For over 50 years Buttercup Hill has been serving Salem families with preschool children, providing a caring, dedicated environment for children ‘to become’. Housed in a lovely historic house, the program’s outdoor spaces were in need or a refresh. Buttercup Hills engaged Learning Landscape Design to design an outdoor environment full of spaces for child-led play for 2-6 year old students.
The resulting space offer physical play opportunities for climbing, balancing and jumping. A favorite child hangout was built out to be a fort with an overlook. Open spaces were retained for ball play and running. A large gravel dig zone included a ‘mini city’ with roads, a play boat, gravel STEM wall and Dinosaur play area.
Imaginative and sensory play found a home in the sensory garden with a fairy house, nature kitchen, painting walls, garden house, and covered sand play areas. A fort building imaginative play area included fort decks, the ‘Buttercup Hill Store’ for supplies and a woven willow house. The expansion of play opportunities and areas offers a wide range of play types to meet each child’s level of interest and development.