Children to get their hands dirty at Elizabeth Vale ELS

Media coverage - The Adelaide Advertiser, 03 December 2011

The playground transformation at Mission Australia's Elizabeth Vale Early Learning Service (ELS) has now been completed.

Thanks to a generous donation from the Abbot Foundation, the playground at Elizabeth Vale has been transformed from a sterile area covered with artificial turf into an exciting outdoor space filled with natural elements.

The new playground includes a vegetable garden, outdoor discovery gardens, wooden play equipment, tunnels and bridges. Natural plantings have also been incorporated, including native shrubs and pear trees.

Regional Manager Early Learning Services, SA Laura Francis told the Adelaide Advertiser this week that a lot of research into early childhood showed the importance of children having access to the outside environment.

"We find, especially in the areas the centres are located, that children have quite limited access to the natural environment and when they do, it's not safe or engaging," she said.

• Read the full story here.

Image courtesty of Tait Schmaal and the Adelaide Advertiser.

Find out more about Mission Australia's Early Learning Services.