Introduction

Defining the problem simply

The Problem
The reason behind the Big Idea

Table of
Contents

The Big Idea

04

06

How the problem can be solved.

12

Woolworths

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Where Woolworths can make this a reality

The Future
How this solves the problem sustainably

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Introduction

Many children today have lost the interest in playing

outside, which leads to underdeveloped muscles,
low creativity and little imagination. Reasons for
this include fears, technological development and
parental involvement. There are also very few fun
and engaging parks for children in South Africa, due
to maintenance and improvement costs that are not
accessible in South Africa.

Children spend up to 45 hours a week online,

excluding when playing games, which often results
in them losing touch with the physical world around
them and creativity, fearing their own environments.
Not even the online interaction can counter-effect the
decline in social skills these children experience. It is
also easier for parents to hand their child a tablet or
cell phone than spend time engaging with them.

Through primary research it was deduced that young

children can no longer sit crossed legged due to the
underdevelopment of back and stomach muscles,
also caused by inactivity. These muscles are often
unused as children do not play outside and engage
as much in physical activity, such as climbing trees
as they used to, resulting in further problems as they
grow up and become adults.

Our Big Idea aims to solve this issue by creating a

love for physically playing again in children, by not
only re-instilling their love for playing and boosting
their creativity, but by getting their parents involved
in encouraging play. Addressing the issue that
children are also not interested in engaging with their
own back gardens, stimulating an interest for a public
play space stands as a challenge.

The Problem

Many children today fear the outdoors with

the assumption that they might get hurt while
playing and thus choose not to go outside but to
rather stay in the comfort of their room, and not partake
in any physical activity that might bring them to face this fear.
As children grow up, these fears remain and they choose to rather
stay inside and play in virtual worlds, such as in online games or books
than to play outside, so the fear remains virtual and excapable, yet this lack
of physical activity in fact increases those fears and doesnt actually solves them.

One of the most prominent issues with children today

is that they no longer have the drive they once used
to with regards to going outside and playing. This
can be due to many factors ranging from the fear of
getting hurt, lack of parental encouragement and lack
of interest in the existing areas of play.

These children grow up to not only fear the world around them, but the valuable
skills that they have missed out on set them back with regards to their peers. Some
of these skills are lack of personal social skills, depth perception, motor and building
developmental skills, mechanical perception skills, as well as in other lacking areas.
Another reason for not going outside is the fact that parents do not always encourage
their children to go out and play outside as they once used to. Reasons for this can be
linked to the fact that their are more working parents than those who stay at home
and so handing a child a device is easier than spending time outside with them.

By children not playing outside as much as

they used to, it puts them at risk for the
underdevelopment of many important
aspects of their lives which not only stunts
areas of their lives while growing up, but can
ultimately limit their potential in the future.

Unfortunately, one of the more concerning physical problems associated with the
lack of play is the underdevelopment of spinal and stomach muscles in the
child, causing many children today to not be able to sit cross-legged, which
then leads to other physical and medical problems found in adulthood.
Another problem which persists on to adulthood is the lack of
development of creativity and imagination within children
as they not only do not receive enough practise in these
areas but they feel as they are not as necessary.

But how large of a concern

is this really?

58% is the amount of risk children without

play have for mental disorders to develop.
And the lack of exercise in play also leads to lack of concentration,
slow mental development and a spike in ADHD diagnosis.

30% of children prefer playing outdoors.

26% is the amount of additional risk

An alarming statistic when compared to the 92% answer found in

children without play have for obesity.

1992 for the same survey.

Also, the lack of muscle development not only stunts their growth
and puts them at risk for future conditions, but they struggle to do
normal child activities such as sit with their legs crossed.

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9
8

11 12 1

7 6 5

2
3
4

7 hours is the average amount of

screen time children receive daily.
Thats almost 4 months of their year spent staring at a screen.

44% of children today are too scared to

play outside the home due to irrational fears.
Many of these fears are not simpy physical but placed in the
childrens mind by adults who fear their children getting hurt.

Parks in South Africa

The number of parks in South Africa are slowly
becoming smaller and smaller, due to the fact that
they not only do not receive enough use but often
the parks are not well kept or maintained, with
overgrown lawns, litter and mess and sometimes
broken park installations making them unsafe to use.

