RESEARCH-BACKED SPLASH PLAY PRODUCTS BY WATERPLAY
27 Jul 2023
Children play to learn. When they climb trees, drive toy cars through the dirt or visit the local splash park and brave the Mega Soaker dumping bucket, they’re learning important life skills that give them building blocks for their future selves. At the Waterplay Play Lab, the team design and test products to encourage free play and invite kids to discover their abilities and develop their physical, emotional, and cognitive skills through play experiences.
Waterplay uses play theory to drive product development and then tests the play outcomes to ensure the product designs allow for a deeper level of play and engagement. The result, beautiful splash play elements for designers that help to create amazing spaces that people keep coming back to.
Check out a couple of Waterplay’s favourite features for highly engaging play experiences that ignite imaginations and creativity, and encourage movement.
WATERWAYS
Building on the different ways that water moves, the Waterways play system brings STEM learning to the splash pad with cascading water, dynamic water weirs that influence the flow of water down transparent water channels, flexible buckets and spinning water basins. Every inch of this playful design is intentional as it encourages kids to explore and create outcomes with moving water, asking questions like:
“What happens if I move this?”
“Why does that happen?”
“Would it work if I…?”
The colourful translucent water channels also encourage kids to consider what’s happening above and below the flowing water as it cascades down the channels and through the weirs—giving mind to their spatial awareness and encouraging them to consider different perspectives. 
DISCOVERY STREAM
With a bubbling spring, a meandering stream bed full of water activities that block the flow of water, and an ocean that collects and drains the water, the Discovery Stream is the perfect place for kids of all ages to slow down and explore. A happy discovery in our Play Lab, when testing the Discovery Stream during product concepting, kids naturally gravitated to this feature to socialize and relax at the stream’s edge. Allowing them to take a self-regulated break from the higher action play elements in the splash pad while still being a part of the space and experience.
A splash pad favourite for years and installed throughout the world, the Discovery Stream slows play down for all ages, abilities and play styles, encouraging waterplayers to play actively, or passively, alongside their peers, or immersed in their own creativity. 
WATER WEAVERS
Waterplay’s three Water Weaver play features, Water Weaver 1, 2 and 3, were designed as simple spray posts that free spin 360˚ and create visually stunning weaving water streams. In Water Weavers 2 and 3, multiple water streams spray from the top of the post into the air, above the heads of those playing. As kids spin the feature faster and faster, the water pattern tightens and interlaces to create a weaving water fortress around them—sparking curiosity, wonder and building immersive play experiences that keep kids coming back to discover new play outcomes.
In Water Weaver 1, the post and spray features are low to the ground. When kids spin Water Weaver 1, two water streams skim along the ground and encourage them to jump over the stream of water—creating a new take on the game of jump rope. Spin faster, jump faster.
The best splash pads are more than just spraying water. The best splash pads encourage kids to explore, come up with new ideas and test their abilities so that they can learn through play.
Contact Waterplay today via the links below to learn more about the companys research-backed splash play features.
