canadian Summit on Physical Literacy in Winnipeg the common theme was the dwindling fundamentals that young students were coming to grade school with. Myopia, muscle mass reductions, 30% drop in strength tests over the past 30 years require new solutions. Our kids need a fully sensory place to play together, a safe place that parents are comfortable with; a place that will hold their interest for more than an hour, playing in an environment that allows them to take and learn to manage risks.

Our park can be the play space where they regain those core skills that prepare them for a life long love and appreciation for play and physical activity.

Will the Adventure Park improve accessibility to physical activity for?  

The existing playground is not currently fully accessible. Play and sensory engagement in nature is traditionally not fully accessible. Nakusp is both a place for retirement and an aging population and a place for new families choosing to live amongst the beauty of our mountains, the lake and the hot springs. Mobility among the very young and the aging here is a critical issue. Accessibility to the beauty that surrounds us is a real problem and this project is being designed to provide accessibility to the physical aspects of play as well as the social aspects of play in a natural environment.

Gathering areas, pathways, and play areas will all be linked and made accessible but that is not enough. One of the fastest growing disabilities is that of sensory integration amongst children and the park that we are planning will address that. We don’t want to just solve the question of accessibility from a mobility issue, we want to solve it for sight, sound, touch, and smell as well. There will be ropes and nets with accessible surfacing to those features, various levels of challenge, contrasting tone of surfaces for sight, aromatic materials and flow that draws people together not just through our park.

How many new children will be able to access and use the Adventure Park?

Through the design process we engaged with over 50 children to discuss their needs and desires for this park. This is already more children that use the park currently so we know that there is a desire for this kind of enhancement here. The current amenities do not attract families in any significant numbers from either the rink or the childcare centre that sit on the edge of the park. Both of these groups are being actively engaged in the design group and will immediately boost our numbers here.

In several studies, in Knoxville Tennessee at the UoT and in Ithaca NY at Cornell, length of stay or time at play increases in these types of enhanced nature-play sites to as much as three times the time on a traditional plastic playfeature. This increase in time for the current users will help draw others to join in which will increase useage.

What is your plan to us maintain the Adventure Park?  

The Village of Nakusp will become the owner of the Nakusp Natural Adventure Park and will fully support its ongoing maintenance. Recreation Staff and Council Members have been engaged and will continue to be so throughout the process to design and construct the Park. This is truly a community project and the Nakusp Rotary Club is pleased to lead this project on behalf of our community. Our Community Project Team will be involved fully involved throughout and we are taking ‘Ownership’ of this project and will continue to support our children’s use of this worthwhile and greatly enriched sensory play experience.

Project Description  

The Nakusp Natural Adventure Park will consist of a collection of 4 to 6 unique areas or zones, developed in phases as funding allows, which encourage children of ages 2 to 12 to meet, socialize, learn and play. The areas will be equipped with structures formed from natural materials (such as trees and rocks) which act as climbing walls, fairy castles, dens, … or whatever the children’s imagination conjures up. Accessibility to the features in the Park will be a key aspect of the design.

The project has incorporated feedback from the community through an “Idea Jamming” event to which Nakupsians, especially children, were invited to express their desires. Over 75 separate ideas were captured and will be integrated into the design.

The internationally recognized firm of Bienenstock Design and Consulting has been engaged to develop the design of the Park. Their work is based on extensive research into the benefits to children of different types of play and we anticipate that the Park will have a positive effect on children’s health, their schoolwork and their social behaviour. Natural playgrounds have been found to engage children for much longer periods than the typical “steel and plastic” playgrounds, thus having a greater impact on reducing “screen time” in front of computer devices. 

We anticipate that the construction of the Park will be undertaken predominantly by local businesses and organizations, with much of the natural material being donated.

What need(s) will be addressed by the Adventure Park?