Often, parks are not supported by the local

community due to the fact that they are seen as
unsafe, both from the installations as well as the
lack of security, and can be viewed as boring and
outdated by children as they have struggled to
compete with the growth in technology and trends.

Boring
Outdated
Unsafe
10

So how do we get kids

to go out and play in a
world where parks are
often seen as boring,
outdated and unsafe?
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The Big Idea

A solution to this problem would not only have to aim
to solve this issue by creating a love for physically
playing again in children, by not only re-instilling their
love for playing and boosting their creativity, but by
getting their parents involved in encouraging play.

Addressing the issue that children are also not

interested in engaging with their own back gardens,
stimulating an interest for a public play space stands
as a challenge, and thus the solution would also have
to be engaging and interesting for the children too.

Fun
Safe
12

Exciting

13

The Backyard

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Introducing The Backyard, a park that is not just hip,

trendy and interesting but also fully self-sustainable.

And the park is not only exciting for the children who
play in it, but is also engaging for parents too.

Interesting park installations inspired by backyard

objects, are blown up to giant-size to create large
scale nature pieces that children can play and engage
with such as a large egg, life-sized birds nest, a giant
spider and other natural elements.

The entire park is lit up and powered by the kinetic

energy produced through interaction and activity
within the rides, and for parents and babysitters alike,
the park has fully-functioning wifi which is released
when children play in the park, encouraging parents
to take their children to the park.

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The Materials
The entire park is designed to be created from
waste materials such as PVC piping, recycled plastic,
netting, tires that Woolworths can obtain from their
associated farmers, also creating a solution for
farming waste. Woolworths can also act as the main
sponsor, adding a plaque which also adds to brand
awareness and equity for Woolworths.

Yet something that makes this park unique to all

others, and grounds it as being a part of all that
Woolworths stands for, is that it helps eliminate waste
for all Woolworths associate farmers, by collecting
their waste products, saving them money and helping
to keep the environment clean and waste-free, so
that their sustainable farming methods can continue.

Examples of recycled
materials that can be used:
Netting

PVC Pipes

Used Tires
16

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The Backyard Installations

The entire park is lit up and powered by the kinetic
energy produced through interaction and activity
within the rides, and for parents and babysitters alike,
the park has fully-functioning wi-fi which is released
when children play in the park, encouraging parents
to take their children to the park.

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A place where this could become a reality would be

De Waal Park, a suburban area surrounding by many
schools and homes, but it could be positioned all over
South Africa where people live. The park is created
not only from waste materials, but is also selfsustaining, making it completely eco-friendly.

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The Egg-o-round

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The large-scale egg is made from recycled PVC and other plastics with a recycled metal
frame. The egg has a crack in the lower part of its shape so that children can climb in
and out of the egg. The children sit in the centre of the egg, in the same manner that
they would in a revolving teacup theme park ride

As the children spin the centre wheel and turn the egg, the kinetic energy is
converted into electrical energy through underground wiring, which lights up
the egg with LED lighting in multiple colours, creating a moving, spinning lighting
top with beautiful visual effects.

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The Ant Hill

The large-scale ant hill is created
using all natural materials for the hill,
as well as large recycled PVC pipes .
The ants are created using recycled
metals to be used as hand -grips for
children climbing up the steep ant
hill, for extra grip and footing.
The hill has a top hole for entering
and a bottom hole for exiting
the ant hill, made large
enough for any adult to
pass through if
they need to
for safety
reasons.

22

The inside of the ant hill is a long

slide made from recycled PVC pipes.
The pipes are lines on the outside
with heat-absorbent electric wiring
as to convert the kinetic energy of
a child passing through the tunnel
into electrical energy, which is
then reflected back into the tunnel
through the use of LED lights that
light up as a child passes through
the tunnel, making it a fun
and new experience for the
child, as well as removing
some of their fear for
the dark.

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The Birds Nests

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The birds nest is one of the most interesting

elements of The Backyard park as they are not only
made entirely out of natural material, being natural
cane, which is found in South Africa as an alien plant
that steals the natural indigenous plants water from
the soil and thus is a good thing if taken out, but
is run in conjunction with South African local artist
Porky Hefer, and the Cape Town Society of the Blind
for their brilliant weaving skills.

