The context for this study was a North Carolina outdoor preschool with three different types of play areas: natural, mixed, and manufactured. The natural setting was mostly composed of organic and other materials not constructed by humans (trees, rocks, sand, soil, etc.). The manufactured setting was purposefully constructed and included such non-natural elements as play equipment and shade structures. The mixed setting had a balanced proportion of natural and manufactured elements.
A combination of photo preferences and semi-structured interviews was used to investigate children's perception of preferred play settings (natural, mixed, and manufactured) and the kinds of play behaviors they enjoyed in those settings. Twenty-two young children (age 4-5) participated in the study. Photos of specific play areas within the different play settings were taken by the researcher and displayed for the children. The children were then asked to select three photos of their favorite outdoor play spaces. This resulted in 76 preferred behavior settings, with 43 (56%) categorized as mixed, 21 (28%) as manufactured, and 12 (16%) as natural.
In one-on-one interviews, children were asked whether they knew where their selected pictures were taken, why they had chosen a particular place as their favorite part of their outdoor play area, and what they most liked to play in that area. Children were also observed at play and notes taken on their cognitive play behaviors and associated behavior settings.
Seventy-five of the observed play instances were coded as cognitive play, with 31 (41%) of these being classified as functional and 30 (40%) classified as dramatic. Ten (13%) were classified as games with rules, three (4%) exploratory play, and 2 (2%) constructive play.
While cognitive play behaviors were observed in all three settings, there were differences in how the settings stimulated such play. The natural setting seemed to promote higher levels of cognitive play, as it was in this area that different dramatic play themes were most evident. The manufactured setting primarily supported functional play, while the mixed setting offered the most opportunities for different types of play (functional, constructive, dramatic, and games with rules). The area most preferred by the children was the mixed play setting which incorporated both natural and manufactured elements.
According to the researchers, these findings suggest including a balanced integration of natural with manufactured play features in the design of preschool play environments. This integration, they suggest, offer opportunities for enhanced cognitive play experiences while also creating an enjoyable playspace for the children.
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