Wanuskewin Interpretive Playground, located North of Saskatoon at Wanuskewin Heritage Park along the Opimihaw Creek, was designed to integrate a unique play experience that celebrates and engages visitors with stories of the long and rich history of the site.
The playground design acts as a microcosm of the larger site, where families of various backgrounds and abilities may come together to meet, play, share, and learn through nature and each other. Gathering areas include the story-telling circle and large picnic area, where classes, interpretive tours and miniature performances may take place. The Seven Sister’s Garden provides a working landscape for ceremony and nourishment. The playground includes a collection of abstract wood sculptural climbers, towers and swings, providing opportunities for exploration, discovery and learning through play.
Collaborating with Earthscape Playgrounds, and in close consultation with Wanuskewin, Elders, and the Planning and Development Committee, the project evolved out of continued engagement focused on the sacred connection to the land, story-telling, and cultural understanding. With the site largely defined by natural materials such as wood, boulders, grasses and locally occurring plantings, the playground project aesthetic was not to intrude on the natural environment but rather feel like an extension of the site’s character.
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