Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds

10/02/2026

Fredericton High School has officially opened its new outdoor classroom! The school won this year's OutClass™ Outdoor Classroom Giveaway, chosen from more than 1,000 entries submitted by schools across North America.

William Milner, who teaches outdoor education and nutrition at Fredericton High School, entered the contest because he wanted his students to have more opportunities to learn outside the traditional classroom. He believes an outdoor classroom encourages other teachers to bring their lessons outside and shows that "this type of learning is valued and valuable enough to invest in."

We designed this space, like every OutClass™ classroom, for use throughout the year, so Fredericton High School students will keep learning outside through the winter months as well as spring and fall.

Congratulations to William, Principal Peter Batt, and the students and staff of Fredericton High School. Thank you for letting us be part of this project.
Is your school ready for its own outdoor classroom? Entries for the 2026-27 OutClass™ Outdoor Classroom Giveaway are open until May 10, 2027, and any school and childcare facility in North America can apply.

Find the details and enter at outdoorclassrooms.com/contestfaq.

09/30/2026

Orange Shirt Day began with the story of Phyllis Webstad, who was six years old in 1973 when staff at the St. Joseph Mission residential school in British Columbia took away the new orange shirt her grandmother had bought for her first day of school.

Her story grew into a national day of remembrance, and since 2021, September 30 has also been the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day that honours residential school survivors, their families, and the children who never came home.

Many families will spend part of today outdoors, and we invite you to use some of that time to learn whose traditional territory you live on. The Native Land map at native-land.ca is a useful starting point, and your local First Nation, Métis or Inuit organization can tell you more about the history of the land in your community.

We have learned through meaningful consultation with First Nations and Métis communities to design outdoor classrooms and natural play spaces around land-based learning, and today our team is wearing orange and learning more about Phyllis's story through the Orange Shirt Society at orangeshirtday.org.

09/27/2026

It's World Rivers Day, so today we're sharing a video of our founder, Adam, talking about how he is inspired by water. We have spent decades watching how water moves across land, and it still shapes how Adam lays out a playground.

If you spend an afternoon at a shoreline, you can see the water working around every root and rock in its way. Our crews build pathways through a schoolyard the same way, twisted and irregular, so children pick their own route.

We are surrounded by beautiful lakes, and each one is a design lesson in the making. Adam and our team never get tired of them, and we hope you find the same joy in yours.

09/25/2026

There is something special about seeing a kid run onto a natural playground. The first time they see it, their heads turn left to right. They don't know what they want to try first. Will they climb the giant sideways tree or run across the log stumps? Will they jump onto the logs or off? Whatever they decide, they never stay there very long. We've watched kids run back and forth until they've tired themselves out. And even then, there's always a giant smile of satisfaction on their faces. That smile is the first thing we think about when we design our natural playgrounds.

09/24/2026

Risky play is here to stay! We're headed to the Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario (COEO) Conference tomorrow, where our very own Darren Barkhouse will lead a session on the importance of risky play.

As parents and educators, it's instinctive to shield our kids from risk, but when we do that, we remove their ability to learn to problem-solve. Climbing trees and jumping off boulders can be risky, but they are also great ways for kids to learn to navigate the world around them.

Darren will share the risk evaluation mechanism we use when we create our natural playgrounds and identify the barriers educators face when allowing risky play opportunities.

If you're also planning to attend COEO, we hope you'll join the session on Saturday at 10 am at Camp Muskoka. If you're not attending and would like to know more about how we create opportunities for risky play, check out our guide: bit.ly/4riARSg

09/24/2026

09/22/2026

Trees or monkey bars? Which would you allow your kids to climb?

What if we told you that statistically, climbing trees can be safer? Monkey bars and jungle gyms are responsible for more childhood fractures and emergency room visits than almost any other type of play equipment. And there are so many other advantages that trees have over manufactured jungle gyms. Adam explains in the video below!
Remember the last time you climbed a tree? That was a good day!

09/17/2026

What do you see in these photos? Do you see a log?

Kids see so much more. It's a train, a dragon, a ship. It's the place where they learn and improve gross motor skills, a spot where they problem-solve and overcome challenges and fears, whether they're two or 12.
When kids play in nature, the play is open-ended, allowing different roles, learning styles, and personalities to shine through.
We spend a lot of time thinking about logs, maybe even more than the kids who spend hours playing on them. And we encourage other adults to see their endless possibilities. The next time you see a child playing on a log, stop for a minute and watch. That log is more than just a log.

09/15/2026

We're headed across North America this season for a lineup of conferences, sharing what we've learned about building natural playspaces that help kids and communities thrive. If you'll be at any of these, stop by and say hello!
: ASTC 2026 Conference: Sept 16–19, Phoenix, AZ
- Catch Adam Bienestock's session, "Scaling Nature: Harnessing Humor, Hope, and Data to Re-Nature Our Spaces, Regenerate Soil Health, Restore Immune Systems, and Replenish Joy." You won't want to miss this one.
COSA 2026: Oct 4–7, Crested Butte, CO
- Visit our booth to meet CEO John El-Raeb and the rest of the team, or join "Caring for the Commons Through Rough Play and Discovery: Partnerships, Stewardship, and Nature Discovery at Pikes Peak," led by Bienenstock's Shane Brown, PLA, ASLA, and the City of Colorado Springs' Skyler Rorabaugh.
Maine AEYC 2026 - Early Childhood Education Conference: Oct 23–24, Bangor, ME
- Adam Bienenstock delivers the keynote, "Getting Past the Grownups," while Bienenstock leads a session on "Unraveling the Mystery of Loose Parts."

Will we see you there? Let us know in the comments!

09/10/2026

Adam Watson of the City of Hamilton calls the Farmers' Market the place where the city meets, and on Tuesday morning it met a park that had not existed the night before. Our crew built it in twelve hours, with 35 feet of trees, green space, and log seating laid over the concrete on York Boulevard. The parkscape anchors the Fall Harvest Festival, which runs Wednesdays through Saturdays from September 9 to October 10 and is free to walk into. Inside the market entrance, there is a Three Sisters planting that pays tribute to local Haudenosaunee traditions. We welcome you to come sit on a log in the middle of downtown Hamilton.