Our Spray Park Design Philosophy
When you are chosing components for your spray park you need to take into account:
- cost of the components
- space available on your pad
- water displays - amount of water the component provides
- visual appeal - aesthetics
- Interactivity - how the children play with the water
When chosing your components we suggest you use these tried and true strategies to get the most value for your purchase and the most play value in your park.
Tall Components:
- Tall componets look good on your site and provide street appeal but they are not the kids favourites unless they are interactive.
- If the component itself can be manipulated, ie. turned by kids running around it, then it will be more interactive and more fun.
- Dumping buckets are interactive and provide the element of of surprise.
- Tall components that kids can run through, not just under the water, also offer added play value.
Run through components:
- Water O’s and spray tunnels are architecturally appealiing spray park components that kids naturally want to run through. They also make the park look full and give it presence.
Water cannons or guns:
- water cannons are the most interactive spray park components. The appeal of water cannons is not necessarily shooting at each other; it is the ability to control and manipulate the direction of the water that kids enjoy. Ask any kid with a water hose. It’s fun.
- One way of looking at water canons is that a spray park is a safe place to engage in behavior that might not otherwise be acceptable.
- If you can have three water canons triangulated then then more kids can be actively involved.
- Locate them safely away from the passive play area where the toddlers will be.
Low interactive components:
- Components that are lower to the ground that kids can manipulate or turn and that allow them to touch the nozles and direct the water display are the most engaging.
- Posts with full umbrella water displays kids can duck under are very appealing.
Ground sprays:
- Ground sprays are inexpensive and deliver a lot of play value.
- Sprays that are high and full for kids to run through and to put their hands and feet on to manipulate and redirect the water are inexpensive and lots of fun
- Sprays or nozzles that are in related groups so that they shoot water up higher and fuller when kids cover up some of the nozzles gives the kids control of the action.
- Soft quiet ground sprays with displays that appeal to little children discovering the properties of water are great for quite areas
Zones:
- Most spray parks offer high activity zones for older children with components like water cannons or dumping buckets and a more passive zone where the very young children can get used to playing with water.
Fill and dump stations:
- Water play tables that have troughs that fill up and allow children fill up and dump buckets and / or cups of water are great additions to spray parks, usually off to the side of the spray components
- Best if you can have the water table in an area away from the spray deck like in a playground near by where there is sand to mix with the water. Mud, beautiful mud.
What we want you to know:
What makes a great spray park is how the kids play with the water and with each other when they are at the park. It is not the theme the components represent and the look of the park that will make the park sucessfull. Themes are nice but they generally do not affect the play experiences of the children. You want your park to look appealing, but your money is best spent on components are interactive and that engage you children in life enriching play. Play works.