Lisarow High School

Area:	Outdoor gymnasium / Outdoor fitness centre for students and staff strength and conditioning
Where:	Lisarow, NSW
Client:	Lisarow High School P&C
Installed:	2011
Designer:	Andrew Smith
Elements:	Balance Challenge, Climbing Challenge, Seating, Vaulting, Arm walk, Seat stretch, Chin ups, Sit ups, Step ups, Push offs, Hurdles, Monkey bars
Surfacing:	Soft fall mulch

Details

This outdoor gym was created by collecting discarded and rescued tree branches, which were then organically treated with timber preserve and constructed into this natural fitness centre. The P&C funded this project as part of Healthy Active Australia Community grant.

Melbourne Children's Hospital

The Gecko and turtle creatures for the Melbourne Children's Hospital have been installed and look wonderful in their new home! The children will love these natural surfaces and the outdoorsy feel of these cute creatures!

The new playground was opened by Queen Elizabeth II!

Nurragingy Reserve

Some articles about the Nurragingy Reserve project currently in development. The park is designed to be a more natural children's play space with natural materials and play pieces that are interpretive, and spark imagination.

http://www.blacktown.nsw.gov.au/news-and-events/news-releases/blacktown-to-build-australias-imaginative-childrens-playground.cfm

http://blacktown-advocate.whereilive.com.au/news/story/upgrade-for-nurragingy-playground/

An article on Nature-Deficit Disorder

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1744-6155.2009.00180.x/full

This article is from a pediatric nursing point of view, but it's very clear about with the current situation of outdoor play, the problems involved with the indoor culture of play, and some solutions and benefits of changing the way kids engage in nature.

The evidence speaks for itself! We need to get kids outside playing with nature and natural materials!!

Fit Kidz

Area:	Outdoor Playground and learning environment
Where:	Dural, NSW
Client:	Fit Kidz Learning Centres
Installed:	2010
Architect:	Fiona Robbé
Elements:	Cubby, Outdoor teepee classroom with seats, triangular two pier deck, bicycle arbor, wonky bridges, balance challenges, carved crocodile, natural play logs, boxes of building blocks, carved bollards
Surfacing:	Soft fall mulch, grass, hardwood, concrete

Details

This is one of the most natural playgrounds you will find. The playground has many natural elements and surfaces, with children climbing and playing on rescued trees placed horizontally, sliding through a hollow log and walking through a bamboo forest with various textures, noises and breezes. 

Lizard Log!!

The new Pimelea Park has recently been renamed "Lizard Log" after Timber Creations' much loved lizard!



The park was opened by Kristina Keneally on November 21, 2010. It was a great day with face-painting and performances, and the kids loved their new park.

Plus Andrew got to meet the premier! 



Natural Play

There has been a lot of articles in the media lately promoting the benefits of natural play elements for kids.

Check out this article from the Sydney Morning herald:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/learning-comes-naturally-for-some-20100123-mrnw.html

Fit Kidz at Dural has a great natural playscape that blends some of our pieces beautifully with plants, creatures and other natural elements.

Welcome to our new blog!

Welcome to the blog for Andrew Smith Timber Creations.

We will be using this space to discuss various things that relate to our work and interests. We'll be looking at things like recent publications, research and media releases concerning child development and fitness, natural timbers and the environment as well as keeping up to date with our recent projects and creations!

We hope you'll enjoy!