Activities for Kids

8 Natural Playgrounds to Run Wild At

Made from wood, stones and good old-fashioned dirt, these playgrounds are Earth's way of saying "Have a blast!"

By rtkellyharamis July 5, 2015

Bye-bye, plastic playgrounds. We’ve found a slew of natural oases to cut loose in. Made from wood, stones and good old-fashioned dirt, they’re Earth’s way of saying “Have a blast!” Click through our album to discover eight playgrounds made from natural materials. Who needs bells and whistles when you have fun like this?

Indian Boundary Park

With a park that opened in 1922, we’d expect nothing less than a plastic-free zone. Kids can swing on tires as they revel in the wooden fortress of bridges, totem poles, teepees, canoes, tunnels, swings and slides. Make sure to check out the updated Nature Play Center, with its native plants and play houses located in the former zoo. You can share a history lesson with your older kids: The park was named after the territorial boundary between the Pottawattomie Native Americans and the U.S. government from the Treaty of 1816.

2500 W. Lunt Ave.
West Ridge
773-764-0338
Online: chicagoparkdistrict.com

Do you know a natural playground that didn’t make our list? Let us know in the Comments below!

— Kelly Haramis