Program wants to bring natural play space to the Battlefords
The Battlefords Early Childhood Intervention Program (BECIP) is looking to develop a “natural play space” in Central Park to encourage young kids to get out of the classroom and learn amongst nature.
At Monday’s city council meeting, BECIP executive director Coleen Sabraw approached members asking for their support in creating the natural learning space in North Battleford. She said getting kids out of the classroom and into nature can be beneficial for their learning process.
“Natural play spaces offer a wide range of open ended play options that allow people to be creative and use their imagination,” Sabraw said. “They offer a wide range of developmental benefits to children.”
Sabraw defined “natural play spaces” as a place with as little man made components as possible. Instead, the spaces have hills, trees, native plants, and other natural materials. The idea of a natural play space is to connect kids to nature. Central Park was chosen as a location because it is easily accessible by foot for most people in the community but Sabraw said she is willing to consider other locations.