Insect Playground
Ever wondered what the world looks like from a bee’s-eye view? Or imagined foraging through the landscape like an ant?
This year’s play experience invites children to step into the hidden world of insects and explore nature from a whole new perspective. Transforming insect habitats into larger-than-life play spaces, the playground brings to life giant honeycombs, buzzing pollinator meadows, cosy nests, winding tunnels and natural building zones. Children can crawl, climb, create and explore as they become the tiny creatures that play a big role in keeping Barking Riverside’s ecosystems thriving.
What Grows Again
Inspired by local bird habitats and forests, Bird Builders invites children to build oversized nests, build dens with natural materials, and explore nest-building play that encourages creativity, teamwork, and connection with nature.
Find out moreThe Beehive
Inspired by the remarkable architecture of bees, the modular hexagonal structure invites children to experience the world from a pollinator's perspective. As they move through the lattice and add new modules, they discover how bees build collectively, supporting imaginative play, teamwork, and an understanding of the vital role pollinators play in healthy ecosystems.
Find out moreEarth Playground
Earth Playground is a workshop delivered by Unit Lab, exploring earth as a natural, accessible, and regenerative building material. Often discarded despite its potential, earth is a sustainable mono-material that can return to the ground at the end of its life.
Find out morePollinators Meadow and Planting Workshop
The Pollinator Meadow will be an open-ended play landscape where children can discover the vital role that bees, butterflies and other pollinators play in supporting plant life. Families will have the opportunity to take part in planting activities, learn about healthy soil and how it supports biodiversity, and use discovery tools to explore insects and plants up close.
Find out moreNature focused Loose Parts Play
Make-Do Play delivers free community play projects across London, creating opportunities for children to enjoy child-led outdoor play with loose parts in community gardens, adventure playgrounds and public spaces.
Find out moreForest School Workshop
In this creative forest school workshop, children will discover the joy of working with natural materials and real woodworking tools. Guided by Wander Wild Forest School educators, they'll learn simple skills to stamp, shape and create their own unique woodland treasures.
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