Banyule City Council, Victoria, is setting a new standard for play by recently installing Victoria’s first outdoor interactive play equipment as part of a playground redevelopment at Macleod Village Green.
The interactive equipment, Yalp Memo, was selected for the space after community consultation feedback saw several residents ask for more exciting and innovative equipment to be included in the playground upgrades.
Along with the usual swings, spinners and nature play elements, a collection of pedagogical play pillars were been installed, each housing a 360° LED touch screen programmed with multiple games for users to enjoy that tests spelling and numerical skills, along with memory and agility.
Since the park opened in late September, Banyule has seen a wide range of people using the interactive equipment including young children, teens and adults.
Within a week of the park opening, the interactive unit had recorded over 58 hours of play and, best of all, a total of 18,000 calories had been burnt by users.
Banyule Landscape Architect, Tylah Ingram, said, “We wanted to install something that could constantly create new experiences for visitors in one of Banyule’s busiest playgrounds.
Banyule Open Space and Strategic Projects Coordinator, Nadine Wooldridge, said, “A lot of thinking in the design of playgrounds and open space aims to get children away from screens and remove them from technology, however this interactive equipment brings learning, play and movement together using the best technology can offer providing both mental and physical benefits.”
With the tech-spec playground becoming a real drawcard, Banyule City Council is looking at other opportunities to install similar products and interactive equipment across the municipality in the future.
