Playscape: Cultivating Children’s Connection with Nature Through an Outdoor Play System

The Problem

Research indicates that children globally are increasingly disconnected from nature, spending more time indoors. This lack of connection with nature is evident in reduced species literacy and a cultural shift away from nature-focused content in media and popular culture. Factors contributing to this disconnect include technological distractions, reduced emphasis on outdoor play in schools, and urbanization limiting access to green spaces. This lack of nature connection is concerning because it's linked to reduced well-being and less engagement in sustainable behaviors.

Nature-connected individuals tend to be happier and more likely to support environmental conservation. Given the rapid decline in biodiversity due to human activities, fostering nature connection in children is crucial for promoting sustainability. What’s good is that nature connectedness can be increased, and outdoor play can help get children engaged with nature and connected. 

Our Goal

Our capstone team, Playscape, aims to cultivate children’s connection with nature through an outdoor play experience.

Approach

Our approach features an iterative design process and includes the following activities:

• Literature review to identify research on outdoor play, its benefits, and its challenges
• Interviews with parents on children’s relationship with nature and play
• Interviews with experts on biodiversity, nature conservation, and science education
• Competitive analysis on current digital approaches to outdoor play and nature education
• Observational study
• Usability testing

Our Solution

Playscape is an outdoor play system that invites children to learn more about local biodiversity while engaging in playful learning. Playscape consists of an outdoor interactive installation and an accompanying digital application, focused on educational and sensory experiences.