Innovative outdoor learning space transforms preschool experience for area students
After a year and a half of careful planning and construction, Toledo Day Nursery has unveiled a groundbreaking nature playground that's redefining what outdoor play means for its 17 preschool students. The project, spearheaded by Director Chelsea Davis, represents a bold departure from traditional playground equipment in favor of a sensory-rich, creativity-focused outdoor learning environment.
"I had a vision in my head of what I would want my kids to experience," Chelsea explained, reflecting on the journey from the initial concept to the recent ribbon-cutting ceremony. That vision has now become a reality. A nature-based playground where children are truly free to be children.
Unlike conventional playgrounds with predetermined structures and limited uses, this new nature playground embraces the philosophy that natural environments offer endless possibilities for creative play and learning. The space is designed as a sensory-loaded experience that encourages exploration, imagination and hands-on discovery.
"Nature-based play is very open to creativity," Chelsea noted, contrasting the new facility with pre-made playground equipment that can feel restrictive. "There are endless possibilities when children can interact with natural elements and use their imagination to transform simple materials into whatever their minds can envision."
The playground features natural materials and elements that can serve multiple purposes, allowing children to build, explore, dig, climb and create, and includes an outdoor art studio, water garden, mud kitchen with a working water source and a quiet reflective area with a wooden swinging bench. This approach aligns with growing research showing that nature-based play supports cognitive development, physical health and emotional well-being in young children.
The Community Foundation awarded Toledo Day Nursery a $12,500 grant through the Toledo Neighborhoods Fund. Combined with other community partners, the investment in this innovative playground represents a commitment to providing the best possible early childhood experience, creating environments that serve children's developmental needs in creative ways.
The success of this first nature playground has already inspired future plans. Chelsea hopes to develop another nature playground within the next year and a half, expanding these innovative learning opportunities to even more young children in the community at their second location on Jefferson Avenue.