Adventure playground??

Rochester has parks. Rochester has playgrounds. Rochester does not yet have a place where children can build a world.

The Wilds will be that place!!

Imagine being on the shore of the Zumbro River, facing a fenced-in, staffed, parts-filled yard. Imagine watching kids saw and hammer and haul, climb and balance and blast down slopes. Imagine them building.

Don’t think of a “play structure”: imagine a living landscape that shifts under kids’ hands.

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Q: Is this safe?

The science is blunt: safety isn’t the absence of risk; rather, it comes from skill plus supervision. Supportive environments that allow “risky outdoor play” are associated with more physical activity, better motor competence, and benefits in social health.

It’s a funny thing: when a playground feels safer, kids often push harder — and the total number of injuries can stay the same. Or alternatively, the play stops, along with all the benefits associated.

In an adventure playground, kids get to feel the thrill of excitement. But it’s not “anything goes”. Rather, a staff of trained play-guardians watch closely and prepare wisely, ready to step in when needed. This can result in lower injury likelihood per child-hour than conventional fixed playground use.

The Wilds will be daring — but it will also be disciplined.

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How will this begin?

Phase 1: Build

Our first goal is simple: get funding to purchase land near a river, to fence it, and to build on the ground a warm winter shelter for the “Minnesota months”.

Then we’ll strew the grounds with donated building materials, and let kids begin the making, mending, and meeting.

Phase 2: Open

We’ll hire & train staff to become guardians of play, and open up an after-school care program.

Phase 3: Expand access

We’ll build a full clinic…

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Who’s this for?

Rochester families — and especially those raising high-energy, high-intensity, or neurodivergent children — who are searching for places where their kids can truly thrive.

These parents aren’t looking for another screen, or another static playground. They’re looking for somewhere their children can have a real adventure, and can become capable.

As our town is often a destination for people from around the world, this is for visiting families, too. We hope that it can become a reason for kids to look forward to coming back to Rochester.

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Rochester has many excellent parks — but nothing like an adventure playground. Most play spaces are fixed, low-challenge, and designed more to minimize liability than to maximize engagement.

Many of us worry that our kids are

• under-challenged

• under-skilled

• losing confidence in the real world

That’s because children don’t become safe by being kept from challenge — they become safe by learning to handle it.

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How can I help?

We’re seeking founding partners to help Rochester build its first adventure playground.

Founders can help us:

• secure land

• construct the shelter

• build the initial play yard

• open access to families who currently have nowhere to go

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Our dream is to help families have a place that fits the needs of their high-intensity kids. We want to help Rochester become a regional leader in healthy risk play, and create a replicable nationwide model for cold-climate adventure playgrounds.

Want to know more?

Wikipedia’s article will give you the basics; local teacher Brandon Hendrickson has written about his kids’ experiences in an adventure playground in this post. There’s a famous documentary called “The Land” that we find inspiring; you can watch the trailer on YouTube.

What’ll make The Wilds extra special?

We’re planning to make this playspace fenced and as accessible as possible, so kids of all abilities can join in! We’ll have free family playtimes, but also options for after-school care. We’ll incorporate natural and built elements to provide the eight types of controlled risk that benefit kids’ development:

Wanna help us?

If you’d like to stay updated on this — or are interested in helping us get this off the ground! — just leave your contact information in the form below.