A Challenging Trim Trail For KS1 and KS2
Our playground consultant, Dan Young, worked with The Flying High Academy Ladybrook in Nottinghamshire, to install a magnificent, challenging Trim Trail onto their school playground.
The academy wanted equipment that would suitably challenge both their KS1 and KS2. Dan worked closely with the principle of the school to create a bespoke trim trail that would become progressively harder as the children traversed across the different equipment.
The Trim Trail
To meet the requirements of the school, we installed a fantastic trail that included a comprehensive selection of Trim Trail Equipment. With a variety of equipment, the children are developing physical skills including, but not limited to, upper and lower body strength, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, core stability, balance and co-ordination.
The equipment includes:
- Inclined Balance Beam
- Stepping Logs
- Log Weaver
- Walk and Stretch
- Double-Sided Timber Climbing Wall
- Parallel Rope Traverse
- Net Traverse
- Climbing Poles
Most people overlook the key skill development a trim trail provides, believing they only develop physical skills. However with the impressive combination of apparatus installed, it has created a group challenge, which encourages children to develop other key skills through play.
This equipment enables skills such as co-operation, competition and imaginative play to be developed: contributing towards the children’s communication, language and social skills.
The older children have been helping and cheering the younger ones on. They have been directing them on how to cross the equipment when they are hesitant and providing motivation that they can complete the challenge if they attempt it.
There has been a lot of “try, try and try again – you can do it!” being cheered across the playground.
Once the children complete the challenge they were once hesitant about, their confidence naturally increases - they feel as if they have achieved an incredible task like climbing Mount Everest. This has been brought back into the classroom with teachers hearing less of “I can’t do it”.
The children want to feel the same sense of achievement they felt outdoors: contributing towards their attainment.
A teacher at the academy commented that they were seeing how some children, though athletic, were finding parts of the Trim Trail more difficult due to a lack of physical skills.
Now that the children have an amazing range of equipment that meets the needs of all areas of development, they are fully developing in all physical areas they may not have done through sports or other activities.
Imaginary play outdoors has been enhanced, too. The children have been racing to the finish line pretending they are crossing a crumbling cliff edge before making their way over a falling tree trunk, clinging onto the branches above!
Playground Surfacing
To enable the children to use the trim trail equipment throughout all weathers, we installed our vibrant Artificial Grass Playground Surfacing underneath the new trail.
This surfacing ensures that the area will never become waterlogged or unusable after poor weather because of the extensive base works underneath - water can quickly and easily penetrate the ground, meaning the terrain never becomes too saturated.
A comfort pad featured underneath the grass ensures that injury is minimised as the impact is absorbed when the inventible fall happens.
Inspired by the academy trusts logo, we included a bespoke design along with a start and finish marking on the surfacing. The children will always zoom through the trail the right way. The markings also encourage friendly competition as they race to the finish line!
Through the start and finish additions, they are further understanding turn taking and sharing, too.
The colourful logo has been a fantastic way to boost imaginative play. By starting on one of the 3 coloured launch pads, the children race across the trim trail competing to see who can get to their colour at the end of the trail first.
Influenced by the old school game ‘the ground is lava’, the children have also been pretending the vibrant artificial grass is lava and they cannot touch the ground between the start and the finish of the trail.
So inspired by the children’s enthusiasm and the long lines of for the trail, the academy are looking forward to the installation of more Active Play Equipment in the near future.
Our playground consultants work closely with your school or nursery to ensure we meet your requirements and needs. If you are looking to encourage physical development through exciting active play equipment, please feel free to Contact Us, or view our comprehensive range of Trim Trail Equipment.