Like real weavers nests, the nest is built uneaven so

that even if one were to comfortably sit inside the
nest, they would have to use their stomach and back
muscles to be able to sit up and balance properly,
allowing them to engage with less strenuous physical
activity, especially for those with conditions such as
asthma or who physically cannot run around and play
in the other park installations, given many different
people the opportunity to use the park.

The birds nests are scattered throughout the park

and stand as a place of tranquility within the busy
park. Children and adults alike are able to climb into
the nests and work or read, with wi-fi available for
the adults who would like to catch up on some work
while the children are playing. But the nests are not
simply areas where there is no physical activity.

The nests also have a tunnel system running through

them, connecting the individual nests, allowing
for groups to meet in the nest as well and the
opportunity for play or childrens games such as Hide
and Seek, creating the opportunity for social skill
development in the children who visit the park.

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The Spider

Monkey bars
Swings

See-saw
Obstacles
The giant spider installation is built up of eight different parts, all made from a mixture
of recycled plastics, PVC, tires and other recycled materials which together make up the large
creature. The spire was made in a realistic manner as to help children get over their fears of them.
As children play on the outer parts of the spider, the kinetic energy the children create as well as the solar
power it collects through its dark coating, is transfered into electrical energy which not only powers the inner
part of the spider, that children can climb into, but the it also acts as the electrical source for the lights in the park.

Climbing ropes
Tire Swings

The inner most part of the spider is a dark room that children can gather in. The flooring is made up from reflective
plastic so that children can see around in the room despite the darkness, as to avoid accidents. The room however is
kept dark due to the small opening that leads into the body as well as the spiders thick coating around its body.
The walls on the inside of the abdomen are made from recycled plastic changed into LED responsive screens, so that when
they are touched, they light up for a few seconds, allowing children to literally draw on the walls with their fingers and create
images, although only lasting on the actual walls for a few moments before it eventually fades to black again.
The dark room allows for children to unleash their creativity and explore, but since the images only last on the walls for a few
moments, the children can creatively open themselves up without fear of failure, which also teaches them confidence and the
ability to self-motivate in a colourful and fun manner that is completely new to them.

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The park fits seamlessly into existing campaigns

Woolworths

The Backyard park not only aligns itself with Woolworths message but
it is the perfect addition to the Are You With Us campaign as it uplifts
communities, brings people together and has lasting sustainable effects.

RR
R
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Woolworths gets to help their own.

The initial park is only the beginning.

All the recycled materials can easily be collected from the already

The park itself can be recreated anywhere in South Africa,

trusted sustainable Woolworths farmers and fishermen, who

bringing natural beauty into townships or excitement in farming

would be more than happy to contribute their rubbish.

communities, The Backyard is only the start of this great venture.

The project costs very little to keep up.

Despite the initial cost of implementation, the park costs very
little to keep up, and the money saved can go towards hiring a
security guard for the park to make it even more safe.

Woolworths scores a lot of brand equity.

People trust brands who do good and look after the community, which
is why the park is perfect for exactly what Woolworths stands for and
will only aid to Woolworths reputation as a trustworthy brand.

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The Future
The Backyard aims to solve the issue of
children not playing outside and the negative repercussions
that follow from not having physical play time, by creating a love
for physically playing again in children by not only re-instilling their love for
playing and boosting their creativity, but by getting their parents involved.

This solves the issue for children as

they not only want to play outside
and engage with the park but they
find a new interest in playing and
enjoying outdoors, all the while
simultaneously developing their
muscles, stimulating their creativity
and imagination, growing social
skills and allowing them to simply be
children and to have fun in a way that
burns energy and is good for them in
every way. It also uplifts their own
space that they are in, lifting
their moods and minds.

This also benefits the community,

as not only does building the
park create jobs, but security and
maintenance does too. The park also
gets rids of community waste while
making the community an area to
be proud of for the people who live
in it. And by uplifting communities,
it brings in tourism and lifts the
economy of the area, creating a cycle
of development for the area. As the
park is made from easily-obtainable
materials it can also go up all over
South Africa to brighten up
communities everywhere.

Alone we do so little, together we can do so much

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- Helen Keller

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