PLAYGROUND RENOVATION
SCHOOL DISTRICT 203, NAPERVILLE, IL

MAPLEBROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGE AREA

Maplebrook Elementary School was ready for a new playground in 2007. After an extensive search they chose to work with Robert Collins, working with Recreation Concepts at the time, for the design and implementation.

The school had created a committee and had a very specific list of goals they wanted to achieve. Collins worked with them to exceed all of these goals and create an interactive, fun and active playvironment that has been a rousing success.

The playground, built in cooperation and partially funded with Naperville Park District funds, would require a small tot age play area to go along with an extensive school age area. The school already had an existing curb and surfacing area within which they wanted to contain the new play equipment. Therefore, the site planning would be as critical as the equipment design.

After a detailed site inventory, Collins created a school age structure with multiple points of access and egress, looping routes, and activities ranging from climbing to sliding to overhead ladders, as well as under-deck activities. This play structure not only fit into the site perfectly, it also exceeded the committee’s goals and created great anticipation as Summer approached.

In addition to the school age play structure; the committee wanted a unique and fun play event as a focal point. Large net climbers were just approved for United States safety guidelines, and Maplebrook Elementary became the first school in their district to feature one. The net has been a rousing success with the kids.

Swings and a small but activity packed tot structure rounded out the playground equipment.

LARGE NET CLIMBER

TOT STRUCTURE AND PAVILION

The Maplebrook Elementary playvironment opened to great fanfare in the fall of 2007, and has become a fun destination point for the school children as well as the whole neighborhood.