Hydratots Private Day Nursery in Sheffield are committed to providing magical spaces and experiences for the children at the nursery. With amazing indoor facilities Hydratots wanted to develop their outside Baby Area and Garden spaces to further enhance the provision.

Outdoor Play UK were the preferred supplier and contractor through demonstrating that we fully understood the brief but were also able to create a wow factor for staff, parents and the children.

The Hydratots Baby area needed to be carefully designed to maximise the space and provide the babies with an opportunity to develop their gross and fine motor skills, and explore and investigate whilst factoring in safety. To achieve this we created a wet pour soft surfacing with spheres in vibrant colours to promote curiosity and interest. The babies are now able to navigate the space with greater independence and confidence. By utilising the wall space we were able to add tactile panels to develop fine motor skills and promote visual stimulation.

The Nursery Garden had a number of essential components that needed to be included; a covered shaded area, sand and water play, a central role play structure combined with physical play opportunities, mud kitchen and planter, seating, storage and surfacing with an imaginative play design. The biggest challenge was to meet all of these requirements within the space available and on budget.

Our ability to offer bespoke modifications to standard products allowed us to create a combined playhouse, mud kitchen and planter to utilise the central space. From this we were able to create a continuous roadway in black wet pour for wheeled toys to be used in a more controlled way. Furthermore, we maximised the perimeter of the area to include a water wall and tactile finger maze. Also by introducing freestanding picnic benches and skill build blocks this has provided the staff with greater flexibility to manage the space in different ways.

We wanted to exceed the brief where possible to provide the magical space and experience that is so central to the ethos of Hydratots. We were able to do this in two ways. Firstly through our surfacing design that used vibrant colours to create imaginative play through zones such as yellow wetpour to create a beach feel where the sand play was based, stepping stones and flowers to create games and storytelling, and zebra crossings to develop communication and self awareness.

Secondly we incorporated a rainbow coloured polycarbonate roof to the shaded area. This provides a magical covered space that reflects different colours onto the surfacing from the sunlight providing the children with a safe and unique experience within the garden.

Hydratots now have the outdoor spaces that allow them to take an already amazing experience for children onto the next level that can be used all year round.