Sustainable playgrounds for schools
Our Rubber Playgrounds combine sustainability with endless opportunities for self-organised, imaginative play. Made from stretchy, bouncy, repurposed rubber, the hanging vines and spider-web nets enable dynamic and adventurous play in a hazard-free environment.
With our playgrounds, you can delight children while instilling eco-conscious values – a step towards a livelier, safer, and more sustainable world.
Designed with schools in mind
The Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) Programme conducted research into the impact of different types of play on children and found:
The intrinsic value of playtime stems from children’s enjoyment of self-organised play.
Children need opportunities for greater engagement in a range of movements and moderate to vigorous physical activities.
Our first school client who commissioned the Rubber Playground has been awarded a Platinum OPAL award for play. The flexibility, durability and versatility of the rubber structures foster children’s limitless creativity and opportunities to challenge themselves. These opportunities and skills are linked to improved behaviour (during playtime and after) improved wellbeing and skill development. Furthermore, the sustainable nature of the playground provides opportunities to educate children on the Circular Economy (see the FAQs below).
Risk taking… safely
We understand schools and parents want to feel confident that kids can challenge themselves in a safe environment. All our playgrounds are guaranteed to pass the required safety inspection by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA). We have conducted extensive research and prototyping to ensure materials are repurposed into safe, clean and robust playspaces that are challenging, dynamic and fit for years of climbing and rough-play outdoors.
Truly sustainable
The world is awash with products labelled ‘sustainable’ that are anything but. In our case we mean it, and are happy to show our working! We collect our raw materials from local bike shops using pedal power - re-valued bicycle tyres, diverting landfill - which we clean, remove the steel bead (which we use to make cables for our swings) and weave them together to create the bouncy vines for the 100% sustainable playgrounds. Due to the nature of the high-tech rubber in bicycle tyres, the playground is ready for years of service. It can also be adapted and installed and uninstalled easily. This means as well as permanent installations, they’re also a great option for providing extra play opportunities in temporary spaces.
The rubber playground
The Rubber Playground combines a novel material with a unique design. Your playground is designed to perfectly meet the specification and needs of your space. In this way, no two playgrounds are the same. There’s also the opportunity to change the design of your playground regularly to keep things interesting.
The rubber we use has the following amazing properties that make it the perfect material for playgrounds:
Water resistant - perfect for the UK climate
UV-stable - built to last outside
Flexible, stretchy and bendy - that dynamic element
Abundant - limitless supply with no environmental impact
Sustainable - diverting a waste stream from landfill
Strength - years of service
Creating your playground
How to get your own recycled playground designed, fabricated and installed
-
Call us to discuss, then we come for a site visit and design discussion, and give you a bespoke design and quote
-
To make it a rich learning experience where the children can be involved in designing and shaping their playspace, learn about circular design and making, we can run workshops for students, parents and teachers to build a sense of control and ownership of the school environment
-
Lead times vary on the size of the project, but are usually 4-6 weeks. We can work around school holidays and any deadlines you have, just get in touch to discuss
FAQs
-
It depends, but design, fabrication and installation starts from £3000. As each playground is different, the cost varies with size, complexity, supporting structures vs trees, height, the need for surfacing, site location and whether the school community will be involved. We are keen to offer as low a price as possible to ensure take up of this low environmental impact product over the problematic alternatives. For state schools we operate a non-profit model, ensuring the best value for your hard-won funds.
-
The circular economy is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended. In practice, it implies reducing waste to a minimum. Other school playgrounds typically use concrete or steel. These materials are responsible for 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, trap heat and come with additional costs and problems when it comes to their removal.
-
Yes, we love to pass on our knowledge and foster the empowerment to create and change our environment for good. We can work with you, or design bespoke engagement package for students and/or the whole school community to go through any or all the stages of: design, prototype, gather and process materials to the installation and commissioning. Just get in touch to find out more
-
Get in touch with us to find out more. Free no obligation phone consultation about your playground. Call us on 07905 971 635 or email infor@rootandshoot.co.uk or contact us
-
![Testimonial-profile-Rob]()
“Hands down the best playground. Carbon neutral, allows for climbing, hanging (that we desperately needed) and exploratory free play. It's also full of unexpected things that the children discover like the chess board and hoop throwing”
Rob Evans, Teacher, Forest School leader and Play lead
-
![testimonial-picture-Emily]()
“Our children love the play space that has been created. Strong and bouncy it allows for so many of the different play types and great that it is made from recycled materials."
Emily Bruggy, Assistant Head Teacher and Inclusion Leader, SENCo, Behaviour and well-being
-
![Testimonial-Rachel]()
“Honoured to have the first of its kind in the UK, so imaginative and dynamic, and allows the children to move in ways that the other equipment does not.”
Rachel Peters, Teacher, Eco school and OPAL lead