Currently, the existing playground is critically underused by our community. Despite the natural beauty of the wooded area and its adjacent facilities of the pavilion, the beach, the Community Recreation Centre, and the Early Childhood centre, it is a lonely place without many children utilizing it throughout the day. The newer play structure is not attracting children and families to come and stay and to play and meet with each other. The old structure is non-compliant with CSA requirements and must be removed. This provides us with the opportunity to build something that reflects the community and leverages our current capacity and talents to create a park that will greatly enhance children’s play and the natural beauty of the area. 

The existing playground creates little incentive to for our children to stop, play, learn, and socialize together. We need play features and gathering spaces in this park that reflect and respect the beautiful natural landscape of Nakusp. Built by the people of Nakusp using natural materials from here, this community project will enhance this beautiful wooded area and improve the level of engagement of our community with the tourist families and visitors that are so vital to our local economy. Our children’s play opportunity will invite visitors to pause and play along side our community.

How will the Adventure Park increase participation or expand the quality and diversity of physical activity?

Unstructured, freely chosen, open ended, and fully sensory play in the Early Years is a precursor to physical literacy, balance and agility. Studies have clearly shown that balance and agility scores as well as cognitive engagement and risk assessment skills thrive in a natural environment. Yet, in such a beautiful natural place as Nakusp, we just don’t see our children out in our public spaces like they once were.

Studies on screen time show us that the average for our kids is close to 50 hours a week, while time outside with their peers is dwindling to just an hour a day. At the last Canadian Summit on Physical Literacy in Winnipeg the common theme was the dwindling fundamentals that young students were coming to grade school with. Myopia, muscle mass reductions, 30% drop in strength tests over the past 30 years require new solutions. Our kids need a fully sensory place to play together, a safe place that parents are comfortable with; a place that will hold their interest for more than an hour, playing in an environment that allows them to take and learn to manage risks.

Our park can be the play space where they regain those core skills that prepare them for a life long love and appreciation for play and physical activity.

Will the Adventure Park improve accessibility to physical activity for?  

The existing playground is not currently fully accessible. Play and sensory engagement in nature is traditionally not fully accessible. Nakusp is both a place for retirement and an aging population and a place for new families choosing to live amongst the beauty of our mountains, the lake and the hot springs. Mobility among the very young and the aging here is a critical issue. Accessibility to the beauty that surrounds us is a real problem and this project is being designed to provide accessibility to the physical aspects of play as well as the social aspects of play in a natural environment.

Gathering areas, pathways, and play areas will all be linked and made accessible but that is not enough. One of the fastest growing disabilities is that of sensory integration amongst children and the park that we are planning will address that. We don’t want to just solve the question of accessibility from a mobility issue, we want to solve it for sight, sound, touch, and smell as well. There will be ropes and nets with accessible surfacing to those features, various levels of challenge, contrasting tone of surfaces for sight, aromatic materials and flow that draws people together not just through our park.

How many new children will be able to access and use the Adventure Park?

Through the design process we engaged with over 50 children to discuss their needs and desires for this park. This is already more children that use the park currently so we know that there is a desire for this kind of enhancement here. The current amenities do not attract families in any significant numbers from either the rink or the childcare centre that sit on the edge of the park. Both of these groups are being actively engaged in the design group and will immediately boost our numbers here.

In several studies, in Knoxville Tennessee at the UoT and in Ithaca NY at Cornell, length of stay or time at play increases in these types of enhanced nature-play sites to as much as three times the time on a traditional plastic playfeature. This increase in time for the current users will help draw others to join in which will increase useage.

What is your plan to maintain the Adventure Park?   

The Village of Nakusp will become the owner of the Nakusp Natural Adventure Park and will fully support its ongoing maintenance. Recreation Staff and Council Members have been engaged and will continue to be so throughout the process to design and construct the Park. This is truly a community project and the Nakusp Rotary Club is pleased to lead this project on behalf of our community. Our Community Project Team will be involved fully involved throughout and we are taking ‘Ownership’ of this project and will continue to support our children’s use of this worthwhile and greatly enriched sensory play experience.